Africa

Interfaith dialogue – the opportunity to voice our histories – can deepen understanding and provide reconciliation between historically antagonistic groups if sought.

The Harvard Chan School of Public Health recently hosted the first-ever Africa Health Conference from February 18th to 19th, 2023, bringing together students, faculty, activists, global health leaders, and a community of scholars. Organized by the Harvard Chan Africa Health Students Forum, the conference aimed to celebrate successes in healthcare across the continent while also […]

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), recently spoke in an exclusive interview with Africa Policy Journal, calling on African nations to develop regulations to promote digital trade and e-commerce on the continent. She praised the efforts of young people who are engaging in digital trade and stressed the importance of […]

Zoox CEO Aicha Evans has highlighted the potential benefits of introducing self-driving “robotaxi” services, including reduced fares for passengers.  Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School as part of the CEO Talks series, Evans explained that passengers spend huge amount on current ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, adding that  80 cents of every dollar goes to the driver.  […]

For African countries to address their political, economic and development challenges, the new generation of leaders from the continent must speak truth to power. This was the opinion of Sir Sam Jonah, the CEO of Jonah Capital during an interview with Africa Policy Journal’s Enitan Okedji, Lead Interview Editor (Policy Engagement).  Sam Jonah was in […]

Despite the scintillating promises it holds, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is only a necessary, not a sufficient condition for a structural transformation and global convergence of Africa. The substantial efforts to pass the sufficient test rest upon transcending the colonial model of resource extraction economy.  In a blow to the gravity trade […]

One of the debates among economic development experts is whether the African continent can skip manufacturing and move into the service industry to achieve economic development. Africa is blessed with abundant land and other natural resources, yet the continent is still grappling with myriad of challenges such as of food security and lack of sufficient […]

South Africa needs massive social investment in education and basic infrastructure if the country is to address its current development challenges. The Executive Director, Center for Development and Enterprise, South Africa, Ann Bernstein, stated this during the Growth Lab Development Talks at the Harvard Kennedy School. The theme of her talk was “The Role of […]

The implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to increase Africa’s exports by more than US$ 560 billion. This was disclosed by Dr. Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist of Afreximbank, while referring to a World Bank data during a lecture at the Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Fofack stated this during the Africa […]

Former South Korean minister of trade, Dr. Taeho Bark has encouraged African countries to learn from South Korea by focusing on exports.  Dr. Bark, a senior visiting scholar, Korea project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfar Center stated this during a lecture on South Korea’s new external economic strategies at the Kennedy School.  “At beginning of […]

As Zimbabwe heads to the polls in April 2023, spokesperson for the opposition Citizen Coalition for Change, Fadzayi Mahere, has stated that it is time for the youth to take over the mantle of leadership in the country. Mahere was speaking during an interview with Africa Policy Journal in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There are more than […]

A Nigerian presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has pledged to spend 70% of his time in developing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), if elected president of Nigeria. Peter Obi disclosed this during a roundtable discussion organized by the Harvard Business School on Wednesday. The event was moderated by Hakeem Belo-Osagie, a professor at Harvard Business School. […]