Category Archives: Main

The US approach to Africa under Biden

Along the east coast, north from Durban are huge sugar cane fields. Author: (WT-en) Fluglotse2000 at English Wikivoyage aka. User:Africaspotter Wikipedia.org

By Virusha Subban, Partner specialising in Customs and Trade at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg The United States (US) President Elect Joe Biden and his new administration are expected to take a multilateral approach to foreign policy, easing tensions and increasing engagement with allies. Trade issues are also expected to be a top priority for the Biden administration and under […]

Eswatini gears up to become a private sector-led economy

By Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade in Eswatini The Kingdom of Eswatini is gearing up to becoming a private sector-led economy committed to economic reform and determined to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19. Before the global pandemic, the Kingdom of Eswatini was already experiencing key economic challenges characterised by sluggish […]

Environmental, Social and Governance takes centre stage in a post-pandemic Africa

By Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa, Baker McKenzie As African businesses begin to recover and build the necessary resilience to successfully navigate COVID-19 disruption, a focus on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) strategies is proving essential for long-term success. In order to stay competitive, organisations based in Africa are engaging meaningfully with ESG to […]

Commitment to sustainability opening doors to post-pandemic capital in Africa

City centre of Cape Town in South Africa. View from the nearby mountain Lion’s Head. Photo Credit Wikipedia

By Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa, Baker McKenzie The industrials, manufacturing and transport (IMT) sector is being hit hard by COVID-19 disruption, but commitment to sustainability could very well lead the sector to recovery. This is according to Baker McKenzie’s report “Sustainable Success: Exploring environmental, social and governance priorities for industrials through COVID-19 and beyond” which […]

Will a future Biden Presidency be better than Trump for Africa?

As America is voting for its next President, all African countries are contemplating their future engagement with either incumbent President Donald Trump or an incoming new President Joseph (Joe) Biden. Indeed, whoever gets in the White House this coming November 4th will re-define America’s relationship with Africa. Contrary to his immediate predecessors, over the last […]

N’Gunu Tiny on Why social innovation in Africa is so important

N’Gunu Tiny, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Emerald Group is an expert in Transformative Technology and Social Innovation. The population of Africa is set to increase to 2.4 billion over the next 30 years. And across a continent that is finding itself after decades of uneven economic growth, there is an urgent need for […]

How Fintech can help secure the world from the economic impact of viral pandemics

The coronavirus pandemic continues to turn the world and our lives upside down, with the outbreak forcing governments to put into place measures that reduce the risk of contamination, and focus on pre-emptive processes.  The strain on the economy is palpable, and is an impending catastrophe that could exceed the crash of 2008, and the Great […]

It’s Time For Africa To Invest In Education, Science And Technology

Africa produces just 1.1% of global scientific knowledge. There are 79 scientists per million Africans. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) estimate for 2019 Africa’s funding for Research and Development is 0.4% of the continents GDP which is far below the global average of 1.7% and the lowest in the world. In 2006, […]

Telemedicine in Africa as a concrete way to solve some problems

Telemedicine. Photo Credit: Edward Jenner (pexels.com)

Tools for innovation: mobile applications, medical specialized websites for medical personnel, scientists, and for educating people in the field of medicine, crowdfunding fundraising campaigns, mobile medical cars and other innovations The use of telemedicine can greatly help in solving the problems of medicine in African countries. The creation of special telemedicine websites within a specific […]

The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Belt and Road Initiatives in Africa

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

A new report by Economist Corporate Network, supported by Baker McKenzie and Silk Road Associates, BRI Beyond 2020 (report), shows that the ripple effects of COVID-19 are affecting the nature, pace and scope of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) activity in Africa, mostly for the short term. The report also explains how the virus has led […]