Africa

Firm growth in Africa depends not just on founder ideas but on building capable teams, developing local managerial talent, and equipping people with the skills needed to scale sustainably. Key gaps remain in identifying high-potential founders early, supporting team formation, retaining skilled local managers, and building the institutional capacity to harness AI in ways suited to African market realities.

Martin Williams draws on over a decade of research across six African countries to explain why civil service reforms so often fall short, and what leaders should do instead.

Theories from research in anthropology, history and African studies, combined with new data on independent political communities in pre-colonial Africa, provide an alternate view of the continent’s history. Africans succeeded in keeping the scale of ...

Can AI take off in Africa? Rose Mutiso joins us to discuss the need for an energy and digital infrastructure revolution on the continent, and how to make it happen.

Mines pollute their surroundings, including water flows. In Africa, new evidence shows that plants and crops are less healthy downstream of mining sites, with the largest impacts in fertile, densely vegetated areas and regions dominated by gold minin...

Children are ubiquitous in African cities but largely absent from development economics research. Here’s what we know about children’s schooling once they’ve moved to the city.

New evidence from Africa shows that aid reduces conflict when projects are well managed, but increases violence when management and monitoring are weak.

New projections highlight the feedback loop between lower growth and increased conflict risk in Africa under climate change.