Inequality is not inevitable: we have the blueprint for an economy that works for all
The rich who hide wealth in tax havens deny Africa $14bn a year in taxes, which would employ enough teachers to educate every African child, writes Winnie Byanyima
You could sit them all around a dinner table, or inside a single elevator. Meet eight men. The eight men who — you may need to read this twice — have as much wealth as the 3.6-billion people who make up the poorest half of the world. Welcome to the worldwide crisis of inequality; one in which Africa takes centre stage. Our continent continues to see the potential of our countless talented girls and boys kept at bay. And for all her abundant natural resources and wealth, Africa sees so much of this wealth leave our borders and shores, never to reach our brothers and sisters. Take the number of African billionaires: it has doubled since 2010. Meanwhile the number of people living in poverty in Africa has increased by 50-million since 1990. Rampant inequality breeds discontent, frustration, fear, and anger, as we saw in 2016 when citizens around the world expressed themselves at the ballot box. In the US, billionaire Donald Trump won the election after rallying many voters who had had ...
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