Archives

23 January 2012 04:16

Losing half of Africa's economic hope?

African women beaten for wearing trousers – why it matters.

Since the Industrial Revolution, global output and wealth have grown immensely. A number of factors have driven this growth - specialisation and the division of labour, the invention of the company with its risk-limiting quality, and of models for assembling financing for large projects, technological changes that let us harness the energy of fossil fuels, and innovations in management and communication.

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17 January 2012 03:35

Africa's biggest challenges in 2012

What’s should be keeping Africans awake at night this year?

We already know that 2012 is going to be a challenging year as we grapple with the crisis in Europe, the presidential election in America, the turmoil in Syria and Iran, and the continuing rise of new powers like China and India. But Africa will be facing a number of unique challenges as it heads boldly forward into 2012.

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28 December 2011 02:16

Africa: A year in review

A look at the top news stories out of Africa in 2011.

The last year was an eventful one everywhere - from the nuclear meltdown in Japan to the crisis in Europe - and Africa did not escape unscathed from the tumult of 2011. Indeed, there were many remarkable events in sub-Saharan Africa In the last twelve months, some joyful and some terrible. Below are my picks for the top 5 African news stories of the year.

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28 November 2011 06:26

Bribery, venality, and Africa (SA included)

Corruption is on the increase in southern Africa.

Corruption is a terrible cancer in a society; it raises the cost of public services, reduces social trust, and decreases the quality of services and infrastructure, especially when government tender processes are corrupt. In general, corrupt societies are poorer, less efficient, and more prone to social dysfunction than their cleaner peers. Given this, it's depressing to learn that corruption is increasing throughout southern Africa.

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07 November 2011 11:23

What's up with Kenya invading Somalia?

What does the turmoil around Somalia mean for East Africa?

PHILADELPHIA - Somalia, as we all know, is kind of a disaster. The country is struggling with a brutal famine, hasn't had a real government for about 20 years, and has basically lurched from crisis to crisis for decades.

Things have, however, been especially bad in the south of the country over the last few years, because the south is largely controlled by a group of violent Islamists known as al-Shabaab, a group which frequently uses terror tactics against civilians, and has waged a vicious civil war against the country's would-be central government. Over the last month, things in the region have reached a boiling point, fuelled by a combination of...

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