Developing Economies

Duncan Onyango, a game design developer at Planet Rackus works on MA3Racer, a 2D mobile game inside his studio in Kenya's capital Nairobi, July 15, 2014. Industry analysts have long hailed the explosive growth of mobile telecoms in sub-Saharan Africa - 635 million subscribers by the end of 2014 climbing to 930 million by the end of 2019 according to a report by Ericsson. But size isn't everything. It is the quality of those mobile phone connections, subscriptions and surrounding infrastructure that is holding up Africa's nascent games development industry, not the quantity of handsets. The number of expensive smartphones that can run sophisticated games and applications is low, accounting for only 14 percent of African mobile connections by the end of 2014, says research group Ovum. Planet Rackus's first edition of MA3Racer, a 2D mobile game, had more than a million downloads on Nokia's Ovi platform, reflecting strong demand. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA - Tags: SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS TELECOMS) - GM1EA7F1HRG01

Figures of the week: The future of work in Africa

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Employees serve customers inside a mobile phone care centre operated by Kenyan's telecom operator Safaricom in the central business district of Kenya's capital Nairobi, May 11, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya - D1AETDLLWWAA

Africa’s alternative path to development

Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly

Thursday, May 3, 2018

A man holds his phone to take a Facebook live video near a chasm suspected to have been caused by a heavy downpour along an underground fault-line near the Rift Valley town of Mai Mahiu, Kenya March 28, 2018. Picture taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya - RC12E3D4ACD0

Using big data to link poor farmers to finance

Roy Parizat and Heinz-Wilhelm Strubenhoff

Thursday, May 3, 2018

A man looks at exchange rates seen through the window of a currency exchange shop in Tehran's business district, Iran, January 17, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF20000097685

How Iran will respond to new sanctions

Djavad Salehi Isfahani

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Employees work in a factory of Babylon Garments in Dhaka January 3, 2014. On the outskirts of Dhaka, Babylon Garments has shortened work shifts to eight hours from the usual 10 and plans to shutter production lines as months of election-related violence disrupts transport and prompts global retailers to curb orders. Picture taken January 3, 2014. To match BANGLADESH-GARMENTS/ REUTERS/Andrew Biraj (BANGLADESH - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT TEXTILE) - GM1EA180Z9Q01

Why is Bangladesh booming?

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

South African union members march during a nationwide protest against a proposed minimum wage in Cape Town, South Africa, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham - RC16A0E91300

Africa in the news: Minimum wage in South Africa, protests in Madagascar, and fuel crisis in Sudan

Friday, April 27, 2018

Réévaluation des partenariats mondiaux de l’Afrique

Wenjie Chen and Roger Nord

Friday, April 27, 2018

Comment tirer parti du potentiel numérique de l’Afrique

Njuguna Ndung’u

Friday, April 27, 2018

A member of the Colombian civil defense pushes a woman on a wheelchair after she crosses from Venezuela over the Simon Bolivar international bridge.

Is anyone addressing Venezuela’s refugee crises?

Dany Bahar and Fred Dews

Friday, April 27, 2018

Stockbrokers trade on the floor of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) in Harare, February 24, 2015. ZSE on Monday lifted the suspension of hotel group Meikles Africa after the company threatened to take court action, shelve new investment and a possible listing of a subsidiary. Meikles, which owns two premier hotels in the capital Harare and the resort town of Victoria Falls, was suspended last week to allow for an investigation on whether it overstated a debt owed by the central bank. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo (ZIMBABWE - Tags: BUSINESS) - GM1EB2O1NNF01

Figures of the week: Africa’s changing debt structure

Thursday, April 26, 2018