Evans Chinembiri writes from between Lagos, Lusaka and Pretoria on African markets, investment climate, and what actually moves reform from paper to practice. Home of the Baobab Observer newsletter and the forthcoming book Africa Was Never Waiting.https://baobab.observer/enhttps://baobab.observer/essays/agoa-it-was-used/https://baobab.observer/essays/agoa-it-was-used/The standard account of why AGOA underdelivered says the preference was there and African firms could not reach it. Against the duty American customs actually collected, it holds for most of the schedule and fails for apparel, in the six economies of thirty-two that have an apparel industry. Those six carried about two thirds of the value, and the assistance was aimed at the lines where the value wasn't.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrade & Marketshello@baobab.observerhttps://baobab.observer/essays/agoa-what-its-actually-worth/https://baobab.observer/essays/agoa-what-its-actually-worth/The argument is all about how long AGOA lasts. I wanted to know what it is actually worth, so I worked it out line by line. The median margin comes to 4.4%, and on 37.3% of lines it is worth nothing at all.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrade & Marketshello@baobab.observerhttps://baobab.observer/essays/sadc-seed-trade/https://baobab.observer/essays/sadc-seed-trade/Getting a seed variety across a Southern African border still takes longer than it should. The reasons why are a quiet lesson in what regional integration actually requires.Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrade & Marketshello@baobab.observerhttps://baobab.observer/essays/zambia-agricultural-paradox/https://baobab.observer/essays/zambia-agricultural-paradox/Agriculture employs more than half of Zambia's workforce but contributes about 4% of GDP. Why that gap matters, and why it makes the case for climate-smart agriculture a national economic one.Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTAgriculture & CSAhello@baobab.observerhttps://baobab.observer/essays/the-invisible-barriers/https://baobab.observer/essays/the-invisible-barriers/Why investment climate reform is still the hardest work in development. The visible barriers are easy to name; the invisible ones, the informal rules and institutional habits that persist after the law changes, are the real reason reform underdelivers.Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTInvestment Climatehello@baobab.observer