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To the land of good hope – African migrants head south as well as north Mar 5th 2016 Economist Some African migrants forge across the Mediterranean in flimsy boats. Others take a somewhat less risky (and cheaper) journey, heading for … Continue reading →

The march of democracy slows – Threats to democratic rule in Africa are growing, but time and demography are against the autocrats Aug 20th 2016 Economist Music blasts from speakers mounted on the back of a truck in a rubbish … Continue reading →

Transfer window – An African money-transfer firm with big ambitions Oct 17th Economist Abdirashid Duale, the chief executive of Dahabshiil, Africa’s largest money-transfer business, visits Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, a breakaway province of Somalia, he cannot walk down the … Continue reading →

Subprime savannah – Trouble is stalking many of Africa’s banks Jul 23rd 2016 Economist Africa’s financial firms can claim many innovations, from M-Pesa, a pioneering Kenyan mobile-money service, to the life insurance for people with HIV offered by All Life, … Continue reading →

Trade within Africa Tear down these walls Africa’s internal trade deals look good on paper. A pity that they are rarely followed Feb 27th 2016 Economist Two of the largest regional trade accords in history were agreed on last year. … Continue reading →

Obstacle course – Africa’s trade suffers from dismal infrastructure, lack of investment and corruption Apr 16th Economist It was midday when the lorry on which your correspondent had hitched a ride pulled out of the factory yard in Yopougon, an … Continue reading →

An emerging drug market – As parts of Africa get richer, rich-world problems proliferate Apr 16th 2016 Economist In the early morning at a bar in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, electronic beats pump from a DJ on a stage. Shielded from … Continue reading →

The young continent – With fertility rates falling more slowly than anywhere else, Africa faces a population explosion Dec 12th 2015 Economist On a trolley in a government clinic in rural Ethiopia lies Debalke Jemberu. As a medic and a … Continue reading →

Few and far between – Africans are mainly rich or poor, but not middle class. That should worry democrats Oct 24th 2015 Economist Look out from the cafés of Accra’s financial district and you could be almost anywhere. In the … Continue reading →

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