By Paola Subacchi LONDON – With output having collapsed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are wondering how far monetary policy can be stretched to support the economy. For the US Federal Reserve, negative interest rates appear to represent an effective limit, not because such a policy is technically unfeasible, but because it […]
By Arkebe Oqubay ADDIS ABABA – To the surprise of many, African governments have responded swiftly and boldly to the COVID-19 crisis. Ethiopia’s unconventional approach, for example, reflects the country’s limited financial and human resources, as well as the low level of available international support. Despite these severe constraints, the results so far have been […]
By Agnes Igoye KAMPALA – Perhaps the most effective health interventions in the battle against COVID-19 so far have been behavioral: social distancing and improved hygiene, especially hand-washing. For the world’s 70 million displaced people – especially the millions living in cramped camps and informal settlements – such habits can be virtually impossible. Add to […]
By Wambua Mutua Deal makers are looking forward for investments and M&A activities to pick up in last quarter of 2020. East Africa investments are set to remain at low levels through 2020 with full recovery unlikely until first quarter of 2021 as the world continues to grapple with the current pandemic and its economic […]
By Henrik Poulsen, Mads Nipper, and Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen COPENHAGEN – The COVID-19 pandemic must not lead governments to lower their climate ambitions. Accelerating the transition to a low-carbon sustainable economy can both drive the recovery and build resilience for the future. Other countries could look to Denmark for inspiration on climate initiatives that will […]
The nationwide project driven by a company independent of the freight forwarding industry to enable non-conflictive inclusivity and ethical trade has attracted support from businesses such as Bidvest International Logistics, CFR, BidAir and Savino Del Bene, and organisations including the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), B4SA and BUSA. It is facilitated through an […]
Johannesburg, 26 May 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a new kind of African consumer who is already displaying fundamental shifts in consumption and purchase behaviour driven by factors such as heightened health awareness, a focus on quality and safety, a renewed desire to stay at home and a tight wallet squeeze. […]
By Reza Moghadam LONDON – The European Central Bank’s €750 billion ($818 billion) Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP) was hailed at its inception in March as the “big bazooka,” bringing welcome relief to bond markets in so-called peripheral eurozone countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. But the ECB must strengthen the program to […]
By Minxin Pei CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA – China’s decision to crack down on Hong Kong with a new security law has shocked the world. But to those who read the resolution issued last November by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, it comes as no surprise. In that document’s section pertaining to Hong […]
By Shang-Jin Wei NEW YORK – After passing unanimously in the US Senate on May 20, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act is heading for the House of Representatives, and US President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law. The law requires that all companies listed on US stock exchanges submit to […]
By Abebe Aemro Selassie WASHINGTON, DC – It is too soon to tell how heavy the human and health toll from COVID-19 will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the pandemic’s terrible economic impact on the region is already clear. I have worked across Sub-Saharan Africa on and off since the early 1990s, and the scale […]
By GERALD PADDE AUKU The establishment of the COVID 19 National Taskforce to engage the public in resource mobilization was a good idea by government of Uganda through the stewardship of H.E the President of the republic of Uganda, Gen Yoweri Kagutta Museveni in the fight against Covid-19. The initiative if well managed will build […]
By Raghuram G. Rajan CHICAGO – Even with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, speculation has turned to what society will look like afterward. Citizens, shocked by how easily their lives can be upended, will want to reduce risk. According to the emerging new consensus, they will favor more government intervention to stimulate demand (by pumping […]