Travel bans, visa denials, safety fears, and record-high ticket prices are suppressing World Cup attendance–and threatening both FIFA’s promised $40 billion windfall and a U.S. tourism industry that was already struggling before the opening whistle. Ahead of kickoff, the 2026 men’s World Cup is beset with a slew of travel restrictions affecting entry to the…
Government performance ratings improve slightly, but still overwhelmingly negative. Key findings Six in 10 Africans (59%) describe their country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad.” A slim majority (51%) say their country’s economic situation has worsened over the past year. About half (49%) of citizens are optimistic that their country’s economic situation will…
For generations, Africa has exported its wealth and imported its future. From copper and cobalt to crude oil and natural gas, the continent has supplied the raw materials that power global industries while receiving only a fraction of the value generated from them. The result has been a paradox that has defined Africa’s economic story…
Water drives over half of Mozambique’s economy, 90% of exports, and 84% of jobs–yet floods and droughts cost 6.7% of GDP each year. A new World Bank Water Security Diagnostic and the ProAguas Compact 2026-2036 chart a path forward: $14.3 billion by 2030 to secure resources, deliver services, build climate resilience, and mobilize finance. Discover…
African leaders have called for a major rethink of how the continent finances development, manages natural resources and positions itself within the global economy, saying Africa must strengthen economic sovereignty and reduce dependence on fragmented financing systems and raw commodity exports. Speaking during the ongoing African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Annual Meetings 2026 in Brazzaville,…
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in its new report, themed: ‘Financing Women’s Digital Entrepreneurship: A Pathway to Closing Africa’s Economic Gender Gap’ has revealed that women’s economic participation in Africa has fallen 0.6 percentage points below 2022 levels, extending the region’s timeline to reach economic parity from 120 years to approximately 170 years. The report…
Africa may have achieved political independence, but the continent’s biggest remaining challenge is economic liberation, according to the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). ALSO READ: Rwanda is where things get done, says AfCFTA’s Wamkele Mene Speaking at an international conference on Africa Day held in Kigali on Sunday, May 24,…
My stay in China as part of the DongFang scholarship program at Peking University (PKU) allowed me to immerse in the heart of China’s institutional and administrative architecture, to meet high-ranking officials responsible for strategic departments, as well as distinguished academics. Visits to cutting-edge industrial sites gave me the opportunity to observe remarkable technological advances,…
Addis Ababa — Ethiopia has renewed its call for deeper regional economic integration as a cornerstone for achieving lasting peace in the Horn of Africa, with Trade and Regional Integration Minister Kassahun Gofe stressing that durable stability can only be achieved through stronger homegrown solutions. Speaking at the Horn Inter-Elite Dialogue, also known as the…
Nairobi — President William Ruto has called on Africa to position sports at the centre of its economic transformation. The President said the continent must invest in building African-owned sports industries that create wealth and jobs for its young population. Speaking at a high-level dialogue on the commercialisation of sports at the University of Nairobi…
