June 27, 2023
Nigeria: Mobile Money System Has Dark Side Even Though It's Convenient - New Study Explores Risks
Financial services play vital roles in supporting economic activities. In Nigeria, though, a significant number of people don't have access to essential banking services. Read more »
June 26, 2023
Africa: Africa Needs Its Own Credit Rating Agency - Here's How It Could Work
The credit rating industry in Africa is dominated by the three international agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Together they control an estimated 95% of the credit rating… Read more »
June 21, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Population - 5 Key Findings in the Past 20 Years of Research
Like many countries on the African continent, Kenya's population is growing - fast. The country's population was 8.1 million in 1963; today it stands at about 55 million people.… Read more »
June 20, 2023
Sierra Leone: African Leaders in Sierra Leone Played a Key Role in Ending the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone on the west African coast, was named for the freed slaves who were returned to Africa by British members of the movement to end slavery.… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's New Foreign Exchange Policy Is Good News - but It Can't Work Wonders for the Economy On Its Own
The Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced changes to the way the country's foreign exchange market will work. Foreign currencies can now be bought and sold at rates determined… Read more »
June 13, 2023
Africa: Experts Explain Why It's Still Africa's Best Option for Cleaner, Greener Cooking (For Now)
Africa's growing population desperately needs clean, modern energy in the home. Currently, more than 900 million people, 85% of the region's population, still rely on solid biomass… Read more »
June 09, 2023
Africa: UK Ivory Trade Ban Extended to Five More Species - Here's Why We Think It Will Be Ineffective
The loss of nature is one of the many environmental crises facing our planet. And a key challenge in addressing this is halting the poaching and trafficking of wildlife, which is… Read more »
June 12, 2023
South Africa: Social Entrepreneurs Have Different Reasons for Creating Their Ventures - Policymakers Should Take These Into Account
Social entrepreneurs embrace social as well as economic value. They create ventures that aim to meet social needs. They are not only risk-takers and proactive innovators but have a… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's First Budget Under Ruto - Three Experts Review Its Key Points
President William Ruto's first budget comes to the national assembly on 15 June against the backdrop of massive public debt and public disquiet over high inflation. The KSh3.663… Read more »
June 08, 2023
Ghana: Ghana's Informal Mining Harms Health and the Land - but Reforms Must Work With People, Not Against Them
Artisanal small-scale mining has been practised in Ghana for over a century. In 2018, small-scale miners generated 2.1 million ounces of gold, accounting for 43.1% of total gold… Read more »
June 05, 2023
Sudan: Sudan's War Is Wrecking a Lot, Including Its Central Bank - a Legacy of Trailblazing African American Economist and Banker Andrew Brimmer
The war in Sudan between two rival generals for control of the country is devastating in so many ways. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, thousands injured and more than 1… Read more »
June 07, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Power Crisis Will Continue Until 2025 - and Blackouts Will Take 5 Years to Phase Out
South Africa is in the middle of a severe electricity crisis, with enforced power cuts that have worsened every year. Electricity is sometimes unavailable for 10 hours a day. The… Read more »
June 06, 2023
Africa: China's Population Grew Older and Richer - Policy Lessons for Some African Countries
For decades China was the world's most populous country. But that's changed. Its population has peaked, and is now falling. Read more »
May 31, 2023
Africa: If We're Going to Label AI an 'Extinction Risk', We Need to Clarify How It Could Happen
This week a group of well-known and reputable AI researchers signed a statement consisting of 22 words: Read more »
June 01, 2023
South Africa: Solutions to Power Blackouts Lie in Solar Farms and Battery Storage At Scale - And an End to State Monopoly
Rolling blackouts are costing South Africa dearly. The electricity crisis is a barrier to growth, destroys investor confidence and handicaps almost every economic activity. It has… Read more »
South Africa: Harry Oppenheimer Biography Shows the Mining Magnate's Hand in Economic Policies
In Harry Oppenheimer: Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty, his outstanding biography of the South African mining magnate who died in 2000, Michael Cardo shows that there is still mileage to… Read more »
Nigeria: Cycling Could Be a Boon for Lagos - but People Fear for Their Safety On Bikes
With an estimated 16 million residents, Lagos is the most densely populated state in Nigeria. It's under immense pressure to transport its huge population. According to a global… Read more »
May 26, 2023
Africa: How AI and Other Technologies Are Already Disrupting the Workplace
Artificial intelligence (AI) is often cast as wreaking havoc and destroying jobs in reports about its growing use by companies. The recent coverage of telecom group BT's plans to… Read more »
May 24, 2023
Africa: Male Video Game Characters Speak Twice As Much As Females, Largest Study of Its Kind Reveals
Video games are played by nearly three billion people worldwide and make more money annually than the film industry. Around 50% of gamers are female but gaming has chronic problems… Read more »
May 30, 2023
Africa: Tobacco Use Is Costly, but So Is Quitting. Surveys of 8 African Countries Show Who Needs Help
Tobacco use imposes a large health and economic burden worldwide. Research estimates that, in 2019, about 8 million deaths were attributable to tobacco smoking. Tobacco also… Read more »
May 29, 2023
Ghana: Accra's Market Fires Are Devastating to Informal Traders
Ghana's informal urban markets play a key role in the country's economy. They employ more than 80% of the people who work in the informal sector. They create livelihoods for… Read more »
Kenya: China in Africa - Kenya Railway Study Shows Investment Projects Aren't a One-Way Street
China is an important economic player in Africa. In 2021 alone, China accounted for nearly US$5 billion in foreign direct investment in African countries. The rapidly increasing… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Africa: Greenwashing - Energy Companies Make False Claims About Sustainability - They Should Be Held to Account
Companies implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a way to present an environmentally responsible image and therefore gain legitimacy in the eyes of their stakeholders.… Read more »
Nigeria: President-Elect Tinubu Inherits Nigeria's High Debt - Economist Analysis
As the 16th president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherits an economy that is grappling with inflation, chronic unemployment, extreme poverty, crumbling infrastructure and… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigerian Architect Demas Nwoko On His Award-Winning Work - 'Whatever You Build, It Should Suit Your Culture'
Demas Nwoko, born in Nigeria in 1935, has been awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, arguably the world's most prestigious… Read more »