East Africa’s weakest new component

Wilfred... African land is NOT inherited through the mother's line, maybe your NATION has such practices but mine doesn't, and it is still in Africa.
For heavens sake how can a vast continent with various nations and cultures have just one inheritance law. How can you even think that?

I've chided The Economist in the past for not covering Africa outside the usual "hell-holes" of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Somalia.

After reading this I wonder if they should be bothered at all.

It is nothing but a laundry list of gloomy stats without depth or perspective. The (unnamed) correspondent seems to know little and care nothing about Africa.

.... No primogeniture.
The inheritance by the first born ,of the father's land ,found in the UK , kept estates together.
The bane of Africa is the inheritance of land divided among all surviving childre.
More are surviving , even with 'dismal' health care.
African land is inherited through the mother's line,ignoring paternity. This can create more chaos.
The four horses of the Apocalypse continue to shadow Africa, & with burgeoning populations,
will continue to do so without land reform.

Haslett may be right that the piece adds too much to the narrative of a doomed African continent. That said, the fact of the matter is that most of the continent of Africa is woefully governed. And the blame goes beyond the leaders. Most Africans - the same ones who complain about poor governance and what not - are complicit in the vast patronage networks of corruption and informal rules that continue to stunt African economic and social development.

I should have googled before I posted. Apparently it is the 2nd largest behind Lake Baikal by volume. Victoria is twice the surface area but max depth 84m whereas Tanganyika reaches 1470m deep!

Lake Tanganyika can't possibly be the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, can it??

Unsurprising from Economist...how do we believe these reports from the same Economist that got it all wrong on the South African world cup. You guys reported that South Africa will not deliver, too much crimes, etc and all that was proven wrong...so how credible are your reports on Africa. I know for sure Burundi was a positive & negative side, why not report both.

Last I heard, the common market "came into force" but all the necessary legislation could still take a couple months - or years - to enact. Anyone remembers the common "Eco" currency for ECOWAS, proposed in 2006 to be effective by late 2009? It's a tiny bit delayed.

Echo: Nefrettix100