Feature Articles

...It’s locked in the rocks Minerals in the ground represent potential wealth. And luckily, Africa is blessed with all kinds of ores, gems and fuels locked away, waiting to be liberated. The continental mass is a treasury of bauxite,…

I have loved Christmas celebration since my childhood days but must admit that Christmas celebration has changed tremendously over the years. Some years ago, the changes in weather provided the early signs of an approaching Christmas and…

UK medical journal The Lancet recently headlined climate change as “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.” Yet this presents a triple-win opportunity for Africa with three development agendas. With just 12.3 percent of the…

...After decades of slow growth, Africa has a real chance to follow in the footsteps of Asia The shops are stacked six feet high with goods, the streets outside are jammed with customers and salespeople are sweating profusely under the…

"Batakari has spoken, who needs a suit? From Fufulso towards Fulaniland Fugu is king Batakari has spoken, who needs a suit?" The fugu smock is the most distinctive dress from Northern Ghana. The striking garment dates way back but the…

One of the noticeable things across Africa these days is how many people have cell phones—71 percent of adults in Nigeria, for example, 62 percent in Botswana, and more than half the population in Ghana and Kenya, according to a 2011 Gallup…

The next two weeks will see nearly 20,000 people descending on Durban for this year’s Climate Change negotiations.  What might they achieve? Not much, if you believe some of the pessimistic assessments in the press. Are the gloomsters…

A dramatic population increase on a planet that cannot feed its current inhabitants, unprecedented food price hikes, the decreasing proportion of farmlands and farmers cultivating despite record urbanization are all worrisome developments.…

Talks about climate change and food security in Africa have for long been dominated by politicians and activitists. Now African scientists look poised to take the lead in the quest for solutions. In the bubbling city of Nairobi, Kenya’s…

This year our budget must centre on whether we can raise sufficient revenue to cover our full expendi­ture and not rely on donor support to shore up our politically generated deficit gap. In finance parlance, we must cut the deficit…