By J. C. Suresh TORONTO | Havana | 8 September 2025 (IDN) — For decades, Cuba stood as one of the Caribbean’s most distinctive economies—heavily centralised, politically resilient, and symbolically influential across Latin America. Once a regional reference point for social programs and state-driven development, it now finds itself among the hemisphere’s weakest performers. The […]
Humanitarian Response Critically Underfunded as Refugee Numbers Surge in Gambella, Ethiopia
By Daniel Tesfa & Mirjam van Reisen AKSUM | 02 September 2025 (IDN) — The refugee situation in Ethiopia remains one of the most complex and pressing humanitarian challenges in the region. Ethiopia hosts 1,080,563 refugees and Gambella hosts the largest refugee population with 395,470 South Sudanese refugees. Approximately, 79% of the South Sudanese (SS) […]
Leveraging Trump’s Tariff Shock: Diversify Products and Markets — Industrialise
By Darini Rajasingham Senanayake* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 12 August 2025 (IDN) — Real and staged crises present opportunities to reorient, innovate and think outside the box. Trump’s tariff ‘shock’ presents Sri Lanka’s business sector and national policy makers an opportunity for short, intermediate and long-term economic and industrial policy shift out of the current […]
African Women Lead the Charge for Economic Justice and Innovation
By Byron Adonis Mutingwende Originally posted on spikedmedia. MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA | 31 July 2025 (IDN) — The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) precinct in Midrand, South Africa, was transformed into a powerful stage for women’s voices and visions during the Pan-African Women’s Day commemoration held under the bold theme: “Women Driving Africa’s Economic Justice and Innovation: […]
Tariff Turmoil: Overreliance on Distribution Instead of Growth
By Jayasri Priyalal* SINGAPORE | 2 June 2025 (IDN) — The unilateral declaration of reciprocal tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on trading partner countries has unfolded myriad uncertainties heightening the geopolitical and economic tensions. Immediate reactions were reflected in the global stock markets trading on negative levels. The full repercussions will be known in […]
Cautious Hope for African Economies in 2024
By Franck Kuwonu This article appeared in the January 2024 issue of Africa Renewal E-Magazine. NEW YORK | 24 February 2024 (IDN) — As African economies look to the new year, countries are poised to make moderate economic gains but must navigate the maze of domestic and international challenges. According to the UN World Economic […]
Middle-Income Countries, Hit by Debt Burdens and Rising Inflation, Fight for Survival
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 16 February 2024 (IDN) — The Group of 77 (G77) is the largest single coalition of developing countries comprising over two-thirds of the 193-member United Nations. Besides protecting and promoting the economic interests of 134 nations, the G77 is also home to several sub categories, including the world’s least […]
Global Debt Is Rising After Decline in 2022
By Vitor Gaspar, Marcos Poplawski-Ribeiro, Jiae Yoo* WASHINGTON, D.C. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — The global debt burden retreated for the second year in a row, even though it remains above its already-high pre-pandemic level, according to the latest update of our Global Debt Database. The total debt stood at 238 percent of global gross […]
The World Must Come Together to Address Global Challenges
By Kristalina Georgieva and Ajay Banga Following are excerpts from the Joint Statement issued by Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, on 7 September 2023. WASHINGTON, DC. 8 September 2023 (IDN) — The world confronts significant economic challenges, the existential threat of climate […]
Sri Lanka Back as Donor Darling Ignores the BRICS
France’s Macron and the US Fish in the Indian Ocean By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* COLOMBO. 23 August 2023 (IDN) — Sri Lanka continues to swing wildly between being a ‘Donor Darling’ flooded with foreign ‘aid’ and ‘advisors’ on the one hand to a ‘bankrupt’ pariah or outcast on the other. Last year, the strategic Indian Ocean […]