Content: Contributors

A spectre is haunting the world economy – the spectre of job-killing technology. How this challenge is met will determine the fate of the world’s market economies and democratic polities. Today’s technological revolutions call for a comprehensive reinvention. The potential benefits of discoveries and new applications in robotics, biotechnology, digital technologies and other areas are […]

The advent of the government’s joining of capital markets to raise financial resources required for the nation’s growing appetite for infrastructure is praiseworthy. As the country is increasingly becoming a magnate for global investment, we may not afford to alienate ourselves from the global capital markets, the epicenters for the world of finance. Financial Times, […]

The African economy has experienced a notable trend break in recent years – the “average” story is now no longer that of abject poverty and escalating conflict, but rather of how best to attract investment, including in new technologies, to buttress growth and sustain and share its benefits with the population. Still, being in this […]

If we think about development priorities for the next 15 years, with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expiring in 2015, adequate nutrition and basic education immediately come to mind. Illicit financial flows (IFF) would not be top priority, but in a paper for the Copenhagen Consensus Centre (CCC), economist Alex Cobham argues that they are […]

Transportation plays a vital role in an increasingly interdependent world. Economic development is also unthinkable without an efficient and effective transportation system. Raw materials and finished goods require efficient transportation to reach their destinations with less lead time and cost. The phrase, “the army goes on its belly”, clearly indicates the critical role transportation and […]

It may be that, more than any other terrain, mountain regions exemplify a particular paradox: dense poverty coexisting with a special potential for transformative prosperity. The conditions that create mountain people’s impoverishment are rooted both in local and broader contextual conditions. Mountain areas are often blessed with water, but have sparse areas for agricultural cultivation, […]

I admit it: soil is not sexy. Yet, since the United Nations (UN) has declared 2015 the international year of soils, its health and contribution to food security and development goals will finally get some well deserved attention. Healthy soils are the cornerstone of a healthy food system, and in no region of the world […]

Numerous international and national efforts have focused on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The United Nations, for example, has convened four world conferences on women – Beijing in 1995, Nairobi in 1985, Copenhagen in 1980 and Mexico City in 1975 – and Member States have adopted various international agreements, such as the Beijing […]

Public and private investment in the real economy has been under attack since the 2008 financial crisis. In difficult economic times it may seem logical to cut investments that yield results only in the long term, and thereby conserve money and resources to address short-term problems. In fact, cutting investment in our future, be it […]

In the week of the Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security, we decry the fact that globally Africa is still the continent most seriously affected by hunger and malnutrition. In fact, there are more stunted children in Africa today than there were 20 years ago. However, we also take hope that now we have […]

During the African leaders summit in August, Brookings convened the panel discussion, “Africa’s Image and US Perceptions in the 21st Century,” that included leading journalists and Africanists such as Helene Cooper of The New York Times, William Wallis of the Financial Times, Amadou Mahtar Ba of All Africa Global Media, John Prendergast of the Enough […]

With the year 2015 – the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) finishing line – approaching, post-2015 goals as they impact Africa need to be firmed. The goal of ending extreme poverty remains paramount. In this context, extreme poverty means living on a less than 1.25 dollars a day (in Purchasing Power Parity, 2005 prices). Given the […]

There were quite a few disconnects at the recently concluded Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). Among the most striking was the disparity between participants’ interest in discussions of inequality and the ongoing lack of a formal action plan for governments to address it. This represents a profound failure […]

The popularity of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to support infrastructure development in emerging countries is growing worldwide. The G-20 backs PPPs to boost global growth and create jobs. The BRICS economies see them as a way to build essential infrastructure quickly and cheaply. The United Nations hopes that infrastructure PPPs will provide the means to realise […]

Next time you pick up a glossy document from one of the global consultancy companies promoting investment opportunities in Africa, count the number of times the word ‘could’ appears. Also the phrase “potential to become…”. These global megafirms, whose word is life or death to small countries, give the impression that Africa has only just […]

The only African nation never to be conquered by a western power is trying to conquer its issues with education. The school system of Ethiopia is growing at levels that were unimaginable 30 years ago. About three decades ago, the entire country had only two universities; now there are over 30. Also the Ethiopian government […]

No nation is immune to the impact of climate change, but it is the world’s poorest that will be hit the hardest. A fair and inclusive global agreement to combat climate change is a moral imperative. Time is of the essence for Africa. This week, world leaders gather in New York, United States, for the […]

In June, Kenya set a new African record. At two billion dollars, the country’s sovereign bond debt was four times oversubscribed. Only one month later, Senegal broke this. Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire have been similarly successful in what some call an African bond bonanza. Interest rates in traditional markets are so low that investors are […]

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called education the “single best investment” that countries can make to build “prosperous, healthy, and equitable societies.” Nowhere is this insight more relevant than in Africa, where large-scale investment in education has enabled significant gains in literacy, school attendance and university enrollment in recent years. But the continent still […]

Arthur Bayhan is an expert on economic growth policies and national competitiveness initiatives, including investment and trade, with over 20 years experience in the transitional economies of Europe, South-and Southeast Asia and Latin America. He has worked as chief of party for USAID, head of private sector development at OECD and as an advisor at the EU Commission. He can be reached at arthur.bayhan@telefonica.net

Mohamed El-Erian is chief economic advisor of Allianz – a multinational financial services provider. He is also a member of the US President’s Global Development Council (GDC).

The dream that the 21st century will be the “African Century” is powerful and intoxicating. It is also becoming reality. As African officials gather in Washington, DC, for the first US-Africa Leaders Summit, it is worth considering the basis – and the limits – of the continent’s progress. While conflict and poverty remain serious problems […]

The goals of the post-2015 development agenda cannot be achieved without strong programs and adequate funding. Official development assistance (ODA) amounts to roughly 130 billion dollars a year. Though foreign direct investment and portfolio inflows can help poor economies, additional sources of development finance must be found. One underexploited resource is Diaspora financing – that […]

As the world struggles to recover from the global economic crisis, the unconventional monetary policies that many advanced countries adopted in its wake seem to have gained widespread acceptance. In those economies, however, where debt overhangs, policy is uncertain or the need for structural reform constrains domestic demand, there is a legitimate question as to […]

Recent evidence suggests that much of the world has entered a period of low financial market volatility. But this is no time for complacency; more turbulent times are likely to lie ahead. Over the last quarter-century, rapid technology-driven globalisation – characterised by the physical and virtual integration of the global economy, including the opening of […]