“So, young people…my message to you is simple, keep believing, keep marching, keep building, keep raising your voice. Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.”
-President Barack Obama, 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, South Africa
Of the many statistics that define Africa’s complexity, this may be the most
Continue Reading Smart Power: Investing in Youth Leadership and Development
The 2018 AGOA Forum—named for the African Growth and Opportunity Act passed in 2000 and extended three years ago to 2025—could be a turning point in U.S.-African commercial relations. AGOA abolished import duties on more than 1,800 products manufactured in eligible countries sub-Saharan Africa (those with established or making
Continue Reading The 2018 AGOA Forum: A turning point for US-Africa commercial relations?
There are ample studies that quantify Africa’s infrastructure deficit in terms of projects and funding. The World Bank estimates $93 billion of annual upkeep investment is needed for projects and Ernst and Young estimates that there are some 800 projects, largely in the power and transportation sectors, that require approximately
Continue Reading Project Finance Master Class: Addressing Africa’s Infrastructure Deficit
Given recent developments in the global economy, especially Brexit and the Trump administration’s “America First” policy, it is worth assessing how Africa’s three largest commercial partners—China, the European Union, and the United States—are likely to impact the region in the near future as it relates to trade and investment trends.
Continue Reading Competing in Africa: China, the European Union, and the United States
Artificial intelligence and big data are some of the new technologies dominating discourse in 2018. These technologies are expected to change the way that we travel, learn, and transact. However, this forecast is less clear for the least developed countries (LDCs).
According to a United Nations study, science and
Continue Reading The Technology Bank
When bitcoin entered the public’s eye for the first time in 2013, it was touted as one of the greatest inventions for the unbanked in Africa. The World Bank estimates that of the 2 billion people without access to the modern financial system, a third live in Sub-Saharan Africa. In
Continue Reading Is Cryptocurrency a Viable Solution for the Unbanked in Africa?
Covington’s Africa Practice is looking forward to being a sponsor of the first-ever Africa House at South By Southwest (SXSW) this year.
Launched in 1987, with a mission to foster discussion and collaboration in the music and art scene, SXSW has morphed into the ultimate gathering place for creatives, innovators,
Continue Reading Covington’s Africa Practice Will Be at SXSW
In late December, the Trump Administration released the “National Security Strategy of the United States of America.” The nearly 70 page document lays out the foreign policy priorities of the current Administration in both thematic and regional approaches. At the time of its release, the press focused on
Continue Reading What Next for Trump and Africa?
The election of Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the African National Congress (ANC), and now the leading contender to become South Africa’s next president, was hailed as a “humbling rebuke” of South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and a stark rejection of his policies, which have led to anemic economic growth,
Continue Reading Ramaphosa’s Victory: Progress or Paralysis?
On December 7, 2017, Covington’s Africa practice welcomed Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for a roundtable discussion on how to expand the training and support of civil service leaders in Africa through Emerging Public Leaders (“EPL”).
President Sirleaf was
Continue Reading Covington Welcomes Liberian President Sirleaf for Discussion on Emerging Public Leaders Initiative