insert_link Africa Twin rate cuts set Mozambique apart as African currency rally By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Mozambique’s central bank has decisively cut its benchmark lending rate to 15.75% from 16.5%, setting a precedent as the first African country to slash rates twice in 2024. The move highlights Maputo’s aggressive push for economic growth amid a wider trend of cooling inflation and currency stability against the US dollar across Africa. Rate cuts in the southeastern African nation, prompted […] todayApril 8, 2024 38
insert_link Africa Young Kenyans are not finding work: how universities can do a better job of training entrepreneurs By Renson Muchiri Mwangi, KCA University; Judy N. Muthuri, University of Nottingham, and Mohsen Gul, University of Cambridge Kenya’s long-term development blueprint, Vision 2030, envisions an empowered youth driving economic growth. The focus on its young population (aged 15–34) is apt given that the median age of the country’s population of 55 million is around 20 years. This has led to a succession of policies and strategies […] todayApril 8, 2024 6
insert_link Entertainment South Africa’s conservation model: why expanding the use of biodiversity to generate money is a good idea By Hayley Clements, Stellenbosch University; Alta De Vos, Stellenbosch University, and Matthew Child, University of Pretoria South Africa’s government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth. It proposes to do this by promoting sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The […] todayApril 5, 2024 18
Africa Cultural wealth can drive economic growth in African cities By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency With the right policies, African cities hold immense potential to drive significant economic growth by capitalizing on their rich cultural heritage and harnessing the creativity of their youthful populations, according to a new report. “Africa’s urban landscapes are not just repositories of heritage and tradition; they are dynamic centres of innovation, awaiting the right policies to support unlocking their full potential,” the […] todayMarch 25, 2024 28
insert_link Africa Ghana’s free high school policy is getting more girls to complete secondary education – study By Victor Osei Kwadwo, United Nations University and Rose Vincent, Utrecht University Education drives economic growth and individual well-being. Secondary education, in particular, plays a crucial role. In recent decades, this recognition has encouraged several African countries to make secondary education free. One example is Ghana’s Free Public Senior High School (FreeSHS) policy, initiated in 2017. The policy aimed to remove cost barriers to secondary education, including […] todayMarch 22, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Africa is fueling India’s economic ambitions By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency India is growing its investment and nurturing diplomatic alliances with a range of countries in Africa, recognizing the continent as a key component in its pursuit of superpower status. In the latest move, Ethiopia’s ambassador to India disclosed to The Print, an Indian news outlet recently, that the two countries are “in the final stages of clinching defence cooperation.” This is just […] todayMarch 20, 2024 20
insert_link Environment Technology to protect South Africa’s oceans: experts find that a data-driven monitoring system is paying off A fishing boat launching into South African waters at dawn. Justin Klusener Photos Marjolaine Krug, University of Cape Town Nine years ago South Africa put in place an innovative information management system designed to monitor and protect its seas. The country is surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian oceans on its southern, eastern and western borders. The oceans are an important source of income and employment. The ocean economy contributed […] todayMarch 12, 2024 53
insert_link Business / Economics Jobs in South Africa: the labour market is recovering from COVID – but unskilled and less educated people are still being left behind By Derek Yu, University of the Western Cape For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country’s economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of workers. This has partly been because of the stagnant economic growth rate of only 1.7% during the 2010s (it was even lower at 0.9% in 2015-2019). Another factor […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Nigerian E-payments eclipse South Africa’s 2022 GDP, in latest surge When the Nigerian Central Bank introduced newly designed currency notes in November 2022 and a month later put a cap on the maximum amount of hard cash that individuals and corporations could withdraw, the idea was to tame money laundering in the country. During that year’s Christmas festive season and in the run-up to the 2023 Nigerian presidential election in February 2023 –– two high spending seasons –– the country […] todayFebruary 15, 2024 15