Representatives of Zambia’s Public-Private Partnership Unit (PPP) returned at the weekend from a visit to the United Kingdom where they presented project opportunities valued at more than USD 22 billion to prospective investors. [...] “Our motives are clear. More and better roads, railways, energy, water, sanitation and housing will improve productivity in our economy, create jobs and lift Zambians out of poverty.’’

With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set to have chosen Paris over Los Angeles as the site for the 2024 Olympics, it is timely to ask: Is hosting the Olympics good for a nation’s brand, and do they provide a good financial return on investment? [...] He also noted that the concept of nation-branding pervaded China’s handling of the 2008 Beijing games. “In China their goal was broad recognition as a leader on the global stage.” He said that China was largely successful, but that in terms of political reputation, the country was thrown into a negative light.

When eight-year-old Sita, an orphan from one of the most marginalized sections of Indian society – developed a fever, her condition gradually worsened despite her family’s efforts to treat her. [...] But she was lucky. Correct treatment was administered and she was saved. Ten years ago, this story may have ended differently.[...] Much of the recent legwork has come from an international consortium called Tackling Visceral Leishmaniasis in South Asia and East Africa (KalaCORE), backed by £21.5m of funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID.

Inquiries from overseas prosecutors to their British counterparts about cyber crime have soared, underscoring the vital role the UK plays for investigators and criminals alike.High quality global journalism requires investment. The number of so-called Mutual Legal Assistance requests from foreign authorities to the UK relating to cyber crime jumped by 12 per cent in 2016, to 1,855, according to Home Office statistics gleaned through a Freedom of Information request.

A delegation from China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has made a four-day visit to Britain to promote Tibetan culture and the achievements reached during the region’s recent development. [...] Speaking at a media briefing in London, Mr Baimachilin, the chairman of the delegation, said: “The purpose of our visit is to strengthen the exchange and communications between the National People’s Congress of China with the UK Parliament, as well as the exchanges with the local legislatures.

Britain may lack hard power, but the soft power of influence and a network of relationships deriving from decades of active and assiduous diplomacy still count for something. [...] Britain is one of the leading supporters of the new style of Chinese economic diplomacy, involving the furthering of solid infrastructural links along which mutually beneficial trade and investment can flow to an increasingly interlinked world.

The Microsoft founder urged the UK to keep spending at least 0.7% of national income on foreign aid, saying it was proof of its goodwill and humanity. [...] More than £12bn was spent in aid in 2015. Some newspapers and Conservative MPs argue the figure is too large and too wasteful, and some of it would be better spent on schools and hospitals in the UK.

The dynamics of the global economy are shifting apace. With uncertainty in developed markets such as the UK, the US and Europe, many brands are looking beyond their traditional customer bases in search of new opportunities and sources of growth. Africa, the world’s poorest continent but also the most untapped by consumer brands, looks set to benefit.