The Trillion Dollar Illusion: Private Finance For Development
May 20th, 2025
Via The Economist, a look at the potential – and reality – of private finance for development: Ten years ago world leaders agreed on 17 sustainable development goals (sdgs), from ending hunger to ensuring decent work for all. An ensuing conference in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, had the harder task of working out how to pay […]
Read more »Can Europe Compete in Africa’s New Great Game?
April 28th, 2025
Via Geopolitical Monitor, commentary on Europe’s ability to compete in Africa’s new Great Game: In the aftermath of decolonization, Europe’s engagement with Africa was largely shaped by a developmental ethos rooted in normative ideals—shared values, democracy promotion, and human rights. For decades, European policy focused on capacity-building and humanitarian aid while avoiding direct political or […]
Read more »Opinion: Save America’s Great Link To Africa
April 17th, 2025
An interesting OpEd reflection on how the African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits the U.S. as much as it does the continent: Over the past 25 years, the African Growth and Opportunity Act has successfully reduced poverty on the continent, creating jobs and helping countries boost their economic potential. Under the mantra “trade, not aid,” AGOA has […]
Read more »The Shifting Geopolitics of AI
April 11th, 2025
Via Foreign Policy, commentary on how companies and countries are scrambling to control the supply chains for chips, data centers, and subsea cables: The artificial intelligence revolution is deeply linked with geopolitics. It’s well known that a small handful of countries and companies control the manufacturing of the highest-end semiconductors. But when you add in […]
Read more »How Trump and Biden’s Focus on Minerals Became Core to U.S. Foreign Policy
February 27th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how President Trump has turned to high-pressure tactics to acquire critical minerals: President Trump’s intense interest in Ukraine’s minerals seemed to come from out of the blue. He dispatched his Treasury secretary to Kyiv this month to negotiate with Ukraine’s leader, then began ratcheting up the pressure publicly in what […]
Read more »Airtel, Orange, MTN: Who will lead Africa’s mobile internet race?
February 22nd, 2025
Via The Africa Report, a look at Africa’s mobile internet market: With a penetration rate of nearly 30%, the continent represents a rapidly growing market where competition is as fierce as the prospects are promising. We offer a comprehensive analysis in infographics. It is a colossal market that is constantly expanding. With a reach of […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.