1. We learn that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. Again. 2. Is Estonia boarding a sinking Titanic? 3. HSBC releases a report titled The World in 2050 4. Obama in Africa: To go or not to go? 5. “The scooter traffic [in Vietnam] more or less lives up to reputation.” 6. “In… Read More »
As donations, pieces of clothing bear imprints of the aspirations of their donors, and as purchased commodities, they are invested with the desires of their consumers. This article describes a particular configuration of the international trade in secondhand clothing. The trade links Western homes with West Africans families in an intricate web; its history also… Read More »
Here. The concluding paragraph: At close quarters it is hard not to warm to the man. He has a winning sense of humour and unshakeable belief in self as well as country: “I love Nigeria,” he says over breakfast. “Some people see that as a weakness.” There is also a streak of ruthlessness and a… Read More »
1. The First Law of Development Stats: Whatever our Bizarre Methodology, We make Africa look Worse 2. On the need for more critical debates on the ‘open aid data’ discourse 3. SSD on Nigeria’s decision to try Dick Cheney 4. Norway examines reports that Muhammad Yunus diverted millions of dollars of aid money from a… Read More »
Since I have a background in Development Studies, and I am currently trying to develop a research plan for an ethnographic study of the Nigerian financial sector, the following, from Bill Maurer, Professor of Anthropology and Director, Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion, University of California, Irvine, resonates quite powerfully with me: Because European systems of… Read More »
Fund managers should consider African markets such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania rather than chasing crowded emerging market trades elsewhere, economist Nouriel Roubini said. “It (Africa) is risky because there is less liquidity and the governance is not ideal. But in comparison to 10 years ago when there was civil strife and unstable governments,… Read More »
If you have been following the news, you know about the shake-up, the rescue and the proposal to buy off bad loans. Reuter’s report on the current state of the industry: Two of Nigeria’s nine rescued banks are in talks with foreign investors about recapitalisation but most of the others are more likely to be… Read More »
At the end of a CFR article that tries to deal with the political mess that is Nigeria, Richard Joseph, who knows Nigeria pretty well, ends on a somewhat positive note. His answer to anybody who asks him what he would like to do during the next elections: The response I advocate is to bolster… Read More »
… is the title of a recently published book by Kate Meagher of LSE’s Department of International Development, my friend and fellow student of African trade networks and informal economy. Nicolas van de Walle writes in Foreign Policy about the book: Within development circles, conventional wisdom has it that successful manufacturing sectors often develop in low-income… Read More »
1. FT has a special report on Nigeria at 50. It is worth your time. 2. The BBC also has a special reports page on Nigeria at 50 3. Still with the BBC, some Nigerians are interviewed on how they will be celebrating the 50th independence anniversary 4. Have you seen the official Nigeria at 50 website?… Read More »