The collapse of the oil price in 2014 highlighted the need for Nigeria to dilute its exposure on the commodity.
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Analysis and Comment
South Africans debating the zero rating of certain products for VAT purposes must realise it isn't a panacea for poor people and should be accompanied by other policies.
The review of South Africa's list of zero rated VAT items faces a tricky challenge of shielding the poor while ensuring that the relief isn't exploited.
Policymakers in Africa approach rural and urban development separately. This needs to change.
A lighting revolution is underway across Africa that's occurred largely without government or donor involvement.
Women-owned small business in Tanzania stay away from formal loans because of their negative beliefs about loans.
South Africa's local governments lack a clear separation of legislative and executive powers.
The US president's comments about South Africa's land reform stem from his view that whites are under attack from blacks.
Under representation of women in the science and engineering career fields is a result of poor work life balance.
The push to nationalise South Africa's Reserve Bank is informed by the mistaken view that private shareholders affect monetary policy.
South Africa's official opposition, the Democratic Alliance needs to face its racial dilemmas.
Findings from South Africa's Health Market Inquiry makes recommendations to close the information gap between service providers and consumers.
The Belt and Road Initiative will not be starting entirely from scratch. China has already invested heavily in several African railways.
Domination of key South African markets by a few players, as displayed in the healthcare market inquiry, may require authorities to consider breaking up monopolies.
South Africa's ruling party, the ANC , is mishandling the process leading towards land expropriation without compensation.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to take South Africa's ruling party seriously when it talks about economic reform.
Clarifying when and how the South African constitution allows for expropriation of land without compensation will strengthen property rights.
Kenya's heavy debt burden is worrisome and could damage its economy in the long-term.
The 10th BRICS Summit delivered a mixed bag when judged on what it said on key issues, like global governance and trade.
Statistics suggest that the fight against poverty is far from being won in Kenya.
The free movement of people between African countries could facilitate economic development.
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement promises to redefine relations among African states and beyond.
The BRICS bloc can't be written off. At the same time it shouldn't be romanticised, given its internal challenges.
With international trade facing its greatest threat in decades, this club of China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and India will have much to say about it.
Debates around South Africa's health market inquiry must remember that not all proposals for regulating private economic activity are an attack on the market.
Kenya's new budget is expected to focus on food security, manufacturing, universal health coverage, and affordable housing.
In Ethiopia most of the milk comes from local breeds which aren't suited to milk production.
The devastating impact of mine closures could be avoided with economic and scientific interventions.
The 10th BRICS Summit will be judged by how it tackles the prevailing global political and structural challenges.
Nigeria is failing to prosecute banking executives charged with fraud due to deep weaknesses in the system.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to display that wrongdoers of the Jacob Zuma era are going to be held accountable through prosecution.
The methods used to measure gross domestic product are being criticised for excluding the unpaid work done by women.
The latest World Bank report on South Africa addresses solutions to the country's economic challenges.
A newish method called the multidimensional poverty index is revealing new insights into the South Africa's poverty.
In coming years, Uganda's GDP growth is set to accelerate as recent and ongoing public investments begin to yield returns.
The positive energy that's greeted the new South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, will turn to protest if economic challenges are not addressed quickly.
South Africa needs to harness its service sector into an innovative and export orientated way to push back poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Self-organisation initiatives taken by slum residents across Africa can help urban development.
South Africa needs to review its four years decision to exclusively deliver housing through megaprojects.
Ghanaians respond positively to financial appeals from churches compared to how they respond to paying taxes. Here's how, and why, Ghana's government should learn from religious groups.
High municipal electricity tariffs pose a serious threat to South Africa's machinery and equipment manufacturing industries.
Human Resources must adapt quickly to changes in the workplace to remain relevant and useful.
African business schools can benefit from the rigourous process offered by global rankings and accreditations.
The chaos visiting South Africa's North-West province shows that ordinary people in rural areas have got a raw deal from ruling party.
Many young South African mothers who deserve to get the child support grant are excluded.
Many scholars argue that attracting migrants is essential to economic competitiveness in a globalising world.
South Africa is the eight country in the world to adopt the 'Twin Peaks' model of regulating its financial services sector.
The current debate about land reform in South Africa could open the door to reviewing urban land ownership issues.
The majority of South Africans are separated from the wealthy and formal-sector employed minority.
Instead of having a separate regulator just for banks, the new system creates one to prevent financial crises, the other to ensure good market conduct and consumer protection.
Civil conflict, displacement, rising food prices, and climate change all cause food insecurity in Nigeria.
Data reveals that South Africa's strike action is lower than many other countries, and not as prolonged as politicians claim.
Mobile money transfers have been a great asset. But the rise of online betting could threaten its contribution.
Corporates are willing to embrace corporate social responsibility initiatives. But many fail due to cultural insensitivity and misplaced communication strategies.
