Policymakers in most African countries are facing unimaginable challenges brought on by the pandemic, economic disruption, climate change, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. As if that wasn’t enough, the increasingly contentious U.S.-China conflict adds even more uncertainty.
While these are difficult times, particularly for smaller states on the continent, geopolitical analyst Ronak Golpadas, a director at the South African risk management firm Signal Risk, says there’s one thing in particular that African governments can do to bolster themselves in these turbulent times. He joins Eric & Cobus from Johannesburg to discuss the urgent imperative for states to work together and negotiate as blocks.
Show Notes:
- Daily Maverick: Africa could stand to benefit if the US-China cold war gets hotter by Ronak Gopaldas and Bronwyn Williams
- Institute for Security Studies: Democracy in decline in Africa? Not so fast by Ronak Gopaldas
- Institute for Security Studies: Is the IMF making a comeback across Africa? by Ronak Gopaldas
About Ronak Gopaldas:
Ronak Gopaldas is a Director at Signal Risk, a fellow at GIBS, and the co-founder of Mindflux Training. He was previously the Head of Country Risk at Rand Merchant Bank, where he worked for almost a decade. He is a political economist, “pracademic”, writer and speaker. His work focuses on the intersection of politics, economics, and business in Africa. A prominent voice in print, radio, and television in both the local and international media, Ronak has made frequent appearances on the likes of CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNBC Africa, and publishes regular opinion and analysis pieces. In addition to advising international governments on their Africa policies and strategies, he has also spoken at several of the world’s top universities and at leading Africa-focused policy and business conferences as a moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker.
Transcript: (please note this transcript is produced by artificial intelligence so it’s not 100% accurate)
