Long before Malthus, ‘the population bomb’, ‘population overshoot’ and the ‘planetary boundaries’, ancient sages portrayed humanity as confronted with imminent collapse in the face of environmental limits and as degraders of nature overall.

Population, income and consumption growth has fundamentally changed the environment in which we live. The demand for water and energy is expected to rise by 40 percent and demand for food by 50 percent by 2030, leading to an increased global scarcity of land, water and carbon space.

Football is the world’s most popular sport and its appeal in Africa is growing rapidly. Big brands look to capitalise as they build their reach and reputation

We are used to thinking of landlocked countries as victims of geography. We worry that Ethiopia, Mali, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, among others, cannot benefit fully from flows of trade, tourism and knowledge. But do these countries use policies to improve connectivity and offset the handicap of location?

After a decade of accelerated growth, investment into Africa declined steeply during the recession. But the signs are that activity is picking up and investment into the continent is returning.

“The idea that we need the African market to develop and to recover is not necessarily true”