A reflection on emerging as one of the honorees of the 2025 Africa Research Writing Prize organized by Column Content, the ideas behind the submitted essay on green energy transition, and the importance of ensuring host communities are not left behind in the push for renewable development.

From danfos in Lagos to matatus in Nairobi, public transport shapes daily life across African cities. This essay examines how unreliable transit systems deepen inequality, weaken productivity, and frustrate urban growth, while arguing that sustainable mass transit is essential to Africa’s future.

Foreign aid has saved lives across Africa, but can it build lasting prosperity? In this essay, Mide Alabi examines the continent’s dependence on aid, the lessons from Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid, and why sustainable growth must come from stronger institutions, private enterprise, and African-led economic development.