Opinioned By Ceaser Siwale (penned 28 May 2025) As the African Development Bank (AfDB) prepares to elect its new president on 29 May 2025, the stakes have never been higher. The AfDB stands at a critical juncture, navigating complex financial headwinds, geopolitical dynamics, and the pressing need for impactful development across Africa’s diverse landscape. The […]
Higher Finance
Perspective By Ceaser Siwale When we started in “high finance”, European Private Equity had a total AuM of cUSD30bn – average fund sizes were around USD750m to 1bn. German unions used to call PE really unsavoury names. From mid-00s to now, we have seen this industry flourish (followed on by private credit – this is […]
Postcard from Zambia – Mining & Planting Its Way To A Recovery
Visit Summary By Kato Mukuru and Russell Curtis Mining & planting its way to a recoveryWe recently had the pleasure of spending a week in Lusaka with our regional partners, Pangaea Securities. Whilst a lot of our time was spent indoors with Pangaea’s analysts, we did get to meet a number of blue chip corporates […]
Trump’s Second Term: The First 100 Days
Observation By Ceaser Siwale President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 marked a whirlwind of executive action, sweeping policy shifts, and renewed ideological battles. Within his first 100 days, Trump issued 141 executive orders, reshaping immigration, energy, education, and foreign policy. While supporters hail this period as the dawn of a “Golden Age,” […]
Men Are Covers, Women Are Books…Modern Masculinity Is Judged And Slotted Into Categories We Didn’t Sign Up For.
The moment you take your first breath of ZED’s air and a mid-wife says, “It’s a boy!” you know you’re in for a lifetime of expectation. Because being a Zambian man is an indictment of how you’ll probably repeat or remix the mistakes of your father, presidents, brother or friends. As a man, you will […]
A Reset Gone Awry
Observations By Ceaser Siwale The implementation of sweeping tariff policies under President Donald Trump’s administration has sparked significant debate among economists, business leaders, and global trading partners. Initially intended as a strategic reset to address longstanding trade imbalances and reinvigorate domestic industries, the approach has generated unintended economic consequences, raising concerns about its effectiveness and […]
Zambia & SADC – Economic Freedom Index 2025
Opinion and Observations By Ceaser Siwale The Economic Freedom Index (EFI) is an annual ranking published by The Heritage Foundation that assesses the economic freedom of countries worldwide. The index measures the degree to which individuals and businesses can freely operate without undue restraint. Countries are scored across 12 indicators grouped into four broad pillars: Rule of Law, Government Size, Regulatory Efficiency, […]
Political & Country Risk – Why I Dont Listen To Credit Agencies!
Written By Tshepo Magagane When someone talks about it, ask them a simple question “when last were you there, how long were you there for, what business are you doing there”! I have this oversimplification of risk and totally mischaracterization! If Friedland had listen to any of these “quantitative measures, he would not have build […]
Dark Arts Of Royalties (thoroughly enjoyed this)
Articulated By Tshepo Magagane Why we have to continue being more innovative in attracting and slicing capital into Mine Finance to solve this gordian-knot of lack of capital to unlock mining projects. NB: Metals & Mining has a deluge of info – you have to be able to sieve and make sense of it – […]
🌍 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 & 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Thoughts By Denise Cortês-Keyser Africa isn’t just adapting to global trends—it’s driving them. DRC’s mineral-rich region faces disruption, shaking global tech & EV supply chains.Africa’s GDP recalibration could redefine economic power & unlock new capital flows.Markets are volatile, and Africa is at the center of trade, energy, and investment shifts. This isn’t just news. It’s […]