Tag Archives: africa

COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | For many years, citizens of our ancient continent and beyond have grappled with the question of national growth, or, as Adam Smith framed it, the “wealth of nations”. It was Smith who, exactly 250 years ago this March, offered the first systematic account of this …

NAIROBI, KENYA | Xinhua | The self-serving and ulterior political motives attached to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) have undermined the growth of Africa’s industries, a Kenyan scholar has said. Patrick Lumumba, a legal scholar and former director of Kenya’s anti-graft agency, told Xinhua in an interview that …

With COP32 scheduled for Addis Ababa already dominating political discussions across the continent, African leaders must choose their language more carefully   COMMENT |  MARTHA BEKELE | When politicians nowadays talk about Africa and climate change, they tend to use the same words: “leadership”, “opportunity”, and “solutions”. Africa is no longer …

BOOK REVIEW | CRISPIN KAHERU | History often remembers revolutions by the sound of guns. Yet the most transformative revolutions are quieter. They happen in the mind first, then in the marketplace, and finally in the lives of ordinary people. That is the central lesson from ‘My Psycho-Economic Evolution’, the reflections …

Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Export-Import Bank has ranked first as Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunner in the 2025 Bloomberg Africa Borrower Loans League Tables, reinforcing its position as a leading arranger of capital for African borrowers. The rankings recognize the bank’s role in mobilizing large-scale financing from …

    COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI |  War, we know, is rarely the product of a single cause. More often, it is born of a convergence of political, economic, social, and ideological pressures. At its core, every war is an expression of what scholars call geopolitical contestation. It is a …

BEIJING | Xinhua |  The China-Africa friendship has withstood the test of changing international circumstances, demonstrating strong vitality, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday. For many years, China’s foreign minister has honored a diplomatic tradition by kicking off the year with a visit to Africa. “This consistency reflects …

LUSAKA, Zambia | Xinhua | African countries should scale up production to fully benefit from China’s zero-tariff policy and better access the vast Chinese market, an expert said on Monday. Kelvin Chisanga, a Zambian social economist, said Africa’s abundant raw materials and agricultural potential could translate into stronger exports to China …

Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility company and a pioneer in battery-swapping infrastructure, has raised $50 million in debt financing to accelerate the expansion of its clean transport network across the continent. The funding round was backed by African Export- Import Bank, Nithio and Africa …

KIGALI, RWANDA | Xinhua | The United States earlier this month announced the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through the end of 2026, bringing relief to African countries seeking to expand their exports to the global market. But that optimism quickly faded as uncertainty surrounding U.S. …