Is culture an obstacle to democracy?
The question is often asked whether African culture and traditions are obstacles to development and democracy. African culture is not inimical development or democracy….
development
SA’s economic crisis mimicking that of Brazil
In Brazil, a drought combined with an overlapping fiscal crisis and lack of public and market trust in the government’s ability to deal with these,…
On minimising corruption and boosting democracy
BBC World Service Weekend, on 2 January 2016, speaks with William Gumede, Chairperson of Democracy Works Foundation, and Karin von Hippel, Director-General of the…
Time to revisit the issue of poor African leadership
With many in South Africa and elsewhere asking questions about governance and politicians it is useful to reflect on the state of leadership across our…
How wealth is made in China
As China released its 13th five year plan last week, there are key ingredients of China’s model of development from which African countries can…
Development versus democracy: A silly debate
Genuine democracy offers greater inclusiveness and accountability in reaching developmental, growth and industrialization goals; and makes states more effective, stable and robust against internal…
Senegal rising
Senegal is aggressively positioning itself to reach emerging market status in 20 years’ time, following a decade of low economic growth rates. Last year,…
Take-off nations must move into new growth zone
A number of African countries have been notching up spectacular economic growth rates for the past few years. The problem is these countries are…