Over 70 Nations Have Been Led by Women; Why Not the U.S.? Africa Business RoundUp

Hillary Clinton got closer than any American woman to the nation’s top job, but her loss this week has thrown a spotlight back onto the question: Why has the United States lagged behind so many countries around the world in choosing a female leader?

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Tiny Sri Lanka became the first to shatter the political gender barrier more than a half-century ago, back when that island nation was known as Ceylon. Its giant neighbor, India, followed a few years later.

Related: Male Chauvinism in the U.S Elections and What that Means for Africa

Since then women have attained top leadership posts — president, prime minister or its equivalent — in more than 70 countries in Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific. Today women run two of Europe’s most powerful nations, Angela Merkel in Germany and Theresa May in Britain. So why not the United States?

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Can Regional Integration Help Africa Realize Its Economic Potential?

The success of economic development in Africa may hinge on a question of scale—thinking at the regional, rather than the national or continental, level. Ibrahim Mayaki, former prime minister of Niger and now head of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, talked with Yale Insights about the organization’s approach.

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Africa losing billions from fraud and tax avoidance

Africa is losing more than $50bn (£33bn) every year in illicit financial outflows as governments and multinational companies engage in fraudulent schemes aimed at avoiding tax payments to some of the world’s poorest countries, impeding development projects and denying poor people access to crucial services.

Illegal transfers from African countries have tripled since 2001, when $20bn was siphoned off, according to a report released by the African Union’s (AU) high-level panel on illicit financial flows and the UN economic commission for Africa (Uneca).

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Building momentum for sustainable aviation in Africa

ICAO’s Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu stressed last week that progress on African aviation safety, security and sustainability will be greatly aided by enhanced partnerships and coordination, and through the more effective implementation of strategic aviation plans with the UN aviation agency’s concerted support.

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