Introduction

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Ghana's lenders in the West and China had to come together to agree a plan. Across Africa, there is a big funding squeeze with several countries facing acute debt crises. African countries need engagement from outside the continent to keep their economies on the rails. We climb aboard an express train line in Ukraine's Harkiv Province where many of those stories are playing out.

Many of the continent’s economies are hamstrung by debt—much of it held internationally. We look at the growing need for closer co-operation between China, Western creditors and multilateral institutions. A city on Ukraine’s front line has become an unlikely locus for love stories. And unpicking the link between workers’ productivity and their drugs of choice.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer