Monthly Archives: September 2016

Subprime savannah – Trouble is stalking many of Africa’s banks Jul 23rd 2016 Economist Africa’s financial firms can claim many innovations, from M-Pesa, a pioneering Kenyan mobile-money service, to the life insurance for people with HIV offered by All Life, … Continue reading →

Trade within Africa Tear down these walls Africa’s internal trade deals look good on paper. A pity that they are rarely followed Feb 27th 2016 Economist Two of the largest regional trade accords in history were agreed on last year. … Continue reading →

Obstacle course – Africa’s trade suffers from dismal infrastructure, lack of investment and corruption Apr 16th Economist It was midday when the lorry on which your correspondent had hitched a ride pulled out of the factory yard in Yopougon, an … Continue reading →

An emerging drug market – As parts of Africa get richer, rich-world problems proliferate Apr 16th 2016 Economist In the early morning at a bar in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, electronic beats pump from a DJ on a stage. Shielded from … Continue reading →

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 →