Opinion & Analysis
Aug 02,
2017
It’s been nearly two decades since the idea of a single currency for West Africa was first mooted. Yet the sub-region is still far from having a common legal tender.…
Jul 31,
2017
Cities in sub-Saharan Africa are growing fast. Nigeria alone is projected to add 212 million urban dwellers by 2050, equivalent to the current population of Germany, France and the UK.…
Jul 30,
2017
South Africa’s public finances may be in their worst state since the first democratic elections in 1994. One source of these woes was the 2008 financial crisis. But its effects…
Jul 25,
2017
Anti-terrorism and transactional relationships are likely be the main features of US President Donald Trump’s Africa policy. But if Trump’s proposed cuts to the state department hold, the US will…
Jul 30,
2017
South Africans are not happy. According to the recent Bloomberg’s Misery Index, South Africa is the second-most miserable country on earth. Venezuela tops the list of emerging countries. This isn’t…
Jul 30,
2017
Kenya’s general election will be contested by a large number of hopefuls, but in reality it’s a two-horse race between Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance and Uhuru Kenyatta…
Jul 30,
2017
Making economies work for more people is a political task, not a technical exercise. The World Bank has just conceded this – without meaning to do so. The bank has…
Jul 05,
2017
Kenya recently announced a ban on one of the most common materials used in the country’s packaging sector - plastic bags. This includes the use, manufacture and importation of all…
Jul 04,
2017
The planned reinvention of the World Bank may be a mea culpa of sort from the multilateral funding institution. But it is still a bearer of bad news for poor…
Jul 03,
2017
When I began to teach in 2012, I decided to start my course with an analysis of how money affects social order. What my students found particularly fascinating was the…
Jun 29,
2017
Large carnivores are in decline all over the world. Threats like persecution and loss of both prey and habitat are key contributors. The planet’s top biodiversity hotspots have already lost…
Jun 28,
2017
On June 27, the ATM turns 50. Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker once described it as the “only useful innovation in banking.” But today, the cash that ATMs…
Jun 28,
2017
The countries of Sub-Saharan Africa have reached a critical juncture. Strained by a collapse in commodity prices and China’s economic slowdown, the region’s growth slipped to 3.4% in 2015 –…
Jun 27,
2017
There are growing concerns that the rising non-performing loan (NPLs) on the books of some banks in Ghana threatens their existence and depositor’s funds. There is the need for immediate…
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