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David Pilling

Africa Editor

David Pilling is the Africa editor and a columnist at the Financial Times. He covers business, politics and development on the continent and writes a regular column on topics from Africa. Before that he was the Asia editor and assistant editor. Previous roles include Tokyo bureau chief, pharmaceuticals correspondent, deputy features editor and correspondent in Buenos Aires and Santiago.

He is the author of two books - The Growth Delusion (2018), shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, and the highly acclaimed Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival (2016).

He is a regular moderator and speaker both for the FT and for organisations including the World Bank, OECD and ADB. In 2023 he briefed a G7 meeting in Kamakura, Japan on the ideas behind his book, The Growth Delusion.

Email David Pilling @davidpilling  on X.com (link opens in a new browser window)
  • Wednesday, 22 April, 2026
    Foreign aid
    G7 citizens overstate foreign aid spending by 20 times, survey suggests

    Report commissioned by France finds vast misperceptions remain even as rich nations slash overseas assistance

    Workers load large sacks of relief food labeled "Not for sale" onto a truck outside a World Food Programme warehouse.
  • Thursday, 16 April, 2026
    South Africa
    Firebrand South African politician sentenced to jail for firing gun at rally

    Five-year prison term threatens to derail career of Julius Malema, one of the country’s most polarising leaders

    Julius Malema stands in court wearing a navy suit and red tie, with people seated in the background.
  • Thursday, 16 April, 2026
    Mining
    DR Congo to stockpile critical minerals with new reserves

    Strategic holdings of cobalt, coltan and germanium are latest step by African countries for greater leverage over metals

    A worker in a yellow hard hat and red safety vest observes a conveyor belt carrying chunks of raw cobalt at a processing plant.
  • Wednesday, 15 April, 2026
    Sudan
    Fallout from vicious Sudan war spills across borders

    Conflict that has killed 150,000 and displaced 13mn now implicates Ethiopia, Chad and Egypt

    Sudanese refugee women fill containers with water at communal taps, surrounded by others waiting with jerrycans.
  • Monday, 13 April, 2026
    Nigeria
    Nigeria military to investigate deadly air strike on bustling market

    At least 100 including many civilians believed to have been killed in what officials claimed was an attack on militants

    Hospital ward with multiple patients receiving treatment, some with visible leg injuries and bandages, and several people standing nearby.
  • Tuesday, 7 April, 2026
    Biography and memoir
    Chasing Freedom — Simukai Chigudu on the trail of Rhodes and Mugabe

    This Zimbabwean academic’s coming-of-age memoir turns a personal odyssey into a political reckoning of a nation’s cruel history and current agonies

    Simukai Chigudu leans against a brick wall, wearing a colourful patterned shirt and glasses. Two blurred figures are in the background.
  • Sunday, 5 April, 2026
    African politics
    Zimbabwe’s ‘Crocodile’ leader eyes role as president for life

    Emmerson Mnangagwa plans to amend constitution to extend tenure to 2030 — and possibly beyond

    Emmerson Mnangagwa raises his fist and smiles while wearing a Zimbabwean flag scarf and cap
  • Friday, 3 April, 2026
    Mining
    Kenya enters rare earths race with Mrima Hill deposit

    Authorities seek intense competition from the US, China and Australia for ‘poster child’ project

    Domitila Mueni and Eunice Mwoki walk together on a farm with green crops and Mrima Hill Forest in the background.
  • Friday, 27 March, 2026
    House & Home eco-living special
    Hippos, Maasai and million-dollar homes: a new path for Kenyan rewilding?

    Naretoi was a vast commercial farm that has been radically reimagined; its mission navigates conservation politics by reconciling wildlife, safari homeowners and pastoralists

    A house partially hidden by trees with a mountain in the background, photographed in soft, golden light.
  • Wednesday, 25 March, 2026
    South Africa
    South Africa’s police chief charged in corruption probe

    Twelve senior officers also charged in investigation into award of health services contract

    General Fannie Masemola in police uniform saluting during a parade, with medals displayed on his chest.
  • Tuesday, 24 March, 2026
    Life & Arts
    FT Magazine. On the trail of South Africa’s ‘rhino baron’

    John Hume bred 2,000 rhinos in captivity. Were they a cover for one of the most successful horn-trafficking networks in history?

