Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

African hospitality. No room at the inn – Africa needs decent hotels, but building them is not easy Apr 23rd 2016 Economist Those who have spent years travelling in Africa have learned to do so with good humour. A decade … Continue reading →

Not making it – A successful manufacturing sector requires many things that Africa lacks Apr 16th 2016 Economist Bashir Danyaro stands in dismay in his shoe factory in Kano, northern Nigeria’s biggest city. In its heyday, around 15 years ago, … Continue reading →

Jobs in Africa -In praise of small miners. A boom in artisanal mining offers lessons in development May 7th 2016 Economist On the outskirts of the western Ivorian town of Angovia, Joseph Bado hunches over a pile of gold-laced stone, … Continue reading →

More a marathon than a sprint – There is a long road ahead for Africa to emulate East Asia Nov 7th 2015 Economist Viewed from above, the great steel roofs of Nigeria’s textile mills are an impressive sight, occupying block … Continue reading →

Vegetables, not samosas – Even poor Kenyans are starting to get developed-world diseases Nov 7th 2015 Economist Teresa Magesa, who lives in Mukuru, a slum in the south of Nairobi, did not realise for years that she had type 2 … Continue reading →

The farms of Africa are prospering at last thanks to persistence, technology and decent government Mar 12th 2016 Economist Not so long ago Jean Pierre Nzabahimana planted his fields on a hillside in western Rwanda by scattering seed held back … Continue reading →

Miracle grow – After many wasted years, African agriculture is improving quickly. Here is how to keep that trend going Sometimes it seems as though Adam’s curse, which promises mankind a harvest of thorns and thistles, applies only to African … Continue reading →