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Over the course of the past quarter, This is Africa has been speaking with senior figures in the banking industry across the continent, as well as to some of the sector’s leading analysts and investors. No two banks are the same, but across almost all TIA’s conversations, three key themes emerged:
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Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Kamel Morjane PHOTOS: AFP/getty images
Negotiations over expanding Tunisia’s integration into the European Union are raising questions about the efficacy of Brussels’ soft power mechanisms in promoting political reform in the Southern Mediterranean
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Andry Rajoelina PHOTOS: Getty
“We are on the path to reform and this is the first time that the one in power will not run in the next presidential election. This has always been a problem in Madagascar and in Africa, because those in power always want to stay”
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Brazil PHOTOS:Bloomberg
Brazil is actively sharing its experience in agriculture with Africa, and there are hopes that this might be a critical contribution towards realising the continent’s elusive ‘green revolution’
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Building on a qualified success
Ten years after the Clinton administration adopted the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a groundbreaking piece of trade legislation, Agoa’s architects are petitioning to take it a stage further and increase US investment in Africa
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Anna Tibaijuka: Exclusive Interview
Africa’s urbanisation must be understood and managed to prevent growing inequalities from becoming a source of conflict, according to Anna Tibaijuka, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of urban development body UN Habitat.
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Kaberuka’s revolution
Quiet streets greeted the African Development Bank’s return to Abidjan, its former headquarters, this May for its 45th annual meetings. The bank left in 2003, precipitated by the deteriorating security situation in the city as Côte d’Ivoire slid into civil war. Today it occupies three buildings in Tunis – a “Temporary Relocation Agency” that has begun to seem less and less temporary. Its dislocation has been frustrating for bank staff and for international partners, but with elections in Côte d’Ivoire repeatedly postponed an imminent return has seemed unlikely.
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Mobile money goes mainstream
When Vodafone launched the M-Pesa mobile money transfer service through its subsidiary Safaricom in Kenya in February 2007, few could have predicted its success. Originally developed with funding by the UK’s Department for International Development, it has quickly outgrown its development roots. By April of this year the service had 9.5m active users and accounted for approximately $330m worth of person-to-person transactions.
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Indian demand fuels African cashew trade
West Africa is developing into an increasingly significant producer and processor of cashew nuts, feeding into lucrative markets in India
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Nurturing innovation
The Nile Exchange is one of a number of initiatives designed to provide a boost to Egypt’s small- and medium-sized enterprises but these are just a small step on the difficult path towards creating a culture of entrepreneurship in the region
Articles from The Banker
- Greek rescue: The big issue Debt in Athens: striking teachers march against the austerity measures implemented by the Greek government ahead of the IMF loan payments Controversy still surrounds the decision of the International Monetary Fund to bail out Greece at a rate of 3200% in excess of its quota. Writer Jane Monahan
- Italy: Survival or siesta? Italy exemplifies everything that is wrong with Europe - poor government finances, stultifying bureaucracy and rising labour costs. Can it sort itself out? Silvia Pavoni, an Italian national who lives in the UK, takes a long, hard look.
- The future of the IMF Ousmene Mandeng, a former IMF official, now a senior adviser at Ashmore The International Monetary Fund is moving away from its traditional role as 'lender of last resort' and is equipping itself with enough firepower to stave off future financial disasters. Writer Jane Monahan
- Bank crisis: Payback time The world has come a long way since the lurid headlines of 2008 warning that support for the banking sector would cost governments around the world trillions of dollars. While dangers still persist, money is steadily starting to return to government coffers. Writer Geraldine Lambe, Research Geraldine Lambe and Guillaume Hingel
- The failures of the Dodd-Frank bill Charles W Calomiris, banking professor The Dodd-Frank bill's failure to deal with the key problems that triggered the economic crisis is a missed opportunity.
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Interviews
Andry Rajoelina
“We are on the path to reform and this is the first time that the one in power will not run in the next presidential election...”
Anna Tibaijuka
Africa’s urbanisation must be understood and managed to prevent growing inequalities from becoming a source of conflict, according to Anna Tibaijuka,...
