Business + Economy – Views & Research – The Conversation

People filling out forms, some pressing the paper against a wall outdoors

People filling out forms, some pressing the paper against a wall outdoors

Tax data can be mined to shape better policies. South Africa, Uganda and Zambia show how

Amina Ebrahim, United Nations University and Patricia Justino, United Nations University

Seen from above, a truck in a vineyard, with workers in blue overalls

Seen from above, a truck in a vineyard, with workers in blue overalls

Global supply chains keep workers poor: three case studies show how the cycle can be broken

Annika Surmeier, University of Cape Town; Ines Meyer, University of Cape Town, and Molefe Maleka, Tshwane University of Technology

South Africa’s fuel supply and the Iran war: data black holes and low strategic stock put the country at risk

Rod Crompton, University of the Witwatersrand and Bruce Douglas Young, University of the Witwatersrand

Rating agency Fitch changes its criteria on pausing debt repayments: why it matters

Nicole Goldin, United Nations University and Daniel Cash, United Nations University; Aston University

Row of country flags

Row of country flags

Iran war is exposing South Africa’s dependency on diesel: what went wrong

Lisette IJssel de Schepper, Stellenbosch University

Three trucks on a road

Three trucks on a road

Africa’s capital must stay home to plug its financing gap: how it could be done

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Higher interest rates: can I make them work for me?

Bomikazi Zeka, University of Canberra

Woman using a calculator, sitting at a desk with a laptop

Woman using a calculator, sitting at a desk with a laptop

The World Bank wants to change the way it manages complaints: the fixes that could make it better

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria and David Hunter, American University

Mozambique’s economy is failing: the tough policy choices that need to be made urgently

Sam Jones, United Nations University

Agriculture in Africa: science and research can’t make an impact without investment and good policies

Pape Abdoulaye Seck, Académie nationale des sciences et techniques du Sénégal (ANSTS)

Women bending over in shallow water, holding plants

Women bending over in shallow water, holding plants

Nigeria’s budget is treated like a government secret: how an online public monitoring system could fight corruption

Tolu Olarewaju, University of Lancashire; Keele University

Nigerian banknotes

Nigerian banknotes

Pensions for Botswana’s elderly are growing, but care services are lacking – study tracks 20 years

Elena Moore, University of Cape Town and Thokozile Madonko, University of the Witwatersrand

Group of elderly women wearing blue head wraps, out of focus except for one face

Group of elderly women wearing blue head wraps, out of focus except for one face

Countries suffer when credit rating agencies lack data: how to fix the problem at source

Daniel Cash, United Nations University; Aston University

Illustration of letters of the alphabet, numbers and plus and minus symbols

Illustration of letters of the alphabet, numbers and plus and minus symbols

Reforms to South Africa’s technical colleges keep failing students and employers: why?

Stephanie Allais, University of the Witwatersrand

Factory worker in hard hat operating an industrial machine

Factory worker in hard hat operating an industrial machine

Women working in Uganda’s pig sector: how challenging prejudices can unlock opportunities – research

Esther Leah Achandi, International Livestock Research Institute

A woman tends to a pig behind an enclosure.

A woman tends to a pig behind an enclosure.

Kenyans are encouraged to work abroad, but protection rights remain weak – new research

Jonathan Presley, University of Amsterdam and Evelyn Ersanilli, University of Amsterdam

Three young women seated side by side on a street pavement

Three young women seated side by side on a street pavement

Ghana’s mining law aims to stop speculation but leaves communities in limbo – insights from a lithium case study

Clement Sefa-Nyarko, King's College London

Women among piles of tubers

Women among piles of tubers

Illustration of the shape of Africa on a globe

Illustration of the shape of Africa on a globe

Credit and credibility: rating agency errors come with a cost

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

The IMF enjoys preferred creditor status: why it shouldn’t be the judge when it comes to other lenders

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Person in a suit with a briefcase walking past signage for IMF spring meetings

Person in a suit with a briefcase walking past signage for IMF spring meetings

Kenya’s counties get budgets to undo inequality – how it’s helped households

Frederick Kibon Changwony, University of Stirling

Man dressed in a suit with a gold mace around his neck holding up a document while other people around him smile

Man dressed in a suit with a gold mace around his neck holding up a document while other people around him smile

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

Become a supporter

Business

South Africa’s gig economy workers set to get more protection under planned labour law reforms

Ruth Castel-Branco, University of the Witwatersrand and Brenda Mwale, University of the Witwatersrand

Men with delivery bags stand at the windows of a food outlet

Men with delivery bags stand at the windows of a food outlet

Women and wealth: what stands in their way and how to overcome it

Bomikazi Zeka, University of Canberra and Romalani Leofo, University of Canberra

Woman's hands holding a bank card and a mobile phone; she is seated at a laptop

Woman's hands holding a bank card and a mobile phone; she is seated at a laptop

South Africa’s economy is picking up, but hasn’t reached a turning point yet – economist

Andrew Robert Donaldson, University of Cape Town

Man in suit and tie at a podium

Man in suit and tie at a podium

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

Abel Gwaindepi, Danish Institute for International Studies

A woman leaning over bags of spices at an open market

A woman leaning over bags of spices at an open market

You can republish our articles online or in print for free

All we ask is that you follow these guidelines

Economy

A worker helps direct traffic at a road construction site

A worker helps direct traffic at a road construction site

China is helping build Africa’s cities, but its approach sidelines local urban planners and residents

Ding Fei, Cornell University

China’s new tariff-free regime for Africa: the potential upside and downside

Lauren Johnston, University of Sydney

China in Africa: investment and trade work well when there’s strong oversight, and badly when there isn’t

Vincent Tawiah, Dublin City University

A man in an overall clambering over loose soil and rocks in an open mine

A man in an overall clambering over loose soil and rocks in an open mine

Africa’s public finances are in a mess: a new book explains why and what to do

Lyla Latif, University of Nairobi

A female teacher instructs children seated under a tree

A female teacher instructs children seated under a tree

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

Debt

Senegal’s crisis: why debt restructuring may be the least bad option

Abdoulaye Ndiaye, New York University

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

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

Cost of living crisis

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

Rows of green plants and some small trees

Rows of green plants and some small trees

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

Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University

People on canoes amid wooden structures

People on canoes amid wooden structures

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

Jing Jing Liu, MacEwan University

A group of young people with placards

A group of young people with placards

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

Four ceramic piggy banks and one that is shattered into pieces

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

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

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

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

Several rows of containers at a port

Several rows of containers at a port

Most read this week

Get evidence-based news in your inbox, for free

Subscribe to our daily newsletter