Tag: urbanisation

Nobody likes a know-it-all. In Shirley Valentine, the British cult classic, a headmistress asks her class, “What is man’s greatest invention?” Answers fly - Sputnik, the Hoover, the aeroplane, the internal combustion engine. Shirley knows the answer but is ignored in favour of the usual teacher’s pets. Only when no raised hands remain does the headmistress relent: “Oh, very well, Shirley. You might as well get it wrong along with everybody else.”

Read our exclusive cover story titled Elevated innovation – the brakes that accelerated wealth? by Jason Spilkin, Co-Portfolio Manager, Credo, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.

Africa is urbanising rapidly. According to Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025 OECD report, our cities will house 1.4 billion people by 2050 – twice today’s number. But this growth is happening in cities that lack the financial power to shape their own futures. Most African cities struggle to raise revenue, borrow money or spend capital at scale.

With inflationary pressures moderating and economic challenges persisting, monetary authorities will prioritise gradual rate cuts in 2025. This deliberate pace reflects a balance between stimulating economic growth and avoiding financial instability. For example, the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank may follow similar trajectories.

The concept of sustainability is considered differently for developing countries versus developed countries. Developed economies tend to look at sustainability with a significant focus towards environmental impact and preservation. In contrast, developing countries consider sustainability from a socio-economic perspective, which includes infrastructure-related challenges, for example.

Since the late 1700s manufacturing has transformed economies and societies. The key element that kept it going and thriving is no more than innovation and smart design. With manufacturing making up close to 12% of South Africa’s GDP, there’s a solid case to make regarding the value of innovation.

Capitalism has long been attacked with the argument that it leads to individualism, which is a social evil. It wasn’t a very clear or cogent argument but it was popular. I should note that conflating markets with 'capitalism' is erroneous.

Africa’s urban population is booming. At 3.5% per year, the continent’s urban growth rate is the highest of the developing world over the last twenty years. Within the next twenty, research suggests that every second person in Africa will live in a town or a city, bringing the urban population to around 926 million people.

The year 2008 was a deadline set by President Mbeki for the finalisation of all land claims by people who were dispossessed under the apartheid and previous white governments. Although most experts agreed this was an impossible deadline, it did provide a significant political moment for reflection on the ANC government’s program of land restitution since the end of apartheid.

Sustainability has become a major investment focus. News headlines frequently point to how investors are sidestepping old energy sources such as coal, favouring greener and more sustainable alternatives. According to the US Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF), the size of the US sustainable investment since 1995 has increased more than 25-fold, today totalling portfolios worth $16.6 trillion.