In The News

Benjamin Moscovici March 24, 2020
Families from Africa’s poorest nations send children and spouses to Europe with the hope of earning wages. An article from Spiegel reports on a family who received a phone call about a son's death a year after he had left home. “Lansana, like so many migrants who have embarked on similar journeys, carried the hopes of his entire family with him when he left,” reports Benjamin Moscovici for...
Shayera Dark February 6, 2020
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending travel restrictions for citizens of six countries including Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. Previous orders restricted travel for Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen as well as Chad, North Korea and Venezuela. Nigerians express concern about blocks on family members, and current visa holders...
Carlos Amato February 1, 2020
Wage inequality thrives on secrecy. Members of society have some insights: some positions pay minimum wage, teacher and government salaries are public information, and annual reports disclose CEO salaries and benefits. It’s no coincidence that Norway, Sweden and Finland are societies with greater equality and “every taxpayer’s annual income and tax payments are transparent,” explains Carlos Amato...
January 29, 2020
Clouds of locusts are ruining crops and livelihoods in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. “The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated one swarm in Kenya at around 2,400 square kilometres (about 930 square miles) - an area almost the size of Moscow - meaning it could contain up to 200 billion locusts,” reports Al Jazeera, adding that experts worry about food security in a region...
January 27, 2020
Africa is projected to be the fastest growing continent for both population and economic growth. Britain is considering ways to regain influence in Africa after Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to strengthen business and social ties with African countries and looks forward to enthusiastic responses. Methods for revitalizing British influence in Africa, including diplomacy, aid, and...
David Pilling January 19, 2020
Ghana and Ivory Coast produce about two thirds of the world’s cocoa. David Pilling, writing for the Financial Times, questions why such nations cannot break free of poverty, and then explains how many farms are small, producing just a few bags of pods each year. “Ghana supplies about one-fifth of all cocoa beans, for which it earns about $2bn a year, less than one-fiftieth of the value of the...
Jillian Ambrose December 28, 2019
Africa is set to spearhead “the world’s cleanest economic revolution by using renewable energy sources to power a massive spread of urbanisation,” according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. As a recent Guardian article confirms, according to the IEA, solar energy will power the continent’s population and industrial growth over the coming decades. Although the continent has...