E-trade has opened up a huge opportunity for developing countries and exporters in the coming era. But maximizing benefits requires establishing smart and efficient policies. During the past year, the World Bank have realised E-Trade to be one of their most important areas of impact, both in national policy making and international e-trade competitiveness. So … More E-trade and its opportunities for Developing Countries

International Growth Centre has released a series of blog posts on tackling corruption: When we think about trade barriers hindering developing countries, we often think of tariffs and regulations. However, IGC research suggests another hidden cost, corruption at border posts, plays a significant but underappreciated role in hindering trade and development When we think about … More Doing business with corruption

Investment in agriculture is key for economic growth and job creation among Africa’s farmers, but significant constraints remain before they can fulfil that potential. That’s according to Grow Africa‘s Enabling Environment survey. The survey gathered responses from 133 companies, domestic and international, in 12 countries, regarding the challenges facing their specific investments. Image: Grow Africa 2015 … More African farmers need investment – but these 6 factors stand in the way

The International Growth Centre recently published an interesting and informative read on their findings about the relationship between aid and foreign direct investment in developing countries: “Aid-financed infrastructure promotes foreign direct investments” The link between aid and private investment is not well understood. Could aid-financed infrastructure investments encourage higher foreign direct investment? The authors present the results … More IGC on the link between Aid and FDI

TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) are a multi-donor organisation based in Kenya that work closely with East African Community institutions along with national governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to increase trade within the region, drive economies and as a result, reduce poverty. They have recently released a report showcasing their recent work on the elimination … More Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers to Advance Trade & Improve Economies

Roberto Azevêdo, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, has written a fantastic piece arguing that trade can be used to drive growth and create jobs: How an activist approach on trade could stimulate global demand The debate on trade has taken an ominous turn. In many countries trade is under siege, raising the threat of a spike in protectionism. … More How an activist approach on trade could stimulate global demand – Roberto Azevêdo

Joshua P Meltzer, a senior fellow in global economy and development at the Brookings Institution, has recently written about the fundamental need for Africa to diversify its economy and better integrate into the global economy in order to establish itself as a key player amongst the international trading community. It is only by doing this, … More Africa must integrate into new systems of International Trade

Devex reporter Molly Anders recently reported on the impact of the UK’s economy on the aid budget: UK aid braced for $1 billion shortfall The United Kingdom’s economy is not growing as quickly as previously thought, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne revealed Wednesday. Original estimates by the Office for Budget Responsibility in November projected … More UK foreign aid to decrease by $1 billion

On March 14th 2016 several events and activities took place across the globe to celebrate Commonwealth Day and its values: Peace, Democracy and Equality. This year’s theme, ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth,’ celebrates its diversity with more than 2 billion people being a part of it. It is a global recognition of individuality, asserting equality irrespective of … More Commonwealth Day 2016: Celebrating Inclusiveness

Today is the celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD); a day that is marked around the globe in over 40 countries and recognises women’s achievements across the board – politically, economically and socially. At the same time, IWD calls for gender equality all over the world. Statistics still illustrate that women’s education and health, as … More International Women’s Day: The significance of Social, Political and Economic Empowerment