Browsing Category
News Feature & Analysis
The US Targeted His Assets, Nigeria Made Him Budget Minister
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appointed Atiku Bagudu, who the US has accused of helping a former dictator loot the country of billions of dollars in the 1990s, as his budget minister.
Bagudu hasn’t been convicted of any crime but in…
Is Germany Once Again The Sick Man Of Europe?
Nearly twenty-five years ago this newspaper called Germany the sick man of the euro. The combination of reunification, a sclerotic job market, and slowing export demand all plagued the economy, forcing unemployment into double digits. Then…
Chocolate Makers’ Prospects Sour As Cocoa Prices Spike
Chocolate makers like Hershey and Mondelez face tougher trading conditions over the next year as they attempt to pass on soaring cocoa costs to cash-strapped consumers who are cutting back.
The industry has enjoyed bumper profits over…
What Is Blue Economy
According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystems. The blue economy is all about finding smart…
Why Africa Is Poised To Become A Big Player In Energy Markets
Energy markets are being rocked by an unprecedented double-whammy. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Europe has cut energy imports from Russia, the world’s second-largest producer of natural gas and third-largest oil producer.…
The Working-From-Home Illusion Fades
A GRADUAL reverse migration is underway, from Zoom to the conference room. Wall Street firms have been among the most forceful in summoning workers to their offices, but in recent months even many tech titans—Apple, Google, Meta and…
Trans-Saharan Slave Trade Is Another Ugly Side Of Coup In Niger
Agadez is lawless in other ways, too, as Mimi well understands. She is a woman in her 20s from Nigeria, the vast country south of Niger. Three years ago she and her three sisters were trafficked into sexual slavery. Now Mimi is a…
Why Nigeria’s Hospitals Are Losing Their Staff
A current buzzword in Nigeria is japa, a Yoruba verb meaning to run, flee or escape. So many Nigerians, most notably doctors, and nurses, are seeking jobs abroad that politicians are bemoaning the “japa syndrome”—and have been debating ways…
Joe Biden’s China Strategy Is Not Working
On August 9th President Joe Biden unveiled his latest weapon in America’s economic war with China. New rules will police investments made abroad by the private sector, and those into the most sensitive technologies in China will be banned.…
Niger Spoils Macron’s Plan For An African Reset
Six months ago, ahead of a four-country African tour, President Emmanuel Macron promised a “new era” for France’s ties with the continent, based on a “partnership” of equals. French military bases in Africa, he said, would henceforth be…