July 25, 2022
Africa: Cryptocurrencies Are Gaining Ground Across Africa. That's Both Good News and Bad
Cryptocurrencies have become popular in African and other developing countries. That's according to a policy brief released recently by UNCTAD, a United Nations agency. Significant… Read more »
Southern Africa: Industrial Policy Options for Southern Africa - Scenarios Set Out Possibilities and Risks
There is a need to transform the underlying economic principles of the economies in southern African countries to address the persistent challenges of severe poverty and… Read more »
East Africa: Dam Dispute - Five Key Reads About How It Started and How It Could End
The US has revived diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute sparked by Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project on the Nile. Sudan and Egypt, which rely most… Read more »
July 19, 2022
Africa: Push for AI Innovation Can Create Dangerous Products
This past June, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a probe into Tesla's autopilot software. Data gathered from 16 crashes raised concerns over the… Read more »
July 20, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria Hasn't Been Able to Produce Steel - Remanufacturing Could Be the Solution
Nigeria has pumped more than US$8 billion into Ajaokuta Steel Company, a project which began more than 40 years ago but has yet to produce one tonne of steel. Read more »
July 19, 2022
Kenya: Inflation Is Rising - Here's Why, and How to Fix It
Inflation has hit many countries recently, from the United States to Sri Lanka. Read more »
July 18, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria's Large, Youthful Population Could Be an Asset or a Burden
With a population estimated at 206 million in 2020, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and seventh in the world. Read more »
July 17, 2022
South Africa: Technology and Home Visits Can Help South Africans With Diabetes Cope With Insulin
Approximately 4.5 million South Africans have type 2 diabetes - a condition characterised by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be treated with drugs and managed through… Read more »
July 15, 2022
Kenya: Kenya's Election Promises - an Economist's Perspective
Kenya has four presidential candidates in the August 2022 general election. They recently launched their manifestos and one thing ties them together: the economy. Read more »
July 17, 2022
Ghana: Ghana's Return to the IMF Within Three Years Underscores Its Deeper Economic Problems
Ghana is again seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to enable the country to meet its payments to the rest of the world and restore the health of… Read more »
July 13, 2022
Africa: How BRICS' New Development Bank Can Improve Transparency and Accountability
The New Development Bank, which was formed in July 2014, marks its eighth birthday this year. It was formed by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS)… Read more »
July 12, 2022
South Africa: Country Could Produce a Lot More Renewable Energy - Here's What It Needs
South Africa's power utility, Eskom, has not been able to provide a steady electricity supply for several years now. At the start of the 2022 winter the utility warned the public… Read more »
July 11, 2022
Africa: Space Agriculture Boldly Grows Food Where No One Has Grown Before
Whether to spend money on outer space exploration or to apply it to solve serious problems on Earth, like climate change and food shortages, is a contentious debate. But one… Read more »
Ethiopia: Why Factory Jobs for Women Haven't Translated Into Greater Participation in Politics
Until the war in Tigray started in November 2020, Ethiopia was a favoured investment destination. It had experienced strong economic growth for the previous decade. Read more »
July 10, 2022
Morocco: Morocco - A Top Fertiliser Producer - Could Hold a Key to the World's Food Supply
Morocco has a large fertiliser industry with huge production capacity and international reach. It is one of the world's top four fertiliser exporters following Russia, China and… Read more »
July 06, 2022
Africa: How Africans Can Assess the Value of the Latest G7 Summit
Leaders of the world's seven advanced economies have once again pledged economic support for Africa and other developing countries. But the realisation of these commitments depends… Read more »
July 03, 2022
South Africa: Why the South African State Should Not Subsidise Minibus Taxi Owners
Millions of South Africans rely on minibus taxis to get around. Without these vehicles, people wouldn't be able to get to work, school or simply visit friends and family. Data from… Read more »
June 30, 2022
South Africa: Digital Migration - Court Delay Upholds Information Rights of Poor South Africans
South Africa's Constitutional Court has decided to strike down the government's plans to end old-style analogue television broadcasting at the end of June. The decision upholds the… Read more »
June 28, 2022
Kenya: The Art of Bribery - a Closeup Look At How Traffic Officers Operate On Kenya's Roads
A first-time driver on Kenyan roads is likely to think that commercial and passenger service vehicles are highly regulated. Drivers are frequently stopped by police officers, who… Read more »
Africa: Cooking With 'Dirty' Fuels Affects Women's Mental Health #AfricaClimateCrisis
About 2.6 billion people - nearly half of the global population, most of them in Africa, Asia and central and south America - rely on biomass fuels, like wood and charcoal, or… Read more »
Nigeria: How Nigeria Can Turn Its Huge Cashew Waste Into Valuable Citric Acid
Nigeria - the sixth largest producer of cashew nuts globally - exports more than 80% of its raw cashews primarily to Vietman and India where they are processed into variuous… Read more »
June 27, 2022
South Africa: Kenya and South Africa Offer Insights into Digital Economy Challenges and Alternatives
The World Bank is warning of the real danger of a massive economic downturn across the world. In a recent analysis it warned that many countries - including those in sub-Saharan… Read more »
June 24, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria's Latest Lithium Find - Some Key Questions Answered
High-grade lithium has been discovered in Nigeria. In 2019 the total production volume of lithium, not high grade, in Nigeria reached 50 metric tons This is small compared to… Read more »
June 23, 2022
Africa: Firms From Rich Countries Are Taking Factories Home - What This Means for Africa
There is no doubt that globalisation has benefited Africa greatly. This includes job creation, innovation, increased productivity and foreign direct investment. Read more »
June 22, 2022
Africa: Triple Punch of Shocks Threatens to Upend Debt Sustainability and Recovery
Food and fuel price increases and the aftermath of the COVID pandemic are really just the start of the story when it comes to fiscal shocks which have exacerbated government debt… Read more »