All Protocol Observed
Welcome to Issue 173 of The Continent.
If the cost of living crisis has got you down, and the banks won’t lend you any more money, you might have to pay a visit to a loan shark – despite high interest rates and looming threats of violence.
When countries find themselves in a similar position, they often turn to the world of private finance, and have little choice but to accept punishing terms. But as one gold mine in Senegal illustrates, the exploitation does not start there: sometimes, those finance firms are invested in, and profiting from, the extractive companies that left the country broke in the first place.
Read this story and more, in this week's issue. https://thecontinent.org
The Continent