21st Century Challenges

Africa in the 21st Century

November 2007

The 21st Century Challenges series was launched in 2007 with Sir Bob Geldof & Kofi Annan discussing the major challenges facing Africa in the 21st century

Watch the talks

What is protectionism?

A guide to protectionism, also known as economic nationalism // Are we seeing a return to these practices?

Trade gap narrows as demand for foreign goods slumps

The slumping pound did little to help British exports in December, but imports dropped sharply as the cost of foreign-made goods spiralled and demand slumped, resulting in the narrowest trade gap for one and half years and offering a sliver of hope for the economy.

China exports at lowest level in a decade

Chinese exports dropped 17.5 per cent in January compared with the same month the year before, the biggest decline in more than a decade as the impact on the economy from the global slump gathered pace.

So much for capitalism

For two decades, in the 1980s and 1990s, China pushed forward a series of economic reforms that came at a vast cost, exceeded only by their vaster rewards. Now, as the financial crisis sweeps across the world, those reforms are going into reverse. It is a sign of how hard governments find it to shake off the habit of ownership.

Is trade, not aid, the answer for Africa?

Donors are now focusing less on charity and more on the continent's small entrepreneurs