Cobalt Mining in the DRC: Outlook and Implications

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds vast reserves of mineral wealth. These resources...

India’s Banking System: Risks and Responses

India’s economy has faced significant challenges over the past two years, with overall GDP growth decreasing each of the past five quarters to 5% for the quarter ending in June 2019. The government has implemented various measures in order to boost growth, such as a $20 billion corporate tax cut in late September ...

Madagascar’s Renewable Energy Potential

Madagascar may be one of the world’s most underdeveloped countries in the 2018 Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), but tapping into the country’s renewable energy potential could nevertheless provide an investment opportunity. Advancing Madagascar’s energy sector not only increases electricity connectivity but also facilitates social and economic development ...

Pakistan’s Macroeconomic Instability

The macroeconomic outlook for Pakistan in 2016 was much more positive than it is today. Then-Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, visited Pakistan and evaluated that the country was “out of crisis” ...

Salient Risks of Sand Mining: Consumption, Construction, and Compliance

Sand is a seemingly plain but in fact enormously valuable natural resource. Sand is ubiquitous in...

Australia’s Energy Supply Strategy and Hydropower

There are two vital aspects in Australia’s energy strategy, an opportunity and a weakness. Firstly, the country plans to increase the ratio of renewable energy in its national energy mix – an opportunity. Secondly, Australia’s energy supply strategy appears to be on unstable footing as the country seeks to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in order to satisfy domestic energy demand – a weakness ...