Comment & analysis

The Ebola outbreak has hit a panic button at the core of the political, social and economic establishment across the continent. In a herd-like fashion, one country institutes a blanket ban, triggering others to follow, apparently with no careful assessment of unintended consequences.

Interestingly, there are few Russian traders in Africa and African exporters are not trading in Russia's market due to multiple reasons including inadequate knowledge of trade procedures, rules and regulations as well as the existing market conditions.

Economics is a slippery subject indeed.

I used to think that some top persons in society do not suffer from two things that seem to easily afflict the materially poor: anger and misunderstanding.

The British columnist Robert Fisk recently wrote that if people wanted to "address ‘the underlying issues' of the Israel/Palestinian war", as U.S. President Barack Obama's Secretary of State John Kerry advised, they should ask themselves why the Palestinians are in Gaza.

Recently, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn conducted an interview in which he threatened northern neighbour, Eritrea. Desalegn warned that Ethiopia has shifted its policy towards Eritrea, and is now determined to unseat Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki by force.

During this year’s World Water Week, experts from around the world convened in Stockholm where King Carl Gustav presented the city’s Water Prize to John Briscoe, a Harvard professor and former water manager at the World Bank.

The "Africa Rising" story is a tale that is being told virtually everywhere, and which even the Afro-sceptics are gradually coming to terms with.

WHAT EBOLA IS AND IS NOT

On August 12, the Haitian government through magistrate Lamarre Belizaire issued a summons to President Aristide requesting his appearance at court. According to Aristide’s lawyer, Mario Joseph, the summons was never received and therefore Aristide did not attend the court.