ANALYSIS

Rising government expenditure, burdensome regulations, and the lack of infrastructure to move Africa’s energy to grow markets are all undermining investor confidence in many African countries, and pragmatic free market policies will make the difference, writes NJ AYUK. Speaking at the International Petroleum (IP) Week on February 25, 2021, I commended Nigeria for its efforts in driving gas monetization, but we have to be clear that our industry and hardworking people remain frustrated by the delays and inability to pass and sign the Petroleum Industry Bill. There needs to be...

As G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet virtually this week, the world continues to climb back from the worst recession in peacetime since the Great Depression, says KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA. The IMF recently projected global GDP growth at 5.5 per cent this year and 4.2 per cent in 2022. But it is going to be a long and uncertain ascent. Most of the world is facing a slow rollout of vaccines even as new virus mutations are spreading—and the prospects for recovery are diverging dangerously across countries and regions....

GSMA Intelligence recently released the latest update of its global fixed broadband and pay-tv market forecasts, covering 2020 to 2025 and giving insights into the current state of the market. The good news? Fixed broadband penetration in many developed markets has already reached 85 per cent to 90 per cent of households. The bad news? Many developed nations still have a significant share of households lacking access to fixed broadband altogether or receiving internet speeds that are significantly slower than national targets. This raises the question of how to systematically...

Climate change has made the world a riskier place. The destruction wrought by heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and coastal flooding doesn’t stop with the toll on human lives and livelihoods—it can also have deep consequences for a country’s finances, write SERHAN CEVIK and JOAO TOVAR JALLES. Recent IMF staff research has found that a country’s vulnerability or resilience to climate change can have a direct effect on its creditworthiness, its costs of borrowing, and, ultimately, the likelihood it might default on its sovereign debt. The economic consequences of climate change have...

Radiocommunication satellites are emblematic of the contributions science has and will continue to make to benefit mankind and how they may even help mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic itself, writes CATHERINE SHAM. NASA Christina Koch ISS Blue Flight Control Room A remote satellite collects radio signatures while its antennas stare passively at Earth. A space probe’s active radar scans for changes in soil temperature and moisture. Safe to say, neither scenario was a usual topic of everyday, pre-pandemic conversation. But, worth talking about now is how these same...

Many people compare the coronavirus pandemic we are still experiencing to a world war; millions affected, global involvement, and new kinds of crises and emergencies. Across the world we are having to reconsider our priorities and needs, write PAOLO LAZZARINI, DAVID HEMINGWAY and BEN POOR. What was once considered essential in many places has become unavailable. Lockdowns are still in place in many countries, intensifying our human need for proximity and social contact. Long-distance travel is practically forbidden, and a large part of industrial activity has stalled. In the COVID-19...

Companies should use the legal alternative of suspending employment contracts which can be done at zero cost, argues PABLO MITOGO. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have been overwhelmed and the health systems of the most powerful countries have collapsed. The wave of chaos has also reached companies, especially in small economies such as Equatorial Guinea. Many companies have seen their volume of activity decrease drastically, with subsequent cost reductions. The question remains how does a company reduce costs without drowning the company? In recent months we have seen...

5G offers incredible possibilities to power the fourth industrial revolution, says NOKIA. We all know 5G will bring lightning-fast mobile broadband. But the phone is the least exciting piece of the story. 5G will provide the connectivity for the fourth industrial revolution which will completely alter the way we live, work and play. 5G will also make it a sustainable revolution. Fourth industrial revolution and mobile connectivity Characterized by computing and the internet, the third industrial revolution profoundly impacted services businesses such as banking and the media. But industries with...