International Economics: IB Economics

This BBC article looks at the prospects for a more co-ordinated transport infrastructure across Africa, with The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement being agreed by 54 countries across the continent and the development of services like Amitruck that looks to connect truckers with customers cutting out the intermediaries.

Both have the capacity to significantly increase trade flows and enhance development prospects, with the World Bank suggesting it may "boost exports among African nations by 81% by 2035".

Larry Elliott looks at the current penchant for austerity in Africa and argues that this has the potential to be disastrous. From a developing country perspective, there's an increased unwillingness to become one of the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and as a result a number of them have sought to adopt austerity, although in a muted form. 

But this comes at a time when these countries are among the few experiencing growing populations, and in this context, austerity seems undesirable. 

Proof that African economies are as badly affected by coronavirus as elsewhere, with growth on the continent expected to decrease by between 3-8% this year. 

However, like elsewhere, the extent to which this has affected different economies varies: those most dependent upon tourism are going to suffer the most, and in common with the rest of the world, companies have had to adapt. The picture associated with the article shows how Uganda's Premier Distilleries have repurposed their distillery to produce hand sanitiser.

Lovely World Bank clip that highlights the importance of female participation in the labour force but in areas which are traditionally seen as the preserve of men. This clip suggests that should women buck gender stereotypes and work in male-dominated sectors there are greater returns to be had.