Opinions

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)…

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…

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strategically repositions itself in today’s multipolar world, the European Union remains largely complacent in the outdated belief that it is the continent’s leading patron.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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

As the African Development Bank (AfDB) prepares to elect its 10th president next month, its shareholders should seize the strategic opportunity of naming a woman to fill this critical post. Ms Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, one of five candidates for AfDB Presidency All five candidates have impressive credentials, and they have…

Eunice Kisiwaa Gyan posits that West Africa is at a crossroads: the region’s choice is between collective action and reform, or continued descent into fragmentation and insecurity. Eunice Kisiwaa Gyan, an expert in Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) In the past decade, West Africa has witnessed a troubling surge in…

As the US-China rivalry intensifies, both powers are courting mineral-rich African countries to secure critical raw materials. Yet, translating Africa’s vast natural-resource wealth into lasting development requires an infrastructure-led strategy that delivers long-term value for local communities. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images The clean-energy transition has fueled the global race for critical…