The burgeoning demand for digital financial services in Africa has brought about an unparallel increase in the size of the population with access to formal financial services on the continent – in Egypt, home of the biggest banking sector in North Africa and also the banking powerhouse of the...
The COVID-19 crisis is inflicting the most pain on those who are already most vulnerable. This calamity could lead to a significant rise in income inequality. And it could jeopardize development gains, from educational attainment to poverty reduction. New estimates suggest that up to 100 million people worldwide could...
When Khimbini Hlongwane spent most of his small safari tour company's savings on the deposit for a new minibus in February, it seemed like a safe bet. His revenues had doubled in the previous year. And bookings by American, British, and Brazilian tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of elephants,...
Senegal has rejected licensing requests for 52 new industrial fishing vessels, after Senegalese small-scale fishers and industrial shipowners raised the alarm. On World Ocean’s Day, June 8, the Minister of Fisheries rejected the requests, in a victory for sustainable fisheries. Attention is now on a similar case in Ghana,...
George Floyd tested positive for COVID-19. What has that got to do with his death? Absolutely nothing! If your brother had asthma, and someone intentionally introduced smoke into his room, and he died, you would be very upset if the system said “well he had asthma, so nothing to see...
Ivory Coast farmers say leaving crop to rot Cashew prices at unprofitable lows, some farmers say Africa raw cashew exports to fall 30% - industry body Buying picks up in Ghana, output on track to reach target Olivier Gore-Bi took out loans to ready his 12-acre cashew farm in...
Kenya’s currency is expected to trade on the back foot against the U.S. dollar as Uganda’s firms and those of Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia hold steady. KENYA The Kenyan shilling is seen under pressure this week from oil importers and some multinational companies buying dollars to meet their monthly obligations,...
Africa’s economic, business and public policy analysts are forecasting that the speed and scope of the continent’s post-COVID-19 recovery will largely depend on the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). These views were contained in the recent UN publication, “Africa Renewal.” The AfCFTA is an African...
Governments around the world are responding forcefully to the COVID-19 crisis with a combined fiscal and monetary response that has already reached 10% of global GDP. Yet according to the latest global assessment from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, these stimulus measures may not boost...
As the COVID-19 crisis has escalated, stay-at-home orders have led to a surge in online purchases – of everything from groceries to medicines to household essentials – by consumers in the advanced economies. Africans facing similar movement restrictions will not enjoy the same convenience – or the safety it...