    The brown horn of a southern white rhino against a white wall (NB this comes from a natural mortality. Legally permitted within domestic regulations).
  • Wednesday, 18 March, 2026
    Investing in Nigeria
    Nigeria’s economic shock plan on trial

    As President Tinubu visits the UK, there are signs of progress but Nigerians still face insecurity and high living costs

    Bola Ahmed Tinubu wears a traditional hat and glasses while participating in a panel at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting.
  • Wednesday, 18 March, 2026
    Investing in Nigeria
    Interview. Nigeria’s central bank governor on securing stability in turbulent times

    Q&A: Olayemi Cardoso discusses sweeping policy change and the impact of the Iran war

    Olayemi Michael "Yemi" Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, wearing a suit and tie, standing indoors.
  • Saturday, 14 March, 2026
    South Africa
    South Africa finance minister rejects calls to bail out Johannesburg

    African National Congress under pressure to fund crisis-ridden city ahead of crucial elections

    A group of residents protest about the water crisis, with one holding a sign reading “Drowning Without Water” and another blowing bubbles.
  • Friday, 20 February, 2026
    South African economy
    The Big Read. The ANC’s sudden embrace of South African business

    Once instinctively hostile to corporate interests, the party is now working with the private sector to shore up the economy

    Cyril Ramaphosa; Cape Town skyline; electricity pylons in Soweto; Transnet freight train; coal mine in Mpumalanga
  • Saturday, 14 February, 2026
    Visual Arts
    The British Museum’s Samurai show proves the brush is mightier than the sword

    A magnificent exhibition reveals how these fearsome warriors lived on, long after their fighting days were over

    An illustration showing Minamoto no Tametomo in samurai armor drawing a bow, facing three muscular, fierce islanders as another looks on.
  • Thursday, 12 February, 2026
    South Africa
    South Africa to put soldiers on streets in two biggest economic hubs

    President Ramaphosa says deployment necessary to tackle gang violence and illegal mining despite a growing economy

    Cyril Ramaphosa stands with his hand on his chest during the national anthem, facing a uniformed marching band at Cape Town City Hall.
  • Monday, 9 February, 2026
    De Beers
    De Beers likely to be sold to consortium, Anglo chief says

    Duncan Wanblad says buyer will probably include both government and private entities

    Several rough, uncut diamonds arranged on a dark surface
  • Wednesday, 4 February, 2026
    Non-Fiction
    How Africa Works by Joe Studwell — how to change the economic trajectory

    A dazzling reassessment of the continent’s historic handicaps, and its potential for economic development

    Performers in traditional attire dance and wave Ethiopian flags at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam inauguration ceremony.
  • Friday, 30 January, 2026
    Carbon offset
    Clean cooking start-up files for insolvency after clash with Kenya

    More than 1mn people to lose access to bioethanol fuel after Koko ceases business

    A woman wearing a mask and hairnet stirs food in a pot on a blue KOKO bioethanol stove at a restaurant counter.
  • Tuesday, 27 January, 2026
    Diezani Alison-Madueke
    Former Opec chief enjoyed ‘life of luxury’ in UK thanks to bribes, court told

    Diezani Alison-Madueke denies receiving bribes from oil tycoons

    Diezani Alison-Madueke leaves Southwark Crown Court holding an M&S shopping bag after the first day of her trial.
  • Tuesday, 27 January, 2026
    Nigeria
    Nigerian military officers face trial over alleged coup attempt

    Detainees accused of trying to overthrow Bola Tinubu’s government last October

    Bola Tinubu speaks, gesturing with his hand raised, while wearing a patterned cap and glasses.
  • Monday, 19 January, 2026
    The World 2026
    Gen Z protests show level of youth frustration

    Exasperated by lack of opportunity and freedoms, young people across the globe are resorting to direct action

    Protesters with raised fists stand together at Place du 13 Mai in Antananarivo, with a Madagascar flag visible in the background.
  • Monday, 19 January, 2026
    South African economy
    Cranes return to Johannesburg’s skyline as hopes of recovery stir

    South Africa’s GDP growth has averaged less than 1% annually for the past decade but better data hints at a turnaround

    A triangular construction warning sign in front of city buildings and street signs in Johannesburg.
  • Friday, 9 January, 2026
    South Africa
    China, Russia and Iran send ships to South Africa ahead of naval drills

    Pre-planned ‘Brics Plus’ exercises follow surge in tensions over US military operations in Venezuela and Atlantic

    The Chinese guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122), the Iranian navy ship IRIS Makran 441, and the Chinese supply ship Taihu (Hull 889) docked in Simon's Town harbour.
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