Emerging market players have put South Africa’s banks under the spotlight . However, HSBC’s approach to Nedbank would seem to offer little more than access to the South African market and would barely increase the bank’s pan-African footprint

Walmart’s offer for South African retailer Massmart indicates interest not only in Africa’s largest economy but in fast-paced consumer growth across the continent

Kosmos Energy’s recent high profile failed exit in Ghana has brought to the fore the political risks that still haunt private equity investing in Africa, prompting investors to rethink their exit risk management strategies

The MDGs are often dismissed as idealistic and impractical. However, shifts in geopolitics and the global economy are undermining the dominance of ideology in international institutions, changes which seem to put the MDGs at the heart of a new approach to global development

An apparent rise in Al-Qaeda-linked militancy in the Sahara presents complex challenges for policymakers
in Europe and the US. However, experts are divided over whether the terrorist franchise could pose a strategic threat across the continent

“Some people tend to understand poverty eradication very narrowly, but for me it is not an issue. For me it is very clear, for me it is just about increasing the definition of poverty eradication to say, well, investment in job creation is also poverty eradication. The challenge is to have inclusive growth in developing countries”

Co-operatives have a long history in Africa, and after a period of decline in the 1990s are on the rise again, proving especially popular among rural farmers, who are able to group together to share costs and seek out new markets. However, despite this growth and their popularity with foreign donors, the sector remains vulnerable

The virtual absence of fixed networks in sub-Saharan Africa means that mass market broadband usage in the region will depend heavily on the long-awaited global shift towards convergence of voice, data and mobile technology

ICT and media companies are attempting to build a creative community and spark an upsurge in the production of Arabic content

Barclays wants to build a long-term strategic presence in Africa’s high-growth markets, and the CEO of its retail arm says he is not interested in merely “planting flags”

The purchase of almost the entire cocoa stock registered with NYSE Liffe by a hedge fund helped drive a spike in prices this summer and is indicative of a lack of transparency in the London exchange

Despite the lift in its growth rate in the last several years of commodity boom, sub-Saharan Africa’s per capita income today is barely above what it was in 1980. The problem, the prevailing opinion goes, is not simply that the region has failed to grow but that its growth failure is due to natural and historical factors that cannot be changed – tropical weather, a high incidence of “landlockedness”, “bad neighbourhood” effect – being surrounded by poor, conflict-ridden countries, “natural resource curse”, ethnic diversity, poor institutions, “bad” culture and whatnot.

Since 1990, economic growth has helped to lift hundreds of millions of Asians out of poverty. This humanitarian leap was underpinned by the developed world’s voracious appetite for buying Asian exports.

Between 2000 and 2008, Africa’s economic growth was remarkable. Real GDP grew by 5 percent – more than double its pace in the previous two decades. Following a dip to below 2 percent in 2009, growth is expected to rise to between 4-5 percent in the coming years. The African Development Bank describes this post-crisis recovery as spectacular. But how resilient is it? And what does it portend for the future? Is Africa the next Bric?