Project Syndicate by business a.m.

CAPE TOWN/ADDIS ABABA—Maps are never neutral. They are instruments of knowledge, yes, but also of power, ideology, and often manipulation....

WASHINGTON, DC—More than 50 years after decolonization, the West still regards Africa as a supporting player in the global economy:...

NEW YORK—With so many intractable problems in global politics, it is all the more frustrating that the international community often...

DAKAR—The narrative that Africa faces a persistent debt crisis has become entrenched. In fact, despite representing nearly one-fifth of the world's...

LONDON—For much of 2025 and early 2026, central banks have framed their decision to hold interest rates steady as an...

WASHINGTON, DC—“There’s a certain level of wealth and accumulation that is unearned. You can’t earn a billion dollars. You just...

ANGERS—The development of payment infrastructure in emerging-market economies (EMEs)—from instant payment systems in retail markets to wholesale central bank digital...

CAMBRIDGE—Africa's development-finance gap is the continent's biggest challenge, and at its core, it is a design problem. In the absence...

AUSTIN—More than nine weeks into the three-day war on Iran—recently declared "over" by the White House even as threats continue—it...

LONDON—For decades, global development efforts reflected the assumption that international cooperation, however imperfect, was ultimately guided by a shared commitment...