Business + Economy – Views & Research

People pushing a mobile hospital bed in a corridor

Public healthcare and contracting out: can it work? Global review presents some answers

Zoheb Khan, Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP); University of Johannesburg; Frederico Haddad, Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP), and Leslie London, University of Cape Town

A woman leaning over bags of spices at an open market

Taxing Africa’s informal economies: technology’s promise and pitfalls

Abel Gwaindepi, Danish Institute for International Studies

Mozambique floods: why the most vulnerable keep paying the highest price

Ricardo Jorge Moreira Goulão Santos, United Nations University and Elina Penttinen, United Nations University

People on the roof of a building that's surrounded by water

Anti-poverty programmes can change how people see the state and each other

Katrina Kosec, Johns Hopkins University and Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, University of California, Berkeley

A person standing in a dilapidated classroom

Private credit rating agencies shape Africa’s access to debt. Better oversight is needed

Daniel Cash, United Nations University; Aston University

Freetown’s property tax is designed to plug funding gap: how Sierra Leone’s capital went about it

Astrid R.N. Haas, University of Cape Town

Woman standing and other people sitting around a boardroom table; a board with charts in the background

Should private sector executives sit on the boards of non-profits? There are risks and benefits

Ron Soonieus, INSEAD; Agota Szabo, Leiden University, and Caelesta Braun, Leiden University

Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?

Daniel Tjarks, Saarland University

Africa, rating agencies and the cost of debt

Caroline Southey, The Conversation and Lyrr Thurston, The Conversation

South Africa’s new immigration policy takes a digital direction – will it succeed?

Alan Hirsch, University of Cape Town

Group of people seen beyond razor wire fencing

Uganda’s boda-boda drivers: the digital economy hasn’t been the route to formal work and better protection – research

Rich Mallett, ODI Global

People in orange vests and helmets driving motorbikes with passengers on a city street

Colonial tax records hold 3 lessons for South Africa today – economic historian

Johan Fourie, Stellenbosch University

Aerial view of wealthy suburb with informal housing next to it.

Stablecoins are gaining ground as digital currency in Africa: how to avoid risks

Iwa Salami, University of East London

Illustration of gold-coloured coins with banknotes in the background

Africa’s climate finance rules are growing, but they’re weakly enforced – new research

Paola D'Orazio, IÉSEG School of Management

Johannesburg has failed its informal traders: policies are in place, but action is needed

Mamokete Modiba, Gauteng City-Region Observatory; Claire Benit-Gbaffou, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU); Sarah Charlton, University of the Witwatersrand, and Tanya Zack, University of the Witwatersrand

A woman walks with a package on her head past vendors selling fruit and vegetables in the street; minibus taxis in the background

Two men looking at displays of goods at an informal market

Nigeria’s economy has improved but ordinary people still feel the pinch: economist offers some solutions

Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College

African land policy reforms have been good for women and communities – but review of 18 countries shows major gaps

Marc Wegerif, University of Pretoria

Man ploughing a field with an ox-drawn implement

Johannesburg’s produce market has supplied the informal sector for decades: a refresh is due

Marc Wegerif, University of Pretoria

A bustling market with several cars loaded with crates of fruit and vegetables like tomatoes and apples.

South Africa’s G20 presidency: diplomatic victory, but a weak final declaration

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria

Demonstrators march with banners and placards during the "Make Them Pay" protest in London, United Kingdom on September 20, 2025.

Global inequality is as urgent as climate change: the world needs a panel of experts to steer solutions

Joseph E. Stiglitz, Columbia University and Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand

Informal settlement seen against the skyline of highrise commercial buildings.

Climate change and inequality are connected – policies need to reflect this

Anda David, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Rawane Yasser, Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

African countries need strong development banks: how they can push back against narratives to weaken them

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Senegal’s credit rating: Moody’s latest downgrade was questionable – here’s why

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Africa has a debt crisis: momentum from G20 in South Africa can help find solutions

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G20 Foreign Minister Meeting at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on February 20, 2025.

