Author: Nnamdi O. Madichie, PhD

Setting the Scene to the Drama of Disadvantage As I reflected upon this article, the farthest thing on my mind was to review articles from the media, but I could resist the temptation to highlight this eloquently documented piece by Christiana Nwaogu entitled “Igbo Women And The August Meeting Festival”. This is because it provides some context on the point of this article – i.e. the alternative finance options for a marginalised group: women, ethnicity and informality. As Nwaogu points out in a recent article: “Across Igbo land, August Meeting, the annual mothers’ congresses held in the month of August,…

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In a 2019 article A viewpoint on the plastic bag charge in England: who is it benefiting? I pointed out that “The Millennium Development Goals (elapsed in 2015) have come and gone and since been replaced with an expanded and extended set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), numbering 17 in total.” Of these 17 goals, seven focus on living within our means. Indeed goals 11-17 all emphasise this – from the need for Sustainable Cities and Communities (Goal 11), to Responsible consumption and production (Goal 12), Life Below Water (Goal 14), and the need for Partnerships for the goals…

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Having been in Kigali the capital of Rwanda for about a week now, I couldn’t help but notice brands such as Primus and Mutzig and alongside global brands such as Heineken and Guinness. On further interrogation, I noticed that the first three were Heineken brands brewed locally. Guinness, however, remained a product of the East African Breweries based in Nairobi Kenya. I’m gaining some serious insights as I embark on the beer trail in Africa where Heineken and Guinness rule the roost. Africa has been described as the fastest-growing beer market in the world. This is to the extent that reports also show that Multinational brewers…

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Having served as editor-in-chief for the African Journal of Business and Economic Researchfor five years between 2012 and 2017, I have been privileged to showcase insights from a non-academic audience starting from the first interview with Professor David Abdulaiof the Ghana-based African Graduate School of Management and Leadershipin January 2012. Between that year and 2021, other insights have included those expressed by not just African leaders should as Professor Okoe Amartey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Accra, but also celebrities such as Chidi Mokeme – a Nollywood actor, fashion entrepreneur, motivational speaker and TV Entertainment anchor. Before…

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Beyond the staggering tragedy that is the death and illness of thousands of people the world over, the COVID-19 pandemic has also brought unprecedented economic disorder, decimating economies, and the livelihoods of citizens in rich and poor nations alike. The International Trade Centre projected that, globally, one in every five micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will go bankrupt in 2020—an alarming number considering that, in Africa, this category of business provides nearly 80 percent of sorely needed youth employment. The pandemic is estimated to push about 40 million people in the region into extreme poverty in 2020. That kind…

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The choice of words is deliberate – “economic” integration rather than anything else. While regional integration has existed in Africa dating back to the 1960s, the economic dimension has often suffered an own goal. Ok, granted that the Monetary Union in the West and Central Africa Franc Zone have survived with a common currency initially backed by France, and later by the wider European Union, this has not necessarily translated to trade creation within these blocs. International and/or global marketing has been historically interrogated along “multilateralism” and “regionalism” lenses. While both the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations…

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https://www.wealthresult.com/business/how-nigeria-tailors-can-change-their In my recent post, “Identity construction, Consuming Passion & Fashion entrepreneurship in Africa,” I pointed out the ‘entrepreneurial emergence’ has gradually taken root at the bottom-of-the-pyramid in a war-ravaged context. http://www.thenews-chronicle.com/identity-construction-consuming-passion-fashion-entrepreneurship-in-africa/ This article is a follow up to that observation and scholarly research. Here, the message is simply one of going back to the future as far as sustainable fashion is concerned. It is rather worrying that whenever that phrase is mentioned, the emphasis seems to be on recycling or green supply chains rather than on the much-needed repair culture at an affordable price! While pondering over the lack…

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