Talking Africa

The spate of informal mining has moved from the 'romantic image' of the lone miner with his mule, to the semi-industrial criminally-syndicated mining of today.
So says the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo.
And an increasing array of experts agree.
Now, a new investigation by Reuters shows the UAE's gold imports are exploding -- much of which is unregistered. Read the report here => http://tiny.cc/b96w5y
That means the continent is missing out on billions of dollars of tax revenue: the schools, farms, power stations and ports that should be supporting Africa's future is instead being leaked out through corrupt means.
We spoke to David Lewis of Reuters -- @DG_Lewis -- and Gregory Mthembu-Salter, a consultant at Phuzumoya -- @gmsalter -- to find out more.

The violent crackdown on Zimbabwe's opposition continues.
Well-connected businessmen continue to strip the state of resources, despite famine conditions. The same politicians and securocrats maintain their grip.
So what might drive change?
We ask Alex Magaisa, a lawyer who helped draft Zimbabwe's constitution, and worked with the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the government of national unity in 2012-13. You can find him online @wamagaisa

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect at the beginning of the year, has been heralded as a major step in increasing intra-continental trade with the potential to stimulate growth, industrialisation and generate an additional $450 billion for African countries by 2035.
But connectivity issues, including weak transport infrastructure and the added costs that come with it, have been flagged as a significant challenge to the success of the initiative across the continent.
Liberia will be no exception, given the deplorable state of much of its road network, with motorbikes the primary means of transporting goods and passengers in rural areas.
We follow cocoa traders and farmers, as they struggle to move their crop from harvest to port.

As head of the Rockefeller Foundation in Africa, William Asiko is on a mission.
He believes that agriculture can play a transformational role, but only when all stakeholders are playing their part.
The state, unfashionable as it is, is a critical component in helping structure rural markets; and helping farmers access the value under their soil.

The European Union has an ambitious trillion dollar plan to slash emissions by over 50% from 1990 levels by 2030.
This can present opportunities to African countries... but also threats.
Will it lock African farmers out of EU markets? Will it lock finance out of dirty energy projects too soon?
Zainab Usman of the Carnegie Endowment and Olumide Abimbola of the Africa Policy Research Centre join The Africa's Report's Nicholas Norbrook