Author: Agencies

The First Law of Economics, the joke has it, is that for every economist there exists an equal and opposite economist. The Second Law of Economics is that they are both wrong. Indeed, in my profession it often seems that way. Take my fellow economist David Ndii, who recently wrote a lengthy and well-acclaimed paper making a case for less investment by African governments in infrastructure and more in agriculture. In contrast, in most of my articles and speeches, and in a great deal of my firm’s work, you’ll see a significant emphasis on infrastructure as a means to growth, and on a…

Africa is breaking apart – literally. From the Gulf of Aden in the north, all the way to Mozambique in the south, the African continental plate is splitting along the East African Rift Valley. The two halves of the continent are moving apart by around half a centimetre a year. At this rate, within five to ten million years East Africa will have drifted off to become its own continent. The good news is that the forces deep beneath the Earth’s surface that are responsible for this tectonic divorce provide Africa with a potentially vast supply of renewable energy. At…

Sudan stands on the brink of yet another civil war sparked by the deadly confrontation between the Sudan Armed Forces of General Abdelfatah El-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”). Much of the international news coverage has focused on the clashing ambitions of the two generals. Specifically, that differences over the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces into the regular army triggered the current conflict on April 15, 2023. I am a professor teaching at Columbia University and my research focuses on the political economy of the Horn of Africa. A forthcoming paper of mine in the Journal of…

A group of young dancers from Uganda, Triplets Ghetto Kids, went viral across the world when they earned the “golden buzzer” mid-performance on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. The golden buzzer sends a shower of gold confetti onto the stage – sending the contestants straight through to the show’s final rounds – and it had never been pressed in the middle of a performance before. In fact, the dance group have been an internet sensation for some years already. They dance with contagious positive energy to hit songs with steps by leading choreographers and release videos on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. As a scholar of how African…

Despite an announced humanitarian ceasefire, fighting continues into a fifth day in Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan. International appeals for renewed talks have so far fallen on deaf ears. The Sudan Amed Forces (SAF) controlled by the head of Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan continue to fight for control of key infrastructure with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as ‘Hemedti’, and officially the deputy leader of the military junta. It is to all intents and purposes a violent struggle for power between rival military chiefs. That much is common knowledge. …

So you want to take a break from the chaos and get a good laugh, feel inspired, or a find moments of stillness. We’ve got you covered. South African author and comedian Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime where he pens down captivating tales from his childhood at the tail end of apartheid is good for when you are hankering for heartwarming storytelling filled with laughs. Romance fiction can be emotionally fulfilling, so our list features two very different but equally satisfying reads. If you like your love stories fun, feel-good, and cosmopolitan but also slightly unconventional, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s Yinka, Where is Your…

A number of African countries, including Kenya, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, are currently experiencing shortages of US dollars. The dollar is the dominant currency in international transactions. These countries rely on the US currency to pay for foreign debts, essential goods and industrial inputs. Development economist Christopher Adam explains to The Conversation Africa’s George Omondi what causes US dollar shortages and how they can be remedied. What is a dollar shortage? Global trade is conducted in the currencies of the world’s major economic powers, principally the US dollar, the European Union’s euro, the Japanese yen and, to a lesser extent, the Chinese renminbi and the UK’s pound…

By Bill Gates In Kenya, I visited with a smallholder farmer using new tools and practices to fight back against climate change. I planted drought-tolerant seeds, fed and weighed chickens, and used a mobile phone to monitor weather forecasts and local crop prices. These were a few of the chores I was given during my visit with Mary Mathuli, a smallholder farmer in rural Kenya. I stopped at her home in Makueni County, south-east of Nairobi, during my recent trip to Kenya to better understand how farmers like Mary are faring in the face of climate change. I arrived expecting…

Oil prices posted gains in Asian trade on Tuesday after OPEC+ plans to cut more production jolted markets the previous day, with investors’ attention shifting to demand trends and the impact of higher prices on the global economy. Brent crude futures were up 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $85.34 a barrel by 0400 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading at $80.83 a barrel, up 41 cents, or 0.5%. Both benchmarks jumped more than 6% on Monday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, collectively known as OPEC+, rocked markets with Sunday’s…

Donald Trump, the ex-president and frontrunner to be Republican nominee in 2024, will appear in court on Tuesday and is set to be formally charged, finger-printed and have a mug shot taken in a watershed moment ahead of next year’s presidential election. Trump was indicted last week, becoming the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges, over a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He has said he is innocent and is due to plead not guilty. Trump will turn himself in on Tuesday amid tight security as demonstrations were expected for…