Articles

China is neither laying a debt trap nor building a lot of fossil projects in Africa. Rather, it's been relatively generous with debt relief, and in developing Africa’s renewable energy capabilities, argues Kenyan economist Anzetse Were. Article for The China Project.

For the OECD Development Blog, Anzetse explains how climate risks are to an extent being artificially siloed from broader fiscal and debt risks faced by African governments.

For Microsoft, Anzetse shares her experience of testing the GPT-4 model and unpacks the opportunities and threats of generative Ai for Africa.

In her article for British International Investment, Anzetse reveals the macro, sectoral and micro effects of climate change and shares practical ideas on how climate finance can help.

For Project Syndicate, Anzetse explains that after deepening for two decades, Africa-China economic relations are entering a new phase, owing to a variety of global, bilateral, and domestic factors. While China will remain a key player on the continent, African governments will need to keep their options open and be more mindful of a wider set of interests.

Anzetse outlines the macro and political economy tensions African governments will have to navigate in 2023.

For British International Investment, Anzetse shares the factors that inform the challenge in generating a pipeline of bankable green projects in Africa and how focusing on the financial architecture of dealmaking is key.

In a blog for OECD Development, Anzetse provides insight on women’s contributions to economic output and baseline economic welfare in terms of unpaid care work and unpaid work. If women’s unpaid care work were assigned a monetary value it would constitute between 10% and 39% of GDP and can contribute more to the economy than the manufacturing, commerce or transportation sectors.

In a piece for The Diplomat, Anzetse explains the factors that have informed the rapid growth of Africa-China relations in the past 20 years. Key is the economic statecraft decision by China to actively communicate that they see African governments as equals by avoiding the lecturing and patronizing down-talk that has defined the language from governments in Europe, the UK, and the USA.

In the article originally for Inc.Africa, Anzetse explains that Africa is the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world and regardless of income, the vast majority of consumer spending takes place through informal channels.There are 5 reasons why formal points of sale remain so popular, despite improvements in formal distribution, deepening e-commerce capabilities and growing income.

When the the U.S-led "Build Back Better World" (B3W) initiative was announced, it was clear it was part of a China-focused U.S foreign policy. Anzetse explains how the G7 can use B3W as a conduit for outdated intellectual approaches or use it as an opportunity to forge a new way with Africa that is cognisant of, respects, and leverages Africa’s 21st century capabilities.

Africa-China economic relations are dominated by state-to-state interactions, but Chinese private companies are making a unique impact on the continent’s economic transformation. Anzetse explains how For The China Project.

In a blog for OECD Development, Anzetse explains the challenges and immense opportunities for private climate finance in Africa.

For the SOAS China Institute Blog, Anzetse demonstrates how intellectual dishonesty and one dimensional blame games fuelled by geopolitics rather than facts, is putting climate action at risk.

For the SOAS China Institute Blog, Anzetse unpacks three stubborn (mis)perceptions of Africa-China relations and present the reality as well as the future of economic cooperation in each area outlined.

Anzetse shares her view of the key obstacles and positive channels African economies need to create to direct climate finance towards their priorities and needs.

In this blog for OECD Development, Anzetse reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic led to divergent impacts at sector, firm and household levels in Africa and thus will lead to divergent recovery.

In this blog for OECD Development, Anzetse reveals how the COVID pandemic and related economic fallout has had a disproportionate impact on women and girls partly because women tend to be in economic sectors and activities subject to lockdown restrictions, often with higher exposure to risk, such as trade, education, accommodation and food services, and as health and care workers.

Using the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, Anzetse outlines four forms of digital inequality that may deepen income and economic inequality if not addressed.