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Alan Hirsch

Professor and Director of the Graduate School of Development Policy, University of Cape Town

I have been director of the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice at University of Cape Town (UCT) since 2013. I was born in Cape Town and educated in Economics, Economic History and History at UCT, Wits and Columbia. After economic research and teaching at the University of Cape Town, I joined the South African Department of Trade and Industry in 1995, managing industry and technology policy. I moved to the Presidency in 2002. I managed economic policy in the South African Presidency, represented the Presidency at the G20, and was co-chair of the G20 Development Working Group. I have served or serve on several boards, and am associated with a range of policy research initiatives including the TIPS, the International Growth Centre for which I was until recently the Zambia Country Director, and the European Centre for Development Policy Management where I am a board member. I was a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School, a regular visiting professor at the Graduate School of Governance at Maastricht University and a member of the OECD Secretary-General’s Inclusive Growth Advisory Group. I write about economic development issues, including Season of Hope - Economic Reform under Mandela and Mbeki and recently co-edited The Oxford Companion to South African Economics.

Free movement of people across Africa: regions are showing how it can work

Jan 24, 2023 07:58 am UTC| Business Economy

The end of January 2023 will mark five years since the African Union Free Movement of Persons protocol was signed by the African Union. A parallel initiative to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, it was designed...

South Africa has a new presidential advisory unit. Will it improve policy?

May 20, 2019 22:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa is establishing a unit in the presidency which he hopes will improve policy development and coordination. This is an important initiative designed to help him address the huge...

The free movement of people is an AU ambition: what's standing in its way

Aug 01, 2018 14:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The African integration project took several major steps this year. One of them was the African Unions adoption of a protocol on the free movement of people. The move has been widely welcomed. The free movement of...

South Africa's Reserve Bank is in the eye of a storm. Academics quiz the governor

May 16, 2017 16:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Central Banks

Central banks everywhere play a critical role in shaping the direction of a countrys economy. The South African Reserve Bank is the central bank of South Africa. Its main mandates are to ensure financial and economic...

Africa is poised for sustainable growth and development. But there are risks

Jan 08, 2017 23:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views

As we know, growth accelerations are pretty commonplace among developing countries. Economist Ricardo Haussman and his colleagues identified 83 growth accelerations of eight consecutive years at 2% higher than the...

Economy

Asian Currencies Steady as Markets Await U.S. Inflation Data

Asian currencies and the U.S. dollar traded in narrow ranges on Tuesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of key U.S. inflation data that could influence expectations for the Federal Reserves interest-rate outlook. The...

Asian Stocks Mixed as RBA Holds Rates, Oil Risks Rise

Asian stocks traded mixed on Tuesday as gains in South Korea and Singapore offset weakness across several regional markets. Investors assessed the Reserve Bank of Australias latest interest rate decision while monitoring...

Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Talks Stall, Inflation Risks Grow

Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as stalled U.S.-Iran peace negotiations and uncertainty over reopening the Strait of Hormuz renewed concerns about global energy supplies. Asian stock markets, meanwhile, traded cautiously as...

Singapore Raises 2026 GDP Growth Forecast to 4.5%-5.5% as AI Boom Fuels Economy

Singapore has sharply upgraded its 2026 economic growth forecast, citing stronger global artificial intelligence investment, resilient external demand and a less severe economic impact from the Middle East conflict than...

Gold Price Hits Two-Month High as Investors Await US Inflation Data

Gold prices extended their rally on Tuesday, climbing to their highest level in more than two months as strong investor demand, safe-haven buying and bullish momentum outweighed pressure from higher U.S. Treasury yields, a...

Politics

Ukraine Accuses Russia of Systematic Torture of POWs and Civilian Detainees

Former Ukrainian detainees and government officials have accused Russia of widespread and systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, alleging beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence and...

Houthi Attack on Yemen’s Mocha Port Kills 7, Injures 30

At least seven people were killed and 30 others wounded after Houthi forces launched a major attack on Yemens Red Sea port city of Mocha, according to the Yemeni military. The military said in a statement early Monday that...

Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow

Trump Media Technology Group said Monday that more than 10 customers have signed up for its upcoming Truth API, a real-time data service designed to provide rapid access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts,...

Trump Secretly Switched Planes in Turkey After Iran Threat, Report Says

U.S. President Donald Trump secretly switched to a smaller military aircraft while leaving Turkey last month due to a potential Iranian security threat, according to a Washington Post report published Monday. Trump had...

FCC Steps Up China Tech Crackdown as Beijing Pushes Back

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has emerged as a key force in the Trump administrations technology and national security strategy toward China, expanding its role far beyond traditional oversight of...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Anthropic Signs $9.1B AI Data Center Deal With Riot Platforms

Anthropic has reportedly signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) to secure large-scale AI computing capacity, marking another major investment by the Claude developer as demand for...

Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants

Nvidia is expanding its influence beyond semiconductors after announcing agreements aimed at mobilizing up to $500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move brings the AI chip...

SEC Clears Path for Data Center Securitizations as AI Financing Demand Surges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided regulatory clarification that could make it easier for data center owners and operators to access capital markets as the artificial intelligence boom drives...

Apple Tests China’s CXMT Memory Chips for iPhones and MacBooks Amid AI Supply Crunch

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly testing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor manufacturer CXMT Corp as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure puts increasing pressure on global memory...

Sony, TSMC Eye $6.3 Billion Japan Chip Venture for Next-Gen Image Sensors

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are reportedly preparing to invest about 1 trillion yen ($6.32 billion) in a new Japanese semiconductor venture focused on next-generation chips for image...