Africa has long enjoyed sustainable GDP growth fueled by its young population, with 60% under 25, according to World Bank data. An April report from the African Development Bank (AfDB) forecast Africa’s growth at 4.3%, compared with the IMF’s global outlook of 3.1%. That is nearly 40% faster. That growth is translating into an expanding middle class. “The rise of the African middle class is one of the stories that will define and shape the 21st century,” Marthinus Fourie, director of Novare Rewards and Loyalty Limited Nigeria at Novare Group, a consultancy, said in a paper published in September 2025. …
Author: Tamer Hafez
For those living in MENA countries, having air conditioners (AC) in their homes is as essential as having refrigerators, TVs, and furniture. But running ACs during hot weather can quadruple monthly electricity bills compared with the rest of the year. According to Synergy Companies, an energy and water efficiency contractor, cooling systems generally consume 40% to 50% of the average household’s electricity. The second most energy-intensive devices are water heaters, which account for 14% to 18%. Generating enough electricity to power more ACs running longer hours will require burning more fossil fuels. In Egypt, for example, around 79% of electricity…
Since June, European countries have been scrambling to combat rising temperatures. In Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, and Poland, public hydrants and sprinklers were regularly used to spray water onto sidewalks to mitigate urban heat. Spain, France, Belgium, Portugal, and Greece designated air-conditioned public buildings as climate shelters. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), an EU-funded monitoring service, average temperatures across the continent rose from 1.24 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to 1.43 degrees Celsius in June, a 15.3% jump. That “is twice as fast as the global average, making … Europe … the fastest-warming continent on…
For many, day-to-day pressures, mounting frustrations and unexpected developments or news can lead to irrational, emotion-driven actions and decisions. Learning to understand, anticipate and manage them can be essential. This ability is known as emotional intelligence (EI). Despite its importance, EI is often overlooked by IQ tests that prioritize mental abilities. In “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ,” author Daniel Goleman says this can result in a “narrow view of intelligence.” The book notes that EI includes “self-control, zeal and persistence, and the ability to motivate oneself.” These skills “can be taught to [individuals], giving them a…
In summer, overheated households in summer are becoming a fact of life as temperatures continue to rise year after year. “As extreme heat events become more frequent and widespread, perceptions of cooling are shifting, driving more consumers to consider purchasing an air conditioner (AC),” noted a June paper from the International Energy Agency (IEA). “The number of [those] purchasing their first AC unit will reach new highs in the years ahead.” For manufacturers, that should be a boon for business. However, significantly more ACs will put mounting pressure on national power grids. “Growing electricity demand for air conditioning is one…
For school-supply sellers, Egypt is a sustainable, highly lucrative market. According to a 2026 UNICEF report, Egypt had the highest secondary school completion rate in the MENA region in 2024 at 96%. Second-place Morocco achieved 84%, followed by Iraq at 83%. Additionally, Minister of Education Mohamed Abdel Latiff reported that classroom attendance was 87% of enrolled students as of June. Furthermore, Egypt’s education market is massive. CAPMAS said 32.9 million students were enrolled in the 2024/2025 academic year, equivalent to the ninth most populous country of MENA’s 20 nations. In 2026, two major factors are reshaping the school supplies market.…
Getting a job involves more than technical expertise, skills, and talent. In Erin McGoff’s 2026 book, “The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-Helpful Scripts for Every Situation,” she notes the importance of knowing work vernacular and using it to advance one’s career. The problem isn’t with ability, intelligence, motivation or drive, the book says. “It’s that one … knows the secret language of work, a way of communicating that is used by successful, high-performing people to get what they want.” The book highlights the lingo of this “secret language,” stressing it is essential at every stage in one’s career journey. Achievement…
To achieve “energy independence,” U.S. President Donald Trump’s priorities are clear: revitalizing fossil fuel investments. To date, he has removed “protected” status from onshore and offshore sites, allowing drilling companies to operate freely. Trump also allocated $800 million to update U.S. coal infrastructure and has been rolling back emissions caps. Furthermore, he pulled funding from green energy projects, even those already receiving federal support, and eliminated all clean-energy subsidies. The United States is not alone. According to the Production Gap 2025 report published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, an international research nonprofit that tackles environmental and sustainable development challenges, only…
To boost Egypt’s GDP growth in the coming years, the government has been touting greater private-sector investment. In June, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said private investment would account for 66% of Egypt’s economy by 2030, up from 60% in fiscal year 2025/2026. During this period, private investment’s contribution to GDP would rise from 77% to 82%. Powering that growth will require new energy ventures, with the greatest potential in sustainable energy projects. “Of the $3.4 trillion the world would spend on energy investments this year, $2.2 trillion will go to clean energy and just $1.2 trillion to fossil fuels,” according…
Since the end of 2019, one economic reality has stood out above almost everything else: Relying on imported fossil fuels to set macroeconomic policy and power economic activity is becoming a gamble. During COVID-19 lockdowns in August 2020, oil prices fell from $75 to $18 per barrel. By May 2022, they had spiked to nearly $116 as global economic growth roared back amid supply chain bottlenecks. By the start of 2026, oil prices had declined to $57.50 per barrel. However, the start of the war in Iran in February fueled a price hike to $110 in late March. By mid-July,…