Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

The bottleneck – New investment alone will not fix Africa’s ports. Governments need to deal with pilfering officials, too Mar 19th 2016 Economist At the entrance to the Port of Mombasa, just in front of where machinegun toting policemen check … Continue reading →

In praise of matatus – Increasing affluence risks strangling a market-driven system that works Sep 12th 2015 Economist On the edge of Kangemi, a slum to the west of Nairobi’s city centre, next to stalls selling T-shirts, sandals and second-hand … Continue reading →

Worse than malaria Oct 24th Economist Road Traffic Deaths Worldwide per 100,000 population Europe – 9.3 World – 17.5 Africa – 26.6 By Country Thailand – 35 Malawi – 34 Liberia – 33 Congo – 32 Tanzania – 32 Kenya … Continue reading →

DEMOGRAPHICS – Population, Middle Class, Migration Within Africa, Health Care, Yellow Fever, Narcotics, Gay Rights in Africa  GOVERNMENT in AFRICA – Democracy, Political Reform, International Criminal Court AGRICULTURE in AFRICA – Agriculture, Miracle Grow, A Green Revolution INDUSTRY – Industrialization, Manufacturing … Continue reading →

Settled strangers – Why some diasporas are so successful Apr 16th 2016 Ecconomist Life has not always been easy for Ashish Thakkar, founder of the Mara Group, a conglomerate that invests across Africa. He was born in 1981 in Leicester, … Continue reading →

Fortune favours the brave – Doing business in Africa is risky, but potentially highly rewarding Apr 16th 2016 Economist On the edge of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the Marché de la Liberté, a big … Continue reading →

Opportunities galore – Africa has enterprising people, but too few businesses Jul 2nd 2016 Economist If anything explains the poverty in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, it is not an unwillingness to work hard—most of the continent’s people still sweat … Continue reading →