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Mzukisi Qobo

Deputy Chair: SA Research Chair on African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, University of Johannesburg

PhD, University of Warwick, UK

Deputy Chair, National Research Foundation Chair on Foreign Policy and African Diplomacy, University of Johannesburg
Political Economist - Africa Insights - Global Change

Dr Mzukisi Qobo is an Associate Professor at the NRF Research Chair on Foreign Policy and African Diplomacy, University of Johannesburg. He is an expert and thought leader on South Africa’s political economy, public affairs, and international relations. He is co-author of the book, "The Fall of the ANC: What Next", published by Pan Macmillan. He is currently working on a large project on Transformational Leadership. In the past he taught International Political Economy at the University of Pretoria where he was also deputy director at the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (Govinn). He was part of the team that developed the Gauteng Province’s International Relations Strategy. Dr Qobo has also taught and facilitated in executive programmes at Wits Business School and at GIBS, focusing on International Business and Public Policy and Regulation. Dr Qobo has also worked for the South African government, where he was Chief Director responsible for trade policy development, and drafted South Africa’s current trade policy and strategy. His research interests are global governance, political economy, and leadership.

Green energy: South Africa’s transition plan must be careful not to deepen inequality – the 3 top issues

Apr 05, 2023 13:13 pm UTC| Economy

Since the UN Climate Change Agreement was signed by 196 nations in December 2015, many countries have announced policies to reduce their fossil fuel emissions. Their commitments are set out in nationally determined...

What it will take to build a capable state in South Africa

Mar 01, 2020 12:44 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

A major factor that undermines South Africas social and economic progress is the deficit in the capabilities of the state. This gap was identified long ago by the National Planning Commission, first in its diagnostic...

The World Bank needs deep reforms to reflect a changing world order

Feb 08, 2019 12:00 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The sudden resignation of World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has rekindled debate about leadership succession and the mission of the international financial institution. US president Donald Trump has nominated his...

Economy

Holiday Economic Questions: What Bank of America Says You Should Expect

Bank of America economist Aditya Bhave says this years holiday gatherings may bring more than cold weatherthey may spark tough conversations about inflation, housing, interest rates, and the broader U.S. economy. In a...

Russia Stocks Close Flat as MOEX Hits 1-Month High

Russian equities ended Saturdays session flat, with the MOEX Russia Index holding steady and touching a fresh one-month high despite muted market activity. Investors saw little movement across major sectors, as several key...

Vietnam’s November Trade Sees Monthly Decline but Strong Year-on-Year Growth

Vietnam recorded a notable month-on-month decline in trade activity in November, according to new data from the National Statistics Office (NSO). Exports fell 7.1% from October, reaching $39.07 billion, while imports...

Austria’s AA Credit Rating Affirmed as Fitch Highlights Stable Outlook

Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed Austrias Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating at AA with a Stable Outlook, underscoring the countrys strong economic fundamentals despite rising fiscal pressures. According to the...

Fed Meeting Sparks Division as Markets Brace for Possible Rate Cut

The upcoming Federal Reserve meeting is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched and contentious in years, with investors focused on how divided policymakers are over a potential interest-rate cut and the signals...

Politics

Southwest Airlines Has $11 Million Fine Waived as USDOT Cites Operational Improvements

The U.S. Transportation Department has waived an $11 million penalty previously imposed on Southwest Airlines, finalizing the airlines $140 million settlement tied to its massive December 2022 holiday travel disruption....

U.S.-EU Tensions Rise After $140 Million Fine on Elon Musk’s X Platform

A growing rift between the United States and Europe deepened after the European Union issued a $140 million fine against Elon Musks social media platform X under the Digital Services Act. The penalty, which EU regulators...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Strengthen U.S. Food Supply Chain Security

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a new executive order aimed at strengthening the nations food supply chain by targeting potential risks linked to price fixing, market manipulation, and anti-competitive practices....

Boeing Executive Says Trump’s Equity Stake Plan Won’t Target Major Defense Contractors

Boeing Defense, Space Security CEO Steve Parker clarified that President Donald Trumps proposal for the U.S. government to take equity stakes in strategic industries is not aimed at major defense contractors. Speaking at...

Zelenskiy Describes “Substantive” Call With Trump Envoys as Ukraine, U.S. Explore Peace Path

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that he held a long and substantive phone call with U.S. President Donald Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, emphasizing that...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Denies Reports of $800 Billion Valuation Fundraise

Elon Musk has publicly refuted recent media claims suggesting that SpaceX is seeking to raise new capital at an $800 billion valuation. In a post shared on X, Musk clarified that the reports circulating online were...

Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns

Taiwans political landscape heated up after the government announced a plan to suspend access to the Chinese social media platform Rednoteknown as Xiaohongshufor one year. The interior ministry said the proposed ban stems...

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...