This conversation is based on a report which develops a new framework for understanding the premium by introducing the concept of an “institutionalized” African risk premium. In doing so, the study identifies three distinct forms of the African risk premium: (a) the perceived African risk premium; (b) the real African risk premium; and (c) the institutionalized African risk premium. You can download the Report on the "Repository" section of our website.

The News and Events category publishes the latest News and Events relating to International Economic Law relating to Africa and the Global South. Every week, Afronomicslaw.org receive the News and Events in their e-mail accounts. The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law. News and Events with a Global South focus are also often included.

The Government of Ghana has formally notified the Government of Togo of its decision to initiate international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in order to resolve their dispute over maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea. In a statement released on 20 February 2026, the Government indicated: “This follows attempts at negotiating a boundary which have gone on for eight years but have not resulted in an agreed outcome”.

The recent tariff wars, ignited by President Trump after he returned to the White House in January 2025, have raised several important questions for Africa, especially in the arena of trade and tariffs and their impact on the continent’s economic development. Such questions include, among others: What will define Africa’s place in the global trading system over the next generation? Can trade and tariff regimes accelerate inclusive development, or do they reproduce structural inequalities? How should African economies navigate an era of shifting global power, contested multilateralism, and renewed protectionism? What forms of trade governance will define the future of development across the continent and beyond?

‘Taxation, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development- Global South Perspectives’ is an enjoyable and accessible read for those looking to understand more about domestic, regional, and international fiscal policy relevant to the human rights and sustainable development discourse.

Many discussions of human rights and economic policy feel aspirational, treating rights as guiding principles but stopping short of turning them into concrete legal or administrative action. The edited volume Taxation, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development: Global South Perspectives takes a different path. It digs into the hard work of turning human rights into working law and policy for taxation, viewed through experiences and priorities in the Global South.

Human rights play an integral role in State revenue sourcing and taxation in different parts of the world. For countries in the Global South, it should be an obligation to consider human rights in their tax policies and legislation as they need a sustainable revenue source to meet their socio-economic responsibilities (the welfare state) of which tax revenue is major slant. This goes to the foundations of a good tax system. Drawing lessons from the Global South, this book examines whether human rights can be invoked in the debate on creating effective tax regimes across the various jurisdictions.

In December 2024, Angola stealthily entered into a US$1 billion one-year derivative contract known as a ‘total return swap’ with JP Morgan Securities Plc (“JPM”). The transaction was concluded at a time when Angola’s public debt was approaching 60% of GDP, intensifying scrutiny of non-traditional financing instruments that can generate hidden or contingent liabilities. Uniquely, this agreement unfolded without the usual spectacle of a traditional sovereign financing deal. There was no bond roadshow, no parliamentary debate, and scarcely any press fanfare following the event. This absence of public process meant that neither parliamentary scrutiny nor advance disclosure of potential contingent liabilities accompanied the transaction.

Recent disclosures under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) have been critical in exposing these discrepancies by comparing national export data with international trade statistics. These findings have reframed gold smuggling as a systemic governance and fiscal challenge and have prompted renewed policy attention on curbing IFFs, strengthening traceability, and improving revenue capture in Cameroon’s gold sector. This update examines how EITI-exposed discrepancies in Cameroon’s gold export data have brought illicit financial flows into sharp focus, triggered government enforcement measures, and highlighted the role of global trading hubs, particularly the UAE, in facilitating revenue losses from Africa’s extractive sectors.

Economic sanctions have been imposed on dozens of countries and thousands of individuals, triggering humanitarian crises and creating economic chaos, often with little accountability. Sanctions can cause particular harm to vulnerable populations, including women, children, migrants, and the poor.