(July 6, 2009) Much has been said about Ghana’s oil and the revenue that is supposed to flow into her coffers by 2010.
(July 6, 2009) Much has been said about Ghana’s oil and the revenue that is supposed to flow into her coffers by 2010.
(July 5, 2009) Stakeholders met last week in Harare to discuss Zimbabwe’s external debt, which threatens the welfare of its citizens who have been ravaged by a deep social, economic and political crisis.
(July 4, 2009) Senator Obert Gutu, a legislator from Prime Minsiter Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has called for an audit of the country’s debt, insisting that long-suffering tax-payers should not be made to pay for the actions of greedy and irresponsible politicians and government officials.
(July 2, 2009) The unpalatable fact is that the Republic of Zimbabwe is virtually bankrupt. As at December 1 2008, Zimbabwe’s external debt stood at US$5, 255 billion, with a current account balance of US$597 million.
(June 21, 2009) Iraq will continue to press its neighbours and the world to forgive billions of dollars in debt accured by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi lawmaker said Sunday.
(June 19, 2009). As the World Bank and the IMF drastically increase lending to countries in the developing world, local politicians are beginning to question the loans. The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNNP) recently expressed outrage over the ruling People’s Democratic Party plan to obtain a $1-billion loan from the World Bank.
(June 15, 2009) As the economic crisis continues to work its way through the global economic system, the World Bank is using the slowdown as an opportunity to increase lending to the developing world. According to the bank’s president, Robert Zoellick, the bank will increase its lending by $100 billion over the next three years. In 2009 alone, the bank plans to triple its lending from $13.5-billion to $35-billion.
(June 12, 2009) The portfolio manager of Templeton Global Bond Fund, Michael Hasenstab, says he’s investing in Iraqi bonds rather than treasuries, U.K. gilts or Japanese bonds. He believes the massive amount of debt occured by the U.S. and other governments over the past year will drive up inflation, weaken their currencies and hamper economic growth.
(June 9, 2009) Gabon’s President Omar Bongo – the world’s longest-serving president – died today in a hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Mr. Bongo leaves behind a political legacy marred by corruption and patronage – marking a throwback to an era when Africa was ruled by “Big Men.”
(June 6, 2009) Before the end of the first period of colonialism African nations were properties of their colonial masters who did what they could to rape the continent of whatever resource they deemed good for the development of their citizens in Europe. Out of nowhere and without any consultation with the people of the African continent, the Europeans met and divided the continent amongst themselves in what has been termed ‘The Scramble for Africa’.
(June 2, 2009) A recent article by Lord Aikins Adusei in the Zimbabwe Observer asks some pointed questions of the international aid agencies and developed banks. After nearly 50 years and billions of dollars in loans and grants, he says, Africa remains a poverty-striken continent, rife with corruption and political instability.
(May 21, 2009) Political activist and anti-corruption campaigner, Lord Aikins Adusei, is calling on Ghana’s new government to put politics aside and start initiating economic and development programs. His remarks come after the country elected a new president, John Atta Mills, in a tightly contested vote last December.
(April 24, 2009) The Gleneagles Summit, for all its good intentions, gave rise to unrealistic expectations. The heavy emphasis on aid and debt relief made Western actions appear to be chiefly responsible for poverty alleviation in Africa. In reality, the main obstacles to economic growth in Africa rest with Africa’s policies and institutions, such as onerous business regulations and weak protection of property rights.
(March 19, 2009) A year after phillipine President Marcos and his first lady were forced from office, the U.S.
(March 19, 2009) Few know with confidence how the universe came into being but if God had said `let there be light’ while in Colombia, He would not have had enough money left for the rest of creation. Because the truth is that in a country where there are projects which have cost a lot, few have cost as much as the expansion of the electric sector during the last ten years.