Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

Focus on Africa: hunger, energy, climate - and the path to growth

Focus on Africa: hunger, energy, climate - and the path to growth

Sub-Saharan Africa was on the brink of economic recovery last year. Now, the World Bank expects its growth to slow in 2023. With global inflation on the rise, rising food and fuel costs “actually put lives at risk in a way few other shocks can," says International Monetary Fund (IMF) senior economist Andrew Tiffin.

And sub-Saharan Africa is particularly vulnerable: 123 million people there are currently food-insecure, while the region accounts for 6% of the global energy demand. With climate change exponentially leading to those numbers rising, Tiffin says: “Any globally viable discussion has to take into account Africa’s concerns and needs. Because without that, there is simply no solution.”


The IMF’s latest analysis and growth projections for sub-Saharan Africa were released in a new report, available here: https://imf.org/AfricaREO-Oct22

Tiffin spoke in a Global Stage interview with Shari Friedman, Eurasia Group's managing director for Climate and Sustainability, at the World Bank/IMF fall meetings in Washington, DC.

More from Global Stage

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

How do we ensure AI is safe, available to everyone, and enhancing productivity? It’s a big topic at this year’s UN General Assembly. That’s why GZERO’s Global Stage livestream brought together leading experts at the heart of the action for “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Nobelist Oleksandra Matviichuk on Russia-Ukraine war reshaping world order

Nobelist Oleksandra Matviichuk on Russia-Ukraine war reshaping world order

"Everything which we call normal life was ruined," said Ukrainian Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, during a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum.

Protecting science from rising populism is critical, says UNESCO's Gabriela Ramos

Protecting science from rising populism is critical, says UNESCO's Gabriela Ramos

In a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum, Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, highlighted the crucial role of science in fostering peace and expressed concerns over rising populism undermining scientific efforts.

How to protect elections in the age of AI

How to protect elections in the age of AI

GZERO Media, on the ground at the 2024 Munich Security Conference, held a Global Stage discussion on Feb. 17 entitled “Protecting Elections in the Age of AI.” We spoke with Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft; Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media; Fiona Hill, senior fellow for the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings; Eva Maydell, an EU parliamentarian and a lead negotiator of the EU Chips Act and Artificial Intelligence Act; Kersti Kaljulaid, the former president of Estonia; with European correspondent Maria Tadeo moderating. These thought leaders and experts discussed the implications of the rapid rise of AI amid this historic election year.

Rebuilding post-election trust in the age of AI

Rebuilding post-election trust in the age of AI

In a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum, Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, reflected on the anticipated impact of generative AI and deepfakes on global elections. Despite widespread concerns, she noted that deepfakes did not significantly alter electoral outcomes. Instead, Hutson highlighted a more subtle effect: the erosion of public trust in online information, a phenomenon she referred to as the "liar's dividend."

The challenges of peacekeeping amid rising global conflicts

The challenges of peacekeeping amid rising global conflicts

In a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum, Dr. Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, shed light on the increasing elusiveness of global peace amid rising conflicts worldwide. She pointed out a "crisis of peacemaking," noting that comprehensive peace processes and settlements have become rare, with the last significant one being in Colombia in 2016.