Governance

Illegal fishing is putting Kenya’s fishing industry at risk, threatening both livelihoods and biodiversity. Experts call for better regulation and support for local communities.

Never heard of “blended finance”? And what does “domestic resource mobilisation” actually mean? With the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) just around the corner, we explain some of the key terms used in development finance.

True and apparent seriousness separate journalism and satire. The task of the latter is to question the conclusions of the former, explains Tim Wolff, publisher of satire magazine Titanic. He predicts: Both are facing an uphill battle.

For decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been ravaged time and again by war and conflict. The main culprit is its wealth of resources, which hugely benefits technology and the global economy – just not the country itself.

The Lobito Corridor will transform trade in Zambia, Angola and the DRC. It provides a faster export route and access to global markets – but also raises questions about value addition and sovereignty.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has long been a scene of conflict, with the eastern regions being particularly affected by violence, instability and exploitation. At the centre of this turmoil is the involvement of neighbouring Rwanda.

Around the world, basic services are marketed as fast-track options for an extra charge. This model widens the socio-economic gap, especially in societies with a high poverty rate. Corruption in the respective service providers exacerbates the problem.

Spending more on interest payments than on education or health is normal in many poorer countries today. How international debt policy should change – and why the FfD4 conference is the right place to do so.

The group has been positioning itself as an advocate of the global south. While the changing role of the USA may indeed create room for the bloc to manoeuvre, continued expansion of BRICS+ is creating new challenges.

In January, the ECOWAS lost three members – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. ECOWAS should grant AES, the new political entity they formed, diplomatic recognition – not least to show that intra-African solutions do not need western condoning.