Harare’s street traders create their own system to survive in the city

Elmond Bandauko, University of Alberta

Street scene with pedestrians and a woman seated with a display of clothing

Africa’s trade deal with the US was left in limbo: what exporters can do about it

Bedassa Tadesse, University of Minnesota Duluth

Luxury tourism is a risky strategy for African economies – new study of Botswana, Mauritius, Rwanda

Pritish Behuria, University of Manchester

An aerial photo of a curved structure with large curved pool right on a beach and the sea, where a speedboat is seen.

Ghana’s banks are not lending enough to sectors where it matters most, like agriculture and manufacturing

Isaac Abotebuno Akolgo, Bard College Berlin; Bayreuth University

Ethiopian quarter: how migrants have shaped a thriving shopping district in South Africa’s city of gold

Tanya Zack, University of the Witwatersrand

A worker unpacks goods at a Johannesburg CBD shop that also acts as a storeroom

Africa’s air links are poor: can the G20 push for more direct flights to improve tourism and trade?

Kaitano Dube, Vaal University of Technology

A large plane flies over a desert in the sunset with gold and pink sky in the background

Rows of green plants and some small trees

High food prices in east and southern Africa: four steps to boost production and make markets work better

Grace Nsomba, University of Johannesburg and Simon Roberts, University of Johannesburg

Trade is shaping new global power relations: what this means for Africa

Arno J. van Niekerk, University of the Free State

Silhouetted weather vane with arms pointing to points of the compass

West Africa’s trade monitoring system has collapsed - why this is dangerous for food security

Olivier Walther, University of Florida; Andrea Apolloni, Cirad, and Lacey Harris-Coble, University of Florida

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Business

Travel between African countries is still hard: fresh ideas to get movement flowing

Alan Hirsch, University of Cape Town and Victor Amadi

Chinese companies are changing the way they operate in Africa: here’s how

Elisa Gambino, University of Manchester and Costanza Franceschini, Leiden University

China and the US are in a race for critical minerals. African countries need to make the rules

James Boafo, Murdoch University; Rochelle Spencer, Murdoch University, and Senyo Dotsey, Università di Torino

Africa’s borrowing costs are too high: the G20’s missed opportunity to reform rating agencies

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Coins scattered and piled next to a globe with map of Africa on it

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Economy

Nigeria scores well on electricity reform rankings, but power supply isn’t affordable and reliable. Here’s why

Taiwo Hassan Odugbemi, University of Abuja

Senegal’s rating downgrade: credit agencies are punishing countries that don’t check their numbers

Daniel Cash, Aston University

Graphic of jagged lines, bars and arrows

Kenya has introduced new banking policies. An economist weighs them up

XN Iraki, University of Nairobi

The front of a bank building foregrounded by a monument and street traffic

Child labour numbers rise in homes where adults are jobless – South African study

Derek Yu, University of the Western Cape and Simbarashe Murozvi, University of the Western Cape

A young boy walks along a road, holding a red flag, alongside a herd of cattle

Nigeria’s Brics partnership: economist outlines potential benefits

Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College

A man in suit addressing a large gathering

Debt

African debt and climate change: how the ICJ’s Vanuatu ruling could be used for broader justice

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria

Africa’s debt crisis needs a bold new approach: expert outlines a way forward

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria

African countries can’t resolve their debt crisis under a system rigged against them

Carlos Lopes, University of Cape Town

People in a muddy street, some apparently selling goods at makeshift stalls, others walking past

Development finance: how it works, where it goes, why it’s needed

Abdul Latif Alhassan, University of Cape Town and Bomikazi Zeka, University of Canberra

People walking across a suspension bridge

Cost of living crisis

Poverty in Lagos isn’t just about money – here’s why

Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University

Young middle-class Nigerians are desperate to leave the country: insights into why

Jing Jing Liu, MacEwan University

Financial abuse from an intimate partner? Three ways you can protect yourself

Bomikazi Zeka, University of Canberra

Four ceramic piggy banks and one that is shattered into pieces

Inflation in Nigeria is still climbing while it has slowed globally: here’s why

Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College

Women and men standing over farm produce in a marketplace

Trade

US-Africa trade deal turns 25 next year: Agoa’s winners, losers and what should come next

Bedassa Tadesse, University of Minnesota Duluth

African workers sewing cloths at a textile factory

West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

Olivier Walther, University of Florida

A groupof women holding a banner and small flags at a rally

Digital trade protocol for Africa: why it matters, what’s in it and what’s still missing

