The CEO of an important financial institution in Kenya told me once, “If the head of the family isn’t well, then the whole family stops to look at this guy who isn’t well. Now if he isn’t well then the kids are not going to school, and if they aren’t going to school then their […]
Regional Integration in Africa
Welcome back from the break! I took some holidays but also I attended a couple of conferences. One of them (the meeting of the Academy of International Business sub-Saharan Africa Chapter) took place in August in Johannesburg (Jo’burg to friends). It was a fantastic opportunity to share ideas with scholars and business people based or […]
The African Economic Community
A few weeks ago I had to travel to Switzerland. As I was preparing for the trip, I wondered whether I needed my passport or if my Spanish ID would suffice. Switzerland doesn’t belong to the European Union but I wasn’t sure about this type of administrative arrangement between it and the EU member countries. […]
Nairobi: Upcoming African Transport Hub
I left Nairobi on Saturday. The airport surprised me with several improvements since last year. It has better organized control posts to enter the airport area, a world-class extension to Terminal 1, more eating facilities, etc. Security controls are extensive: I went through 3 screenings! Clearly, they don’t want to take risks. Who knows if […]
The Rich Poor Divide in sub-Saharan Africa
One thing that struck me in Nairobi was the income gap. Neither picture is truthful. The same misconception can come from looking at country-level economic statistics unwisely. “Consumer income is one of the most important economic factors creating distance between countries,” according to my colleague Ghemawat. Simple as this may seem, it gets complicated when […]
