Content: Contributors

Africa rightly has big ambitions for the future. Our continent is rich in both natural and human resources. We have a talented and energetic young population which, with the right support, can be a powerful motor for prosperity and progress. But this progress depends on Africa’s having the capacity to turn these resources into the […]

Children die from preventable and treatable conditions like diarrhoea and pneumonia every day, with the developing world accounting for the majority of victims. The need to produce innovative and cost-effective solutions that can be delivered in resource-deprived settings could not be more apparent. Consider pneumonia, which accounts for 15pc of all deaths of children under […]

Dynamics in economics is abundantly visible at the early stages of any developing economy. This is catalysed by individuals with complex and diversified economic behaviour. Policymakers in such countries, including Ethiopia, inevitably face the challenge of updating their economic development roadmaps to cater for circumstantial calls to meet required targets in an effective and timely […]

Vietnamese people today are at roughly the same economic level as Americans in the 1880s, but they have the same life expectancy as Americans had in the 1980s. In health terms, Vietnam has stolen a march of 100 years. The reason this is possible is that knowledge is borderless. True, some medical interventions, such as […]

Universities and higher education systems around the world have become fixated on quality over the past two decades. They have tried out any number of initiatives designed to improve quality. They have looked for structures that will produce concrete evidence of effectiveness and efficiency. Quality assurance has emerged as one of universities’ most significant management […]

In Somaliland, the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector is the biggest income and employment generator. It hosts thousands of people and is the largest business sector. SMEs that trade in clothes, food, agricultural products, consumables, gold, beverages and fruits are visible on the streets of every city and town of Somaliland. And these traders […]

Education is a continuous and interconnected chain of service extending from primary, intermediate to tertiary education levels. If it is not well-guarded from predators, it is susceptible to infiltration and exploitation. Intense ideological competition is going on in Somaliland’s education system. The competition involves all tiers of education, without exception. Multiple Middle Eastern individuals and […]

Ethiopia has just been hit by a wave of deadly flash floods and landslides. This is the second in just six weeks and the death toll has already climbed to 50. Over a thousand cattle have drowned. Roads have been damaged and bridges have collapsed. Tens of thousands of people in the country’s South-Eastern region […]

To begin with, for those who think I might have an ulterior motive for writing this, please note that I am an apolitical entrepreneur with no aspiration back-scratching or spoils of office. My only interest is to see Somali State of Ethiopia achieve tangible progress in the areas of infrastructure development, economic well-being, health and […]

Africa needs a high level forum where its leaders can meet with the best thinkers on peace and security issues, and collectively debate how to define and tackle the continent’s challenges. Unfortunately, what has been the best hope for such a forum has degenerated into a parade of dignitaries making vapid speeches. Five years ago, […]

The apparent end to the commodity super-cycle has sent shock waves across the global economy. It has sparked turbulence in world stock markets, put pressure on currencies, and fuelled major concerns about prospects for growth and the stability of public finances. Africa has not escaped this pessimism. Questions have been asked about the continent’s economic […]

As Australia’s first Special Envoy for Human Rights, I congratulate the African Union (AU) on designating 2016 the Africa Year of Human Rights. Australia shares Africa’s goal of protecting and advancing human rights. This is grounded in our common values and interests: democracy and freedom; the right to live free from the pernicious threat of […]

At the Paris Climate Change Conference, courageous and visionary leaders recognised that people rarely change the world when they work within the constraints of what they think is possible. The world hoped for an agreement, but most of us did not dare to dream of a deal that aspires to limit temperatures to 1.5° Celsius […]

Many of us get tired of trying when we have not been successful in achieving our targets past. We, therefore, choose to stay in our comfort zone; in jobs we do not like, with people who hate us and in physically and emotionally abusive relationships – simply paralysed by the fear of being and failing alone.

Ethiopia is suffering from the worst drought on record. It is vital that the United States and its partners act now to sustain the progress that has been made over the years in reducing hunger.

After the smooth transfer of power in the last general election, Ethiopia can be  termed politically stable. It has better law and order, compared to any other African country. I visited the country last year on the invitation of the International Trade Centre (ITC), which is doing a great job of strengthening bilateral trade and […]

Oil prices have reached their lowest since the 1990s with prices per barrel going as low as 27 dollars per barrel, from a high of 120 dollars in early 2014. It was assumed at the beginning of the oil glut that it would not affect western developed economies which are mainly importers and not directly […]

Most people want to own property because paying rent is wasted money; but while that might be the reason they tell themselves, the real reason that everyone wants to own property is that property is virtually the only way the average person gets access to leverage. Professional investors are always seeking low volatility assets that […]

In December 2014, the German broadcaster, ARD, aired the programme, Top-secret doping: How Russia makes its winners. This feature sent shock waves because it pointed at state sanctioned doping facilitated by cover-ups by senior official at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the sport’s world governing body. These accusations could not have come at […]

A child who dies before the age of five is robbed of a life, and also of the chance to participate and contribute to her community and country. For leaders in Ethiopia, determining how to best ensure that children survive and live productive lives is not easy. [pc-pvt-content allow=”171″ warning=”1″] Should the country invest in […]

For months now, China’s exchange-rate policy has been roiling global financial markets. More precisely, confusion about that policy has been roiling the markets. Chinese officials have done a poor job communicating their intentions, encouraging the belief that they do not know what they are doing. But criticizing Chinese policy is easier than offering constructive advice. […]

Just when the notion that Western economies are settling into a “new normal” of low growth gained mainstream acceptance, doubts about its continued relevance have begun to emerge. Instead, the world may be headed toward an economic and financial crossroads, with the direction taken depending on key policy decisions. In the early days of 2009, […]

The year 2015 was a turbulent, challenging year across the world. It was also 12 months when the links between our futures have never been clearer. Time and time again we have seen conflicts spill over borders. Extremism in one country, as we have witnessed in Africa, quickly becomes a threat to life and stability […]

It is astonishing to see the world globalising more and more with each day. And it all happening so fast. This puts a huge pressure on people since they have to catch up with the changing reality of the time. Underpinning the globalisation is the breathtaking competition for revealing new knowledge and technology happening all […]

It is no secret that Africa is ripe with opportunity. However, the continent’s political environment is changing dramatically. Investors will find that they need more than one business card in their Rolodexes if they want to make the most of those opportunities. This change is good news for citizens and for governance standards. Stalwart African […]