South Africa's land reform programme will fail if it continues to neglect smallholder farming.
Post-harvest management will reduce losses and improve food availability.
South Africa's land reform process will fail if it continues to neglect small and emerging black farmers.
The Mark Lamberti case shows that South African business suffers from deeply rooted racial prejudices.
Inequality is decried at campaign rallies and in the global commentariat. But little is being done at any policy level.
All Steinhoff directors should be held accountable for the international corporate scandal.
Some communities on South Africa's Platinum Belt have received substantial mining revenues, but these are controlled by chiefs.
Continental free trade area's potential impact includes boosting intra-Africa trade, manufacturing exports, job creation and poverty alleviation.
South Africa's President, Cyril Ramaphosa, needs to quickly address key challenges to restart the economy.
Across countries, we find that FDI inflows driven by new projects in new industries increased by 58% in the two years following a giant discovery
Research and News
A number of emerging markets are struggling but this doesn't mean they are totally related.
Only a couple of months until the elections, the frontrunner is behind bars and the economic agenda of the next government is anyone’s guess.
A look at Hajj-going among British Muslims shows how modern transport and marketisation have led to huge changes.
The universal basic income movement has a major problem: both critics and even many supporters don’t understand how much it would really cost.
Challenger banks are on the rise but they need to prove themselves to be trustworthy to survive – and profit.
The president, who called the European Union a 'foe' following a series of meetings in Europe, may not realize just how much Americans have gained from their relationship with Europe.
Chinese investment in the US has never been high, but the ongoing trade war could dampen it further, with significant long-term repercussions.
A global trade war seems well underway as China and the US exchange targeted tariff attacks. An economist explains what they are, how they work and why they matter.
The 20 largest OECD countries alone have a US$78 trillion shortfall in their pensions obligations.
The EU's regional policy has brought investment to large parts of the UK that have otherwise been neglected by Westminster.
Climate change could hurt Indian farmers' income by up to 20-25% in the medium term.
South Africa's obsession with nuclear energy under the leadership of President Zuma, is dangerous.
A business and humanities scholar advises the president to pack three novels and a children's story for his long transatlantic flight to Switzerland aboard Air Force One.
Its plan to stop lending money for oil and gas projects embraces the spirit of the Paris agreement at a time when the U.S. is going in a different direction.
Small loans from governments and philanthropists are often held up as a route out of poverty. But proper research into whether they work is thin on the ground.
The tobacco industry claims that tobacco- growing is essential to the livelihoods of millions of small-scale rural farmers in Malawi, Zambia and Kenya. Research shows that's untrue.
Bitcoin
The astronomic rise of the price of bitcoin over the past 12 months raises fears that the cryptocurrency is set to crash which could see many people lose money.
An analysis of Bitcoin's fundamentals shows how much of a bubble its price has inflated to.
If you can't use Bitcoin to buy anything then it has no intrinsic value.
Business Briefing: What happened to the price of Bitcoin? The truth behind big bubbles and crashes.
The Conversation24.8 MB (download)
On this episode of Business Briefing we unpack great heights and crashing lows of a bubble and a crash.
Inequality
Even after years of federal and state laws making discrimination illegal, implicit bias still leads to actual economic harm for women.
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Happiness
Can happiness really be mapped?
Property
House prices in London fell by 0.6% in June after years of high growth.
Law
Insider trading, like what Rep. Chris Collins is accused of engaging in, is one of the sexier crimes in securities law.
Law
The hotel company filed an unprecedented lawsuit against the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas last October, arguing it has immune from liability under federal law.
Leadership
Research on proactive behavior shows it can help people perform better at their jobs. A failure to do so can be even more consequential.
Green economy
The environmental responsibility some businesses say they embrace is only a veneer.
Energy
Innovation in small-scale solar systems and mobile money systems is giving people in sub-Saharan Africa access to electricity at a lower cost than diesel or kerosene.
Maternity
By contrast, poor maternity pay leads to an under-representation of women in higher positions and lower salaries.
Data Protection
Everything you need to know to prepare your business for changes to data protection law in the EU on May 25.
Technology
The problem isn't kids owning smartphones. But when daily use exceeds two hours a day, mental health issues start to crop up.
Education
Artificial intelligence and automation are bringing changes to higher education that will challenge, and may even threaten, traditional universities.
Tax
A provision in the House's pending tax bill would let religious and secular nonprofits engage in political speech without facing a penalty.
Crowed sourcing
Before you reach for that checkbook or give to a charity online, pause to think about what makes a cause good in the first place.
Art
Research shows paintings aren't always good investments. Sky-high prices paid for high-end art are likely due to other factors.
Tax
Far from dispelling the notion among Americans that the system is 'rigged' against them, Republican tax plans are more likely to make matters worse.
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