How Mozambique’s history of violence is dashing hopes of economic progress
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How Mozambique’s history of violence is dashing hopes of economic progress

There is no saying that is so common in the minds of Mozambique citizens above the age of 40 than, “Here we go again.” Ever since the Southern African country gained sovereignty from Portugal in 1975 following a bloody grueling war of independence, it has been plagued by successive armed insurgencies that have killed and…

Another win for President Nguesso ensures Congo’s economic crisis will prolong
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Another win for President Nguesso ensures Congo’s economic crisis will prolong

At 77, Congo’s President Sassou Nguesso is four times older than the average Congolese, whose median age is 19, according to UN figures. He’s been in office for more than 36 years, and on Tuesday, he was announced the winner of an electoral poll that international observers, religious leaders and the opposition unanimously agreed was…

Why Equatorial Guinea’s bail-out plan with IMF crashed
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Why Equatorial Guinea’s bail-out plan with IMF crashed

Despite being promised an IMF bailout over a year ago, Equatorial Guinea is still waiting for the funds it hoped would revive its struggling economy. Africa’s only Spanish speaking country has been hit by a slump in oil prices since 2014 that further escalated when the pandemic began last year. The economy has shrank in…

Magufuli’s economic policies lifted Tanzania despite COVID-19 criticism
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Magufuli’s economic policies lifted Tanzania despite COVID-19 criticism

In 2017, one president shocked the world when he issued an order banning all public servants in his country from traveling abroad. But that head of state was not from Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Korea or any developed nation where prudent utilization of public funds and accountability reigns supreme. He was from Tanzania. And…

1.5 million COVID-19 infections and a worst economic recession in 70 years, how can South Africa recover?
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1.5 million COVID-19 infections and a worst economic recession in 70 years, how can South Africa recover?

Last week, Statistics South Africa (SSA) gave out a breath of fresh air by announcing that the economy sprang back in the fourth quarter of 2020 driven by expansion in manufacturing, construction and trade. But that announcement did not end there. It was a precursor to the statement that the economy recorded its biggest annual…

Accused of “COVID denials” Tanzania recorded fastest economic growth in Africa in 2020
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Accused of “COVID denials” Tanzania recorded fastest economic growth in Africa in 2020

As economies across the continent slipped into recession in 2020, Tanzania reaped from its policy of not imposing COVID-19 related restrictions and nationwide curfews, recording the fastest economic growth in Africa. According to the World Bank, Tanzania’s economy grew by 2% in 2020 and Mara Warwick, World Bank country director for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and…

Without government intervention, Ghana’s energy debt will hit $12.5 billion by 2023
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Without government intervention, Ghana’s energy debt will hit $12.5 billion by 2023

Ghana is facing a potential economic crisis fueled by mounting energy sector debt that could rise by 400% to $12.5 billion by 2023 should the government not undertake concrete steps to rein it. Government nominee for Minister of Energy Matthew Opoku Prempeh while addressing lawmakers during a cabinet vetting session on February 12, attributed the…

Rich in oil, rich with poor people. The story of Gabon’s oil wealth and plunder
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Rich in oil, rich with poor people. The story of Gabon’s oil wealth and plunder

Selisu Mborantsuo locks his room and goes off to work. Since the start of the pandemic, he, like many others across the globe, have not had a normal life. His main hassle of selling ground nuts in bars and entertainment joints has stuttered and with it, the livelihoods of his four children. Lemina narrates how…

Ethiopia’s PM Abiy won the war in Tigray. Now the economy is bleeding.
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Ethiopia’s PM Abiy won the war in Tigray. Now the economy is bleeding.

In November, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed – a Nobel Peace Prize winner – shocked the world when he ordered a military invasion in the country’s northern region of Tigray. Abiy justified the decision as “necessary to maintain the authority of the federal government” at a time when the country was plagued by ethnic violence…

Why even a $461.6 million government bailout cannot help struggling Air Namibia

Why even a $461.6 million government bailout cannot help struggling Air Namibia

It’s crunch time for loss making Air Namibia with the government due to make a decision on the fate of the carrier in the coming days, following stunning revelations it cannot adequately fund its turnaround nor find any investors. Namibia’s Minister of Finance and Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Treasury, Ipumbu Shiimi, in a…

Why even a $461.6 million government bailout cannot help struggling Air Namibia
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Why even a $461.6 million government bailout cannot help struggling Air Namibia

It’s crunch time for loss making Air Namibia with the government due to make a decision on the fate of the carrier in the coming days, following stunning revelations it cannot adequately fund its turnaround nor find any investors. Namibia’s Minister of Finance and Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Treasury, Ipumbu Shiimi, in a…

What’s next for Africa’s struggling aviation sector?
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What’s next for Africa’s struggling aviation sector?

On March 5th, 2020 this writer took a flight from Nairobi to Cairo. As usual, the airport in Kenya’s capital, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, was busy and abuzz with activity; people from different nationalities all hassling to catch a flight to their various destinations. To have a seamless trip, I arrived at the airport three…