Few ideas in business are as misunderstood as DEI. While opposition to DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – has a long history, it has picked up steam recently. In 2023, when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, detractors claimed that the bank’s focus on DEI was responsible – rather than the bank overinvesting in bonds that […]
Silicon Valley and Shenzhen, China, will get all the growth from AI if other regions don’t invest now to compete
The 21st century has witnessed an unprecedented surge in technological advancements, with artificial intelligence emerging as a worldwide transformative force across the economy. The integration of AI-based technologies into regional economies through the manufacturing and design of goods such as smartphones and smart speakers has sparked significant changes, leading to increased efficiency, innovation and economic […]
Why Jersey girls − and guys − still don’t pump their own gas
New Jersey’s quirky reputation is hard earned, but one peculiarity stands out: It’s the only place in America where you can’t pump your own gas. Laws against self-service gasoline used to be common: In the late 1960s, nearly half the states in the U.S. had one. But as fuel dispensers became safer and credit cards […]
How the demise of gay nightlife has prompted a new underground queer scene – new book
Around the world and across the UK, gay nightlife is dying. Evidence of this demise and the ongoing threat of bar and club closures can be seen everywhere. In late 2023 the renowned London club G-A-Y closed its doors, as did many other bars and clubs, victims of an array of economic difficulties. These include […]
Macky Sall’s reputation is dented, but the former president did a lot at home and abroad
Macky Sall’s legacy as Senegal’s president since 2012 became more complex in his last year in office. The year was so filled with transgressions that they appeared to have tarnished his reputation indelibly. For some months he gave the impression to his adversaries and critics that he had third-term ambitions – not uncommon in contemporary […]
Ghana’s decades-old ambition to build an integrated aluminium industry faces a new hurdle: the clean energy transition
It has been more than 60 years since Ghana’s first post-independence leader Kwame Nkrumah first mooted the idea that Ghana should produce aluminium from the country’s ample supply of bauxite. Under the Volta River Project, Nkrumah’s vision was to construct a dam on Ghana’s Volta River to provide dedicated electricity to a newly built smelter. […]
How safe are your solar eclipse glasses? Cheap fakes from online marketplaces pose a threat, supply-chain experts say
Americans from Maine to Texas are set for a rare treat on April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S. In ancient times, eclipse-viewers thought they were watching the Sun be eaten by wolves, a dragon or a demon. Of course, we now know that the Sun […]
why a gradual approach would have been better
Nigeria removed fuel subsidies entirely in May 2023. This came as a surprise because of the political risks associated with subsidy removal. Previous administrations were reluctant to jettison the subsidies. The subsidies had been in place since the 1970s, when the government sold petrol to Nigerians at a price below cost – though most consumers […]
Why do airlines charge so much for checked bags? This obscure rule helps explain why
Five out of the six biggest U.S. airlines have raised their checked bag fees since January 2024. Take American Airlines. In 2023, it cost US$30 to check a standard bag in with the airline; today, as of March 2024, it costs $40 at a U.S. airport – a whopping 33% increase. As a business school […]
Inflation in Nigeria is still climbing while it has slowed globally: here’s why
Just as Nigerians were gradually digging out from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were hit by high inflation. The Nigerian economy contracted by 6.1% at the peak of COVID in the second quarter of 2020. Unemployment rate rose from 27% in the second quarter of 2020 to 33% in the fourth quarter […]