Author Archives: admin

A new age of discovery. The glory-seeking adventurer of old is giving way to explorers who want to understand the planet rather than dominate it Jan 2nd 2016 Economist Twenty years ago the Economist published an essay that hailed a … Continue reading →

Snip snap – Why more than half of newborn boys in America are circumcised Jun 18th 2016 Economist Sexual, health and aesthetic norms do not vary much across the West. Male circumcision is an exception. Over half of American boys … Continue reading →

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT Africa’s leaders protect each other. As a former president faces trial, his incumbent colleagues vilify the court Feb 6th 2016 Economist On January 28th the Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo became the first former head of state … Continue reading →

Puffed out – Africa’s new railways risk going the way of the old ones Jun 4th 2016 Economist The railway station at Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s second city and the centre of its mining trade, has seen better … Continue reading →

Africa uber alles – The potential and pitfalls of African tech innovation Apr 23rd 2016 Economist The fastest, and cheapest, way to zip around the hilly capital of Rwanda is to catch one of the many motorcycle taxis, or motos, … Continue reading →

A preventable tragedy – Africa is in the grip of one of the worst outbreaks of yellow fever in 30 years. A wider disaster threatens May 14th 2016 Economist One of the mysteries of epidemiology is why Asia does not … Continue reading →

Not as easy as it looks – Western worries about China’s burgeoning influence in Africa may be overblown Nov 21st 2015 Economist On the western edge of Lake Victoria in Uganda, a hundred miles south of Kampala and an hour … Continue reading →

On the move – Much hangs on mobile money Apr 16th 2016 Economist From his shack in Kangemi, a slum at the western edge of Nairobi, Gilbert Onduko sells bare essentials to his neighbours. A blackboard above the hatch lists … Continue reading →

FOREIGN AID Misplaced charity – Aid is best spent in poor, well-governed countries. That isn’t where it goes Jun 11th 2016 Economist Not long ago Malawi was a donor darling. Being dirt poor and ravaged by AIDS, it was needy; … Continue reading →

Let Africans fly – Air travel in Africa is needlessly hard and costly. Open skies would make it cheaper Feb 13th 2016 Economist Few places still capture the romance (and frustration) of the early days of flight quite as Africa … Continue reading →