Afronomics
Episodes
What if Africa became the world’s largest hub of digitally skilled workers?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Andrew Dabalen, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa, speaks with Fred Swaniker, founder of the African Leadership Group, ab...
Mission 300: Powering Africa’s Future
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mission 300 is working to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030, focusing on both access and reliability. In t...
How to build trust and capabilities for effective governance in Africa
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Afronomics, host Andrew Dabalen speaks with Dr. Ken Opalo, a leading scholar on African political economy and governance. Opal...
Should countries prioritize electricity access for families or firms in Africa?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Andrew Dabalen, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa, engages in a riveting debate on the current strategy for electrificati...
Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Report authors Estelle Koussoube, Senior Economist at the World Bank, and Kehinde Ajayi, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), mak...
Demystifying African Debt Featuring Carmen Reinhart, World Bank Group Chief Economist
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are tackling an issue that is on the minds of every African policy maker, and one that has captured international discussions for several yea...
Africa’s Pulse: COVID-19 and the Future of Work in Africa
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have contracted by 2.0% in 2020, closer to the lower bound of the forecast in April 2020, and pr...
Learning from five decades of development in Africa Featuring KY Amoako, Founder and President of the African Center for Economic Transformation
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we close out 2020 and look into 2021, one thing is abundantly clear: the world has changed. There is much to be concerned about against the backdro...
Responses to COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons from Ethiopia featuring Dr. Arkebe Oqubay, Senior Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID19 pandemic is taking hold in Africa, and countries are dealing with the health and economic impacts that are becoming clearer as the weeks g...
The Role of Knowledge in Crisis featuring Mari Pangestu, Managing Director, World Bank
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Timely and relevant knowledge and information sharing can help individuals change behavior, can inform countries’ responses, and can help prevent mi...
Coordinating Public Health Responses to COVID-19 feat. Dr. John Nkengasong, Director, Africa CDC
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic is having severe public health, economic and social impacts around the world, and Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa Centre...
Africa’s Pulse: The Economic Impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Africa
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic is only just beginning to take hold in Sub-Saharan Africa, but it is already having a huge impact. The World Bank’s recent Afr...
Ten Years of Africa’s Progress
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago, the world was fighting its way out of a global financial crisis, but prospects were strong for Sub-Saharan Africa to quickly recover. T...
What will it take to accelerate poverty reduction in Africa?
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the incredible progress that so many African countries have made, poverty remains a defining part of the narrative around Africa. While the sh...
The Future of Work in Africa: The Role of Social Protection
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The 2019 World Development Report focused on the Future of Work on a global scale, highlighting the real tension between job losses in “old” manuf...
The Future of Work in Africa: Can digital technologies really work for all?
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The 2019 World Development Report focused on the Future of Work on a global scale, highlighting the real tension between job losses in “old” manuf...
Analyzing Inequality in Africa
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Discussions on Sub-Saharan Africa often center on extreme poverty: the subcontinent is home to half of the world’s extreme poor, and the number of p...
M-Pesa and the rise of digital financial services in Africa
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the share of adults with a mobile money account now exceeds 10 percent. That mobile revolution began in Ke...