By Muhammad Abdussalam Corruption–one of the most discussed issues in Nigeria–is perhaps felt the most by ordinary citizens. Paradoxically, Nigerians hate and condemn corruption, yet they are complicit in the same act they condemn. To exonerate themselves from the act, they always point fingers at others while claiming that “they are not corrupt”. While corruption, […]
Burkina Faso’s young captain-turned-president, Ibrahim Traoré, has ignited a wave of hope across the Sahel. At just 36, he is hailed as Africa’s youngest leader and has moved boldly on the issues plaguing his country: security, governance and the economy. His standing-room–only reception at a regional summit – where he received the loudest applause of […]
African countries have long relied on the “Big Three” global agencies (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch) to signal their creditworthiness. These firms use familiar letter grades (AAA down to C) to gauge default risk, and investors treat them as a convenient shorthand for safety or peril. In Africa today 33 countries have sovereign ratings […]
A soft light sweeps over a plantation in southern Côte d’Ivoire as a farmer tends to rows of rubber trees dripping with latex. Just ten years ago, this land was filled with cocoa—the “brown gold” that once drove the country’s economy. Now, the farmer’s shift from cocoa to rubber tells a larger story of change […]
By Azeez Sulaiman There is a revolution underway that carries no banner, fires no shot, and draws no crowd. It moves quietly, built not on steel and smoke but on algorithms and data. It whispers promises of speed, precision, and efficiency. Yet, within that silence, lies a question that only a few are willing to […]
Nigeria’s startup pitchmen love to tout “financial inclusion” as the holy grail. They claim that if only more people had slick new fintech apps, all would be well. It’s a convenient narrative – and a deceptive one. The truth is that Nigeria already has more than enough fintech platforms for payments, banking, and lending. Mobile […]
Just beyond the southern edge of Nairobi, a new railway viaduct rises above the scrubby plains and scattered homes—its smooth concrete columns carving a sharp line across the horizon. Trains now glide over terrain once crossed by matatus and livestock, part of a national project to remake the country’s transport network. The Standard Gauge Railway, […]
On a cool morning in West Africa, voters formed a snaking line outside a modest polling station. An elderly woman, wrapped in vibrant cloth, cast her ballot with a trembling hand as the rising sun illuminated the hopeful faces behind her. Such moments of quiet determination are becoming increasingly common across the continent. Yet, behind […]
In a bustling open-air market in Nairobi, a small business owner swipes her thumb across a smartphone screen. There’s no cash exchanged, no point-of-sale machine, just a ping confirming payment through mobile money. A generation ago, she might have been invisible to the formal banking system—one of millions operating in the shadows of the global […]