Tag: The Pros and Cons

Africa needs China for its digital development – but at what price?

Author: Stephanie PhD Candidate, University di Bologna First Published: February 27, 2024 4.08pm SAST Digital technologies have many potential benefits for people in African countries. They can support the delivery of healthcare services, promote access to education and lifelong learning, and enhance financial inclusion. But there are obstacles to realizing these benefits. The backbone infrastructure needed to connect communities is missing in places. Technology and finance are lacking too. In 2023, only 83% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa was covered by at least a 3G mobile network. In all other regions…

Ghana wants to make importing food like rice and tomatoes more costly: expert explains why it’s a bad idea

Published: January 22, 2024 4.19pm SAST Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor Associate Professor, Agri-Food Trade and Policy, University of Guelph Ghana, like many other developing nations, relies heavily on imports of food and consumer goods to feed its population. For instance, Ghana imports 55% of the rice that is consumed locally. The country’s import dependence is primarily a consequence of the production of low-value primary products without substantial value addition. To forestall over-dependence on foreign goods, the government has proposed a trade restrictive policy via a legislative instrument on 22 major items. It has justified the policy on…