Archive - An Africanist Perspective

On Nigeria’s bold but rudderless attempts at structural economic reforms

President Bola Tinubu’s lack of a focused agenda is blunting the impact of some of his bold reforms while also jeopardizing private sector growth

Aug 28 •

The geopolitics of the war in Sudan

How external actors are prolonging the war and complicating potential avenues to a peaceful settlement

Aug 14 •

July 2024

What Kenyan protests tell us about economic management and the politics of reforms in African states

There is an urgent need to modernize economic management in African states. Unfortunately, so far there is little evidence that African governments are…

Jul 30 •

Kenyan Protests, Part Three: Thoughts on potential pathways forward

The case for why Ruto should stop scheming and instead focus on a narrow set of achievable goals to restore the fiscal pact, improve service delivery…

Jul 19 •

Kenyan Protests, Part Two: How not to clean up a fiscal mess

Generalized erosion of fiscal pact and trust in government raise the specter of widespread tax evasion, proliferation of informality, and unmanageable…

Jul 12 •

Kenyan Protests, Part One: The political education of President William Ruto

Lessons on the difficulties of governing during turbulent economic times after campaigning as an anti-establishment populist.

Jul 2 •

June 2024

Why exactly are major international firms leaving the Nigerian market?

Nigeria's myriad problems have decades-old origins, but the Tinubu administration bears responsibility for poor rollout of reforms

Jun 19 •

The potent powerlessness of Leftist politics in African states

A tale of people who want structural change but eschew the messy realities of economics and organized politics

Jun 12 •

May 2024

Two unsolicited ideas on how to invest some of Melinda French Gates’ $12.5 billion

The case for bold risk taking to boost women-owned businesses and intensify learning on how to improve subnational service provision that targets women

May 31 •

Making lasting peace in the Sahel

There is certainly no silver bullet, but long-term thinking and fidelity to reality-based policies could put Sahelian states on the path to stability.

May 11 •

April 2024

On the ongoing cocoa boom and what it tells us about the current state (and future) of African agriculture

Long relegated to the back burner, African agriculture — a sector that is critical for poverty reduction — is experiencing steady productivity decline…

Apr 18 •

(Energy) poverty is very bad for humans and the environment

It’s time to stop pretending that the planet will be saved by maintaining energy poverty in low-income states

Apr 9 •

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