Franziska Sucker, University of the Witwatersrand

Illustration of a globe on a computer circuit

Africa’s freeports should boost trade and foreign exchange earnings – but evidence is thin

Jonas Aryee, University of Plymouth

Public healthcare and contracting out: can it work? Global review presents some answers

Taxing Africa’s informal economies: technology’s promise and pitfalls

Mozambique floods: why the most vulnerable keep paying the highest price

Anti-poverty programmes can change how people see the state and each other

Private credit rating agencies shape Africa’s access to debt. Better oversight is needed

Freetown’s property tax is designed to plug funding gap: how Sierra Leone’s capital went about it

Should private sector executives sit on the boards of non-profits? There are risks and benefits

Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?

Africa, rating agencies and the cost of debt

South Africa’s new immigration policy takes a digital direction – will it succeed?

Uganda’s boda-boda drivers: the digital economy hasn’t been the route to formal work and better protection – research

Colonial tax records hold 3 lessons for South Africa today – economic historian

Stablecoins are gaining ground as digital currency in Africa: how to avoid risks

Africa’s climate finance rules are growing, but they’re weakly enforced – new research

Johannesburg has failed its informal traders: policies are in place, but action is needed

Nigeria’s economy has improved but ordinary people still feel the pinch: economist offers some solutions

African land policy reforms have been good for women and communities – but review of 18 countries shows major gaps

Johannesburg’s produce market has supplied the informal sector for decades: a refresh is due

South Africa’s G20 presidency: diplomatic victory, but a weak final declaration

Global inequality is as urgent as climate change: the world needs a panel of experts to steer solutions

Climate change and inequality are connected – policies need to reflect this

African countries need strong development banks: how they can push back against narratives to weaken them

Senegal’s credit rating: Moody’s latest downgrade was questionable – here’s why

Africa has a debt crisis: momentum from G20 in South Africa can help find solutions

Harare’s street traders create their own system to survive in the city

Africa’s trade deal with the US was left in limbo: what exporters can do about it

Luxury tourism is a risky strategy for African economies – new study of Botswana, Mauritius, Rwanda

Ghana’s banks are not lending enough to sectors where it matters most, like agriculture and manufacturing

Ethiopian quarter: how migrants have shaped a thriving shopping district in South Africa’s city of gold

Africa’s air links are poor: can the G20 push for more direct flights to improve tourism and trade?

High food prices in east and southern Africa: four steps to boost production and make markets work better

Trade is shaping new global power relations: what this means for Africa

West Africa’s trade monitoring system has collapsed - why this is dangerous for food security

Do you bit to support evidence-based journalism that you can trust

Business

Travel between African countries is still hard: fresh ideas to get movement flowing

Chinese companies are changing the way they operate in Africa: here’s how

China and the US are in a race for critical minerals. African countries need to make the rules

Africa’s borrowing costs are too high: the G20’s missed opportunity to reform rating agencies

You can republish our articles online or in print for free

Economy

Nigeria scores well on electricity reform rankings, but power supply isn’t affordable and reliable. Here’s why

Senegal’s rating downgrade: credit agencies are punishing countries that don’t check their numbers

Kenya has introduced new banking policies. An economist weighs them up

Child labour numbers rise in homes where adults are jobless – South African study

Nigeria’s Brics partnership: economist outlines potential benefits

Debt

African debt and climate change: how the ICJ’s Vanuatu ruling could be used for broader justice

Africa’s debt crisis needs a bold new approach: expert outlines a way forward

African countries can’t resolve their debt crisis under a system rigged against them

Development finance: how it works, where it goes, why it’s needed

Cost of living crisis

Poverty in Lagos isn’t just about money – here’s why

Young middle-class Nigerians are desperate to leave the country: insights into why

Financial abuse from an intimate partner? Three ways you can protect yourself

Inflation in Nigeria is still climbing while it has slowed globally: here’s why

Trade

US-Africa trade deal turns 25 next year: Agoa’s winners, losers and what should come next

West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

Digital trade protocol for Africa: why it matters, what’s in it and what’s still missing

Africa’s freeports should boost trade and foreign exchange earnings – but evidence is thin

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