Insights

Our thought leadership includes events, podcasts, articles, concept notes and white papers.

Check in regularly for cutting-edge perspectives from our team and knowledge partners.

Insight 01: Concept Paper: Pathways to a New Global Economy out of Lockdown

With the new vaccines being rolled out globally, business and political leaders are beginning to see a way out of lockdown at last. Planning and policy for the economic recovery and public health strategy are underway. This concept paper includes reflections on the potential options out of lockdown by our chair, Lord Peter Hain, and our chief strategist, Dr Desne Masie. They propose some potential forms that the recovery may take to build back leaner and greener by asking some open-ended policy questions to stimulate debate. In the coming months, we will explore each of these themes in more detail in our white papers through research and analysis with our knowledge partners.

This paper is available in both an international edition (International pdf download) and an Africa edition (Africa pdf download).

Insight 02: February 2021 - ESG Global Update

As sustainable finance incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors get incorporated into global policy and regulation and the pandemic recovery, it is an agenda Africans cannot ignore and indeed, should lead on. It’s becoming an essential ingredient for attracting investment, ESG assets in 2020  totalled a staggering $31 trillion of capital flows.

Download our ESG Global Update for the latest developments on the international policy agenda here.

Insight 03: The Business and Economic Case for Vaccine Equity

Global herd immunity is being hailed as a key factor to opening up our economies and societies to kickstart the Covid-19 recovery. But this will depend on mass immunisation and equitable distribution of vaccines between rich and poor countries. In this edition, we make the business and economic case for vaccine equity.

Download the March/April edition of our Insights series here.

Insight 04: The outlook for crypto and blockchain in Africa

In April of 2011, one bitcoin was worth approx $1, last April the cryptocurrency surged to a record-high $63,000. In this month’s edition of the Newsletter, we explore the phenomenon of crypto and the applications of the technology behind it, blockchain. We also specifically look at the potential for blockchain and crypto in Africa to revolutionise trade, investment and payments as the industry continues to professionalise with increased regulatory oversight and institutional backing and grounbreaking innovations such as NFTs. Lord Hain and myself offer our view alongside our panel of experts from Luno, Consensys and ChainVine.

Download the May edition of our Insights series here.

Insight 05: Accounting for Climate Change: The Business and Economic Risks of a Warming Planet

In this edition we discuss the risks and opportunities arising from climate change and the transition to a low-carbon future.

Download the June edition here.

Insight 06: Raising Capital in the Global Market

In this issue of Insights, we explore, along with our subject experts, some ideas on how best to attract, raise and deploy private capital across the African continent against this complex backdrop. Lord Peter Hain lays out the pros and pitfalls of private capital raising for African countries and points to blended finance as a way forward. Meanwhile, I set the scene and also recap some recent work our team has done on gender-lens investing with private capital. Next, the team at NEU Capital Africa offer some practical solutions in 5 themes for raising $5 to $50m+ of capital in the alternative/private capital mid-market in Africa in light of its own special challenges: opacity of deal- making, insufficient information, weak institutions and powerful politicians. Finally, Eleanor Brown of Invest Africa writes for us on how MSMEs can be supported in the tougher global environment.

Download the July edition here.

Insight 07: Implications of the Ukraine invasion for Africa

Almost three months on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the conflict shows no sign of abating. In this issue, we unpick the economic, geopolitical and domestic implications of the invasion for Africa, with contributions from Chatham House experts Aanu Adeoye and Dr Alex Vines.

Download the May 2022 edition here.