Opinions
OP-ED | Africa’s Creative Boom, By Landry Signé
By making strategic investments and implementing targeted reforms, African governments can harness Africa’s rapidly expanding creative industries – fueled by digital innovation and a young, growing middle class – to advance economic, social, and development goals. In February, Afrobeats singer Tems won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance. Her achievement underscores…
Read More »OP-ED | The Cost of Moving Across Africa’s Unseen Borders, By Ayotunde Abiodun
Despite its bold promises, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is being quietly undermined by logistical realities. The agreement, which aims to boost intra-African trade by reducing tariffs and harmonising regulatory standards, assumes that goods and people can move freely across borders. It should not cost over $1,000 to…
Read More »OP-ED | Scaling Investment for Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy, By Marisa Drew
Africa’s blue economy is a growing investible market that banks, asset managers, and governments can no longer afford to ignore. With the potential to advance climate, biodiversity, and economic development goals simultaneously, it offers a triple win for the continent. Despite carrying 80% of the world’s trade, absorbing 30% of its carbon-dioxide…
Read More »OP-ED | How Africa is Taking Lead on Global Finance Reform, By Hanan Morsy
The global financial system is cumbersome, inefficient, and failing to meet the needs of a world grappling with escalating climate and economic crises; fortunately, African governments are stepping up with forward-looking policy proposals that promote debt sustainability and climate resilience. This year’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)…
Read More »OP-ED | A Plan to End Malaria in Africa, By Jean Kaseya
Africa has disproportionately suffered the effects of malaria for far too long, but it can eliminate this scourge by 2040 through well-targeted public investment, a strong surveillance system, effective vector control, and rapid outbreak-response mechanisms. Despite being preventable and curable, malaria has continued to claim African lives. In 2023, the…
Read More »OP-ED | Why Europe Must Change its Approach to Africa, By Carlos Lopes
While Africa strategically repositions itself in today’s multipolar world, the European Union remains largely complacent in the outdated belief that it is the continent’s leading patron. But a shifting global economic landscape offers Europe an opportunity to start engaging with Africa on equal terms. In recent years, China has surpassed Europe in…
Read More »OP-ED | The Sanitation Gap in Africa’s Progress, By Julia Baum & Jakkie Cilliers
Behind Africa’s poor sanitation and safe water statistics lies a development crisis—one that is costing billions, stunting futures and demanding urgent policy action. Image: Julia Baum/AFI In much of the Global North, access to clean drinking water and safe toilets is an unremarkable part of everyday life. Conversely, in much…
Read More »OP-ED | Protectionism Will Not Protect Against Pandemics, By Winnie Byanyima & Michael Marmot
The global health system has substantially reduced infectious disease rates and health inequalities. Yet, imposing tariffs, closing borders, cutting foreign aid, and disengaging from multilateral cooperation will reverse this progress and create the conditions for pathogens to thrive. As many Global North countries turn inward, foreign assistance has become an…
Read More »OP-ED | The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a Crossroads, By Adekeye Adebajo
The hard-won achievements of the 50-year-old Economic Community of West African States are at risk of unraveling amid growing political and economic turmoil and following the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The launch of ECOWAS@50 celebrations in Accra, Ghana, recently While attending a recent United Nations Development Programme…
Read More »OP-ED | How Africa Should Negotiate with Trump, By Vera Songwe & Witney Schneidman
Africa and the US are both seeking to strengthen their manufacturing sectors, but this is not a zero-sum game. By agreeing to strengthen Africa’s industrial capabilities, the US could gain greater access to resources its own industry needs, boost its commercial influence on the continent, and revive mutually beneficial trade.…
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