Oil prices soar as analysts debate whether it’s a blip or start of a new supercycle
Since November 2020, oil prices have risen by 70 per cent, hitting $70 per barrel in March. A united Opec+ (comprising the 13 Opec members plus 10 other big oil exporters), fast-recovering economies, the snowstorm in Texas and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East – the recent Houthi attack...
Energy industry is going to be the bedrock of Africa’s road to recovery
African Energy producers and the governments are facing an unprecedented economic crisis caused by coronavirus, unemployment, economic recession and energy poverty and energy transition concerns. The African Energy Chamber’s Road to Recovery: How the African energy industry can reshape itself for a post-Covid comeback offers a common-sense strategy for the...
Public debt to grow by nine per cent of gross domestic product worldwide
Global government spending to combat Covid-19 and its economic fallout – $11.7 trillion just in the first six months of the pandemic according to the International Monetary Fund – means public debt will grow by nine per cent of gross domestic product on average this year worldwide. In the United...
Lockdown: Fewer cars on roads, but number of fatal accidents spikes
Although there are fewer cars on America’s roads since the pandemic began, the number of fatal car crashes has increased. Early nationwide data support this counterintuitive finding: Even as daily trips from households fell significantly, preliminary data show that 28,190 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the first...
Big Tech: A trade union is a strong counterweight for workers who want to speak up
Seeta Gangadharan, the cofounder of Our Data Bodies and a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has proposed that tech workers need to be taught how to be whistle-blowers. Ms Gangadharan envisions summer schools for computer science graduates that would arm them with the resources for...
Regional integration at the ce of Mozambique’s energy success
As one of leading resource-rich countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique has the potential to not only significantly advance its own socioeconomic status, but also dramatically boost economic growth throughout the region. According to the World Bank Group, regional integration helps countries to overcome divisions that impede the flow of goods,...
Chinese scientists are caught between Western bias and pro-government messaging
Shortly after the World Health Organization visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology on February 3, a reporter from an international newspaper asked me whether China’s censorship would present an ‘insurmountable’ barrier to reaching an impartial conclusion on Covid-19’s origins. At the same time, my phone displayed headlines from a nationalist...
Africa can and should, decide how it harnesses its natural resources
Pressure is building to phase out petroleum production in Africa to fight climate change. But harnessed strategically, Africa’s oil and gas industry can power a better future for Africa. Are calls to “keep it in the ground” really in Africa’s best interests? Do a Google search for “Help Africa,” and...
Abortions can happen safely and entirely at home
Last year, over concerns of exposure to Covid-19, a federal judge ended the US Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that mifepristone, a medication necessary to terminate an early pregnancy, must be obtained directly from a hospital or provider’s office. On January 12, the Supreme Court reinstated that requirement, over the...
A competitive oil and gas sector will drive growth in Angola’s economy
Angola’s oil wealth has by no means spared it from criticism about the unfair distribution of wealth, inequality in society and, in some cases, the misappropriation of state funds. These concerns are legitimate and should be looked into by the state. Where people are found to have profited unduly, it...
