Open for Business

Around the end of each month, you start to see a few more armored trucks than usual rolling around Abidjan. They are filled with cash and on their way to supply banks and ATMs with the monthly salaries of workers who find themselves in the formal economy. Some people...

If this works, I’m buying a camel

Just a short update on version 2.0 of our restaurant/catering business. Over the past couple of years, I have made less money than I did as a teacher in Washington, DC. But my current income – a combination of writing, online income from affiliates and...

Some thoughts about Mali’s upcoming election

SOTRAMA in Koulikoro. They don’t come more patriotic than this one. Well, it’s going to happen. Despite the fact that many analysts, diplomats and even members of Mali’s own electoral body have expressed doubts over the timing, there it sits on the...