In the years leading up to the August 2021 election of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, the government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) rolled out a series of fiscal policies that undermined the profitability of Zambian mining, a major obstacle for one of Africa’s leading copper and cobalt producers. This included the 10th royalty increase in 16 years, double taxation by which royalty payments were not tax deductible for corporate income tax, withheld value-tax refunds, and a 5% import levy that made domestic processing uncompetitive and increased uncertainty of tenure as the government sought to take mines over....

China’s flailing economy should force it to rethink the implications of brash geopolitical decisions in Taiwan. Despite being the second largest economy in the world, the loss of investor confidence and resulting challenges has highlighted the country’s precarity....

An alternative way is needed to manage risk as companies withdraw from the most vulnerable markets...

Intensification of hydrogen diplomacy could prove a boon for Sub-Saharan Africa...

When it comes to the future of US-South Africa relations, the debate has been dense: multilateral convenings, trade agreements, and political alliances. But little has been said about South Africa’s critical comparative advantage in this situation....

When it was established during the Obama administration, the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa—or its acronym PAC-DBIA—was an important initiative, and it still is highly relevant. After all, the body was charged with providing recommendations to the president of the United States through the secretary of commerce on how to increase the U.S. commercial presence in Africa. Who better to provide advice than some of the leading American companies on the continent?...

The climate finance brief focuses on remodelling existing financial infrastructure to mobilize financing for the crisis in African countries, which have been harder with climate shocks than any other continent. The brief has been prepared for G20 leadership. G20 countries hold 85% of the world’s GDP and have the financial muscle and technical capacity to drive this agenda....

SA’s economic lifeboat may be tucked away in the Kalahari Desert. The US Geological Survey estimates that the country is home to 70% of global manganese reserves, much of which is under this area. It also flags manganese as one of the only critical minerals — out of a list of 50 — without a satisfactory substitute. This may make the Kalahari the most valuable desert on earth. ...

It is capital-intensive and expensive, yet there are upside benefits to its use...

Within SA’s energy sector are two compounding challenges: energy insecurity and the resulting inflation. As we wait on news regarding interest rates it’s worth noting that monetary policy can offer only limited reprieve to both challenges. ...

Thrilled this book is finally out. It was a privilege to co-author it under the brilliant guidance of Jim Cust and Albert Zeufack.  With rich deposits of cobalt, copper, manganese, platinum, lithium, etc, many African countries are well-positioned to reap the benefits of decarbonization. ...

It would be a grave mistake to build policies around these indices...

Industrialisation decoupled from emissions will help create jobs and increase power supply...

The rise in China’s export restrictions for critical minerals highlights the economic diplomacy war chest it is willing to leverage as geopolitical tensions rise....

Become climate friendly right away or say goodbye to affordable and accessible borrowing...