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The African Century

258 commentaries

Africa’s economic rise is a world-changing development, but the sources of its emerging strength – and lingering weaknesses – are little understood. With support from the National Endowment for Democracy, The African Century provides a unique platform for debate about the vital issues shaping African societies.

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  1. Africa’s Education Opportunity
    bio1_ Ann JohanssonCorbis via Getty Images_sierraleoneschool Ann Johansson/Corbis via Getty Images

    Africa’s Education Opportunity

    Nov 23, 2022 Julius Maada Bio offers example of how policymakers can foster inclusivity and improve learning outcomes.

  2. Fairer Green Finance
    fofack13 getty images getty images

    Fairer Green Finance

    Nov 14, 2022 Hippolyte Fofack explains how to channel investment in climate-resilient infrastructure to where it is needed most.

  3. COP27 Is About Africa and Action
    blair28_ISAAC KASAMANIAFP via Getty Images_africasolar Isaac Kasamani/AFP via Getty Images

    COP27 Is About Africa and Action

    Nov 9, 2022 Tony Blair urges developed and developing countries to forge a new climate-change consensus based on three pillars.

  4. It’s the Energy System, Stupid
    nakate1_Andrew Aitchison In pictures via Getty Images_solar panels uk Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Images

    It’s the Energy System, Stupid

    Nov 8, 2022 Vanessa Nakate & Rachel Kyte trace the defining global crises of 2022 to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.

  5. Unlocking the Potential of African Carbon Markets
    osinbajo1_WIKUS DE WETAFP via Getty Images_africacarboncoal Wikus de Wet/AFP via Getty Images

    Unlocking the Potential of African Carbon Markets

    Nov 8, 2022 Yemi Osinbajo & Iván Duque Márquez explain how carbon credits can be used to attract substantially more foreign climate financing.

  6. Making the Most of Africa’s Pandemic Dividend
    okereke2_Tafadzwa UfumeliGetty Images_vaccines Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images

    Making the Most of Africa’s Pandemic Dividend

    Oct 27, 2022 Ebere Okereke & Adam Bradshaw show how investments to combat COVID-19 can strengthen countries’ ability to respond to future health crises.

Our Pick

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    Resentment on the Western Front

    Sławomir Sierakowski thinks the Polish public needs a more open and honest conversation about refugees before resentment spirals.
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    Crypto’s Well-Worn Path to Crisis

    Xavier Vives writes that, despite the novelty of the assets, the narrative of FTX’s collapse was established long ago.
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    The Unavoidable Crash

    Nouriel Roubini anticipates a stagflationary debt crisis, owing to a dangerous combination of inflation and over-borrowing.
  4. nye236_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_biden xi SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
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    War Over Taiwan?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. considers whether a deterrence arrangement that has worked for 50 years is still sufficient.
  5. op_livingston1_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_fed Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    2

    The Contested Fed

    James Livingston

    By all accounts, central banks – particularly the Fed, because the dollar is still the world’s dominant currency – already act as investment authorities. But their recent bailouts have exacerbated economic inequality, and have done little or nothing to address climate change.

     reviews three books that, each in its own way, reveal a central truth about the world’s leading central bank.
  6. pisaniferry140_Sean GallupGetty Images_cop27 Sean GallupGetty Images
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    The Economics of Mainstreaming Climate Action

    Jean Pisani-Ferry & Selma Mahfouz identify the risks and short-term costs associated with the energy transition over the next decade.
  7. haldar15_ Tayfun CoskunAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_twitter Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    Killing Twitter

    Antara Haldar explains what Elon Musk fundamentally misunderstands about the platform – and about free speech.
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    The Napoleons of Big Tech

    Bill Emmott

    Recent events in the technology sector suggest that investors and lenders should be demanding a premium to cover the risk that a star entrepreneur will become an egomaniacal dictator. With each business cycle, it seems, old lessons must be relearned.

     sees in the industry’s harsh reckoning this year lessons that apparently can’t be learned often enough.
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    The Crypto Emperor’s New Clothes

    The collapse of several crypto platforms this year – including the spectacular crash of the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX – has raised fundamental questions about the credibility of a digital innovation once hailed as the key to democratizing finance. Has crypto finally been exposed as a scam, or will a new, stronger crypto industry emerge from the current turmoil?

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