January 30, 2023
Uganda: Kampala, Kigali and Addis Ababa Are Changing Fast - New Book Follows Their Distinct Paths
Kampala, the Ugandan capital where I live, is naturally the city I have studied and worked on the most as an urban economist. Yet even with this background, reading Tom… Read more »
January 27, 2023
Somalia: Somaliland's Oil Find Could Reset the Regional Balance - Here's How
The presence of oil in Somaliland has been confirmed by a recent exploration. The discovery has raised the stakes in Somaliland's claim for independence from Somalia as it holds… Read more »
January 26, 2023
South Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy - Covid Experience Highlights Conspiracies, Mistrust and Role of Media
In recent weeks, China has reported a spike in new cases of COVID and related deaths. Some countries have imposed travel restrictions as a result. But most - including South Africa… Read more »
January 25, 2023
Africa: Free Online Courses Could Be a Path to Higher Education in African Countries but Awareness Is Low
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the largest regions in the world and has the lowest rates of participation in higher education anywhere in the world. The World Bank reported in 2020… Read more »
Ghana: Domestic Debt Restructuring Has Stalled - Four Reasons Why
Ghana is facing multiple financial and economic challenges and has requested a US$3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help it restore macroeconomic… Read more »
January 24, 2023
Africa: Directors Need Limits to How Many Boards They Sit On. Stretching Their Time Too Thinly Is Risky
Experienced directors of companies are in high demand in countries around the world. For this reason, many hold multiple directorships. Read more »
January 23, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts Play Havoc With the Country's Water System
South Africans had to deal with the worst ever series of power cuts in 2022. All in all the country lost a record 205 days of electricity due to constant breakdowns at the… Read more »
January 12, 2023
Africa: ChatGPT, Dall-E 2 and the Collapse of the Creative Process
In 2022, OpenAI - one of the world's leading artificial intelligence research laboratories - released the text generator ChatGPT and the image generator DALL-E 2. While both… Read more »
January 23, 2023
Zambia: Copper Transformed Way the World Works Before - It's About to Do So Again
Copper is all around us. The metal is both ever-present and invisible in our world. Copper makes reading the words on this screen possible. And the global spread of artificial… Read more »
January 20, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts in South Africa - Trend to Get Off the Grid Is Gathering Pace, but Total Independence Is Still a Way Off
South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These have worsened to the point that towards the end of 2022 the country's electricity utility, Eskom, had… Read more »
January 19, 2023
Africa: How the Fifa20 Video Game Reproduces the Racial Stereotypes Embedded Within Football
EA Sports' Fifa football videogame series is arguably the most successful sports gaming franchise of all time. Since its debut in 1993, it has sold over 260 million copies across… Read more »
Africa: Installing Solar-Powered Refrigerators in Developing Countries Can Reduce Hunger and Slow Climate Change
Food loss and waste are major problems around the world. When food is tossed aside or allowed to spoil, it makes economies less productive and leaves people hungry. Read more »
South Africa: Pay Inequality Is High - Bosses Are Part of the Problem
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. This income inequality is mostly due to high unemployment and large differences in wages. Read more »
Nigeria: New Lekki Port Has Doubled Cargo Capacity, but Must Not Repeat Previous Failures
Three-quarters of the world is covered by water and up to 90% of world trade is seaborne. Seaports and shipping are critical to the conduct of global trade. Read more »
January 18, 2023
Africa: How to Spot a Cyberbot - Five Tips to Keep Your Device Safe
You may know nothing about it, but your phone - or your laptop or tablet - could be taken over by someone else who has found their way in through a back door. They could have… Read more »
January 17, 2023
South Africa: Technology and Sustainable Development - A Hamlet in Rural South Africa Shows How One Can Power the Other
It's hard to imagine that the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the fourth industrial revolution can be part of the same conversation. Read more »
Africa: Extreme Storms and Flood Events Cause Damage Worth Billions to Ports - and They Are Most Disruptive to Small Island Developing States #AfricaClimateCrisis
Shipping ports are crucial for the global economy. They handle the majority of trade, are industrial and transportation hubs and provide employment. But ports, by their nature, are… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Currency Redesign and Withdrawal Limits - Questionable Policy and Bad Timing
The Central Bank of Nigeria launched new banknotes in November 2022. The new notes came into effect on 15 December 2022. Read more »
January 16, 2023
South Africa: Being a Volunteer Won't Land You a Job. but It Could Improve Your Chances of Getting One
The South African government has implemented numerous economic policies to boost employment since the democratic transition in 1994. But between 1995 and 2022 the growth in… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's University System Needs Radical Reform
Amid strikes by Nigeria's Academic Staff Union of Universities, one thing is clear: the current funding model for the country's public universities is broken. The government's new… Read more »
January 15, 2023
South Africa: Farming in South Africa - 6 Things That Need Urgent Attention in 2023
South Africa's agriculture remains an important sector of the economy and holds great potential to reduce poverty. It's also central to the political economy of the country, as… Read more »
January 13, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: Mining and Armed Conflict Threaten Eastern DR Congo's Biodiversity in a Complex Web
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict-affected eastern provinces are home to numerous protected areas. These areas host unique biodiversity and a range of threatened… Read more »
January 11, 2023
Ethiopia: Chinese Imports Could Undermine Ethiopian Manufacturing - Leaving Women Workers Worst Off
China is now the African continent's largest trading partner, accounting for US$254 billion in 2021. It's also the main country of origin for African manufacturing imports,… Read more »
Tanzania: Why Solar-Powered Cold Storage Could Be a Sustainable Solution to Tomato Harvest Waste #AfricaClimateHope
Feeding Africa's growing population is a big development challenge for governments, policy makers and agriculture experts. Adding to the challenge is the high level of food loss… Read more »
January 06, 2023
Africa: Global Economy 2023 - Why There Will Still Be Plenty of Pressure On Food Prices in the Year Ahead
Welcome to this special report on the food industry, the fourth instalment in our series on where the global economy is heading in 2023. It follows recent articles on inflation,… Read more »