Why does Africa export cocoa and import chocolate, export crude oil and import refined fuel? This article examines the structural costs of commodity dependence and argues that long-term economic growth will depend on building industries that process, refine, and retain value within the continent.

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.