The Nurmara Podcast

With foreign direct investment (FDI) into Africa expected to drop by up to 40% this year, the Nurmara team takes a look at what - if anything - foreign investment flows are doing to drive growth and development on the continent.We also look at rising tension between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Renaissance Dam project, warnings about a 'lost decade' for Africa, and why West Africa has such a big problem with piracy.

The Nurmara teams looks at the problem of reading too much into gross domestic product (GDP) figures when it comes to figuring out a country's social and economic development prospects. We also do our usual round of other interesting stories in the news.

The Nurmara team looks at how (if) the African Continental Free Trade deal might affect business and trading on the continent, when it comes into force.

The Nurmara team looks at recent political and economic developments in Ethiopia, one of Africa's most promising economies, and explores how rising political tensions and economic uncertainty might impact its development prospects.

The Nurmara team explores the prospects for a tech 'revolution' in Africa and gives its quick takes on other interesting stories doing the rounds.

The Nurmara team breaks down Africa's debt crisis, and gives its no-nonsense take on other issues driving the news agenda.

The World Bank estimates that African agriculture could be a $1tr market by 2030. Yet investment into the sector continues to lag, while food security on the continent is deteriorating, with 31 countries on the continent needing external food assistance according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. African countries spend $50bn a year importing food, which is expected to grow to $110bn by 2025. We ask a simple question - is African agriculture in crisis?

More than 600 million Africans do not have access to electricity, putting a major brake on growth and development on the continent. Despite vast potential and countless initiatives aimed at bridging this gap, the problem persists. We explore key issues holding the sector back, and ask how the continent can tackle its power deficit.

With African tech start-ups raising record amounts of money, the continent is being touted as the next big thing in tech. The trend is exciting, but with entrepreneurs facing major obstacles to success, we separate hype from reality.

We discuss growing investment into Africa from Norway and the Nordic region with Eivind Fjeldstad, the CEO of the Norwegian-African Business Association.