Category: Middle East and Africa

Development, History, Middle East and Africa, Politics

From Guns to Gold: The Wagner Group’s exploitation of Africa and Ukraine

PMC (“Private Military Company”) Wagner, more commonly known as The Wagner Group, is a paramilitary organisation based in Russia. Founded in 2014, Yevgeny Prigozhin a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin, took over the company shortly after its founding. The Wagner Group first came to prominence during the Donbas conflict in Ukraine from 2014 to 2015. The Wagner Group’s activities … Continue reading From Guns to Gold: The Wagner Group’s exploitation of Africa and Ukraine

Unknown's avatarNico Sesson Farre1 Comment
Development, Middle East and Africa

Nigeria’s Reliance on Oil

The idea of universally accessible electricity and safe public infrastructure – in the likes of roads – has become widely regarded as basic and expected in the west. However, in Nigeria, blackouts and unsuitable roads have become regular encounters. It is now ranked as amongst the bottom 20 nations via the Global Peace Index; crime rates have reached some of the highest levels in the … Continue reading Nigeria’s Reliance on Oil

Unknown's avatarbamisayetLeave a comment
Middle East and Africa

Formula One and Yas Marina – Economic Masterstroke or Sports Washing?

To most, Yas Marina is just another place name; a niche geographical location that is only known by those who study the map of the Earth extensively for their daily dose of trivia.     To the F1 community, however, it represents one of the most controversial race tracks ever to have existed on the formula one calendar. Yas Marina was a project undertaken by the UAE … Continue reading Formula One and Yas Marina – Economic Masterstroke or Sports Washing?

Unknown's avatarAlex Murray-BruceLeave a comment
Flag of Sudan waving over grey map of the world
Middle East and Africa

South Sudan: The world’s most isolated economy

South Sudan is a large, sparsely populated, landlocked country which gained its independence from Sudan in 2011 after years of conflict. This places South Sudan in the unique position of being the world’s ‘youngest’ country. With this title comes the rare opportunity to build an economic structure from scratch which, if successful, could gain South Sudan a place at the forefront of the many developing … Continue reading South Sudan: The world’s most isolated economy

Unknown's avatarJacob MedlicottLeave a comment
Keynes Society Reports, Middle East and Africa

Colin Coleman: “The South African Economy”

On Tuesday 22nd September, the Keynes Society was delighted to welcome, virtually, Colin Coleman for the first meeting of the term. Colin Coleman is an expert on South African affairs: after setting up the South African and sub-Sahara African enterprise for Goldman Sachs and serving as its CEO for 20 years, he was appointed senior fellow and lecturer at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. … Continue reading Colin Coleman: “The South African Economy”

Unknown's avatarEdward HilditchLeave a comment
Dubai intersection
Middle East and Africa, Podcast

The Dubai Property Market

A city whose name is synonymous with skyscrapers, luxury apartments, and residential villas, Dubai’s economic success has greatly depended on its ability to attract a large number of foreign residents, who make up 85% of the population. These individuals are encouraged to buy or rent property in the city, feeding a market which makes up 13.6% of the emirate’s GDP. However, property prices have fallen between … Continue reading The Dubai Property Market

Unknown's avatarJohn ChangLeave a comment
Middle East and Africa

Nigeria: The key to African economic prosperity?

Nigeria sent shockwaves through the continent of Africa when it withheld approval for AFCFTA in March 2018. Nigeria’s decision surprised many as the country was one of the initial drivers of the single African market idea. The African Confidential Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) could be a massive economic step forward for the continent as it attempts to create a large single market for goods and … Continue reading Nigeria: The key to African economic prosperity?

Unknown's avatarPammie EmefieleLeave a comment
China, Middle East and Africa

China in Africa

At the turn of the century, China started to boost its outward direct investment (ODI). This change in policy constituted one of the most dramatic shifts in economic history; China shot up in the global ODI rankings, moving from 23rd to 2nd in a matter of 15 years. In particular, China has boosted its investment into Africa and in 2009, it overtook the US as … Continue reading China in Africa

Unknown's avatarJoseph MenellLeave a comment