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Africa: on the cusp of an innovation revolution

While emerging economies have been driving global growth over the last ten years, the gap vis-à-vis developed economies is still very substantial. Skill gaps in particular severely constrain economic...

The insurance sector sets its sights on Africa

Africa is home to 15% of the World’s population but generates barely 1.5% of global insurance premiums. Nevertheless, a number of indicators point to rapid future growth in the sector: the Continent’s...

Partnering african airport hubs, 3 examples

Mining as a transformative opportunity for Sub-Saharan Africa

Mining can be a formidable transformative opportunity for Sub-Saharan Africa but measures and regulations are required to strengthen the finances of the local utilities and provide a less uncertain an...

Abidjan international airport, a viable concession despite the turmoil

In 1996, management of Abidjan international airport was taken over by a private operator. Although the financial equilibrium of the concession was disrupted by a series of events – not least the 2010...

Supporting sustainable air transport innovations

Air transport is vital for local and global economic development. It plays a key part in regional integration and generating jobs. In terms of the environment, energy and climate, the sector has set i...

The aviation sector in Africa - How can it be funded?

Because of the capital-intensive nature of the business, raising adequate finance is one of the major challenges facing Africa’s aviation sector. Local banks frequently lack the necessary resources or...

Fastjet, a low-cost airline flying high in Africa

The low-cost airline model has experienced rapid growth right across the aviation sector with the notable exception of Africa. With the rise of Africa’s middle classes and the gaps in its road network...

Education in Africa: international schools are a stepping stone to the best universities

Although student mobility in Africa is high by global standards, African students are under-represented in the best international universities. This raises questions about the standard of education. A...

FRB / 21-001

Complainant: 21 complainants of five village communities Date Filed: February 25, 2021 Last update: July 16, 2021 Case Status: Dispute Resolution

Air transport, a sector generating powerful socio-economic benefits

The study demonstrated that liberalisation does not just benefit passengers and cargo shippers.  Increased levels of air service stimulate employment in the aviation industry as people are needed to h...

Open skies - Recommendations for enhanced African air connectivity

Poor connectivity not only results in onerous travel schedules, it also holds economies back by hampering the development of air transport in general. Past initiatives to open up Africa’s skies, such...

Development of wind and solar power in sub-Saharan Africa: how can the obstacles be removed?

Sub-Saharan Africa possesses considerable solar and wind energy resources and demand for electricity is growing steadily. Despite this favourable scenario however the realisation of projects based on...

A few lessons from the DFID impact fund experience

While poor people in developing countries are more than willing to pay for basic goods and services, the existing private sector solutions in place so far do not allow them to meet such needs effectiv...

The point of view of an impact investor - redefining the concepts of risk and retour

The notion of a trade-off between financial, social and environmental returns has dominated the impact investing debateuptonow.

Low-cost private schools scalable solution to a massive gap?

To provide low-cost nursery and primary school education in poor neighbourhoods, Bridge International Academies has developed a vertically-integrated system. It includes operational tools and systems,...

Improving air transport efficiency in Africa

The opportunities presented by air transport are particularly relevant to Africa, however the sector is hampered by lingering over-dependence on governments, supervisory bodies that are often ineffici...

Tourism in Africa: a priceless resource with untapped potential

Although there has been a significant increase in tourism in Africa, the sector’s abundant potential remains largely untapped on the continent. Mossadeck Bally gives an overview of the challenges and...

Financial sector in Africa: training the next generation of managers

For investors in financial institutions in Africa and other developing economies, a lack of managerial capacity is particularly evident in the “post-expatriate” phase – the moment when local capacity...

The need for corporate human rights risk management in fragile contexts

Companies that operate in or are connected to fragile contexts – and the financiers that back tem- need to have a strong understanding of the risks to people that those companies’ operations may pose....