Opinions

The African Continental Free Trade Area will help dismantle tariff and non-tariff barriers amid a pandemic and global recession. Accelerating Africa’s economic integration will cushion its fragile economies and help turn the continent into the world’s largest common market.   In 2018, 44 countries signed the African Continental Free Trade…

As the pandemic reaches the continent, countries from Morocco to Malawi are facing a health crisis and an economic shock     Now that almost all of Africa’s 54 countries are reporting cases of the new coronavirus, one thing is certain: The pandemic will have drastic consequences in Africa, especially…

Only a global victory can end this pandemic, not a temporary rich countries’ win     There is a major flaw in the strategy to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Advanced economies are unveiling unprecedented economic stimulus packages. African countries, by contrast, lack the wherewithal to make similarly meaningful interventions. Yet…

Whilst journalists and commentators have focussed recently on lessons from Asia in relation to the current Covid-19 pandemic, with some referencing pandemics that have hit Europe and North America in the past, a less obvious question to ask is whether there are also lessons from Africa?      I would…

Rather than imposing damaging and ineffective travel bans, African authorities should focus on mitigating the pandemic.     In April 1914, as Europe was moving towards war, Dakar, the capital of present-day Senegal, was hit by an epidemic of bubonic plague that within a year, according to one account, wiped out…

There is no telling how long it will take to bring the COVID-19 coronavirus under control, or how many people will be affected. But African governments, in cooperation with communities and international actors, can take steps now to limit the damage – and lay the foundations for a healthier, more…

Success against coronavirus will require national leadership, engaged local responders, and strong cooperation with NGOs   A looming epidemic of COVID-19 in Africa presents a deadly threat. This is especially the case in densely populated urban areas with limited opportunities for social distancing, poor baseline systems to support hygiene and…

There is renewed concern about the sustainability of rising debt levels in many African countries. Much of this debt is being incurred through foreign currency denominated Eurobonds issued on international financial markets. The total value of Eurobonds issued between 2018 and 2019 was more than the value of all bonds sold between 2003 to 2016.  …

South Africa’s tendency to disregard repression in its backyard has left it ineffective at promoting democracy.     On February 9, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the presidency of the African Union (AU) at a summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There he made mention of a “new epoch of governance…

Ahead of the just concluded AU Summit, African governments  were urged to strengthen strategies and policies aimed at encouraging the transition to a new climate economy and increasing investment in clean energy. By phasing out fossil fuels, Africa can lead by example in the global effort to combat climate change.…