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Malawi president Peter Mutharika

Malawi’s new government drops corruption cases against senior officials

The move could undermine Lilongwe’s pursuit of a new programme with the International Monetary Fund

While it is true that “too many young people struggle to find their first job” (SONA), imposing  the primary responsibility on young people to ‘do better’, by completing well-meaning programmes designed by adults who know what is best, absolves institutions of the responsibility to re-think their assumptions, approaches, and programming to more effectively address structural challenges. (Oupa Nkosi)

“Inactive” youth, Sona’s panacea of digital skills and missed creative opportunities

If a commitment to youth-led initiative is to be taken seriously, it is imperative to include youth in decision making on where to direct investment, how to design curricula for skills training, which job markets to prioritise, including those that may not yet exist.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. (GCIS)

IMF expects Godongwana to maintain budget surplus target of 1.5% of GDP

The global lender said controlling the public sector wage bill would be critical and commended the government’s plans to address inefficiencies and provide incentives for early retirement

Done deal: FNB Zambia CEO Kapumpe Chola and Stanchart Zambia CEO Sonny Zulu after signing the deal
that saw FNB acquire Stanchart WRB business. Photo: FNB Zambia

Major shift in African banking

As foreign banks retreat from the continent, local lenders are stepping up to fill the gap

Under the sanctions law, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, the US Secretary of the Treasury votes against any new loans, credits or debt relief for the Zimbabwean government from international financial institutions. (Shuttershock)

US Republicans propose bill on removal of Zimbabwe sanctions

If the Department of State Policy Provisions Act is passed into law, the US will support Zimbabwe borrowing money from international lenders such as the World Bank

World view: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) stands with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank (left), on a balcony of the town hall before a session of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on 7 October in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: Marcus Brandt/Getty Images

Hard truths in Hamburg hit home

Among the truths is that most of the 17 sustainable development goals adopted by UN member states are doomed to fail

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi looks at a large diamond discovered in Botswana at his office in Gaborone on August 22, 2024. The 2492 carat diamond was discovered in the Karowe mine in Botswana of Lucara Diamond Company.  (Photo by MONIRUL BHUIYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The panic behind Botswana’s big, sparkly diamond show

Diamonds account for 30% of the country’s economy, but lab-grown gems mean less demand for ones dug out of the soil