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Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari and Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta are in Saudi Arabia this week. They are two of at least four African heads of state attending the Future Investment Initiative, a glitzy affair dubbed the ‘Davos in the Desert’.

For both it’s the second high profile conference in as many weeks, following last week’s Russia-Africa summit, attended by dozens of African leaders.

Amid a proliferation of conferences targeting Africa, gatherings like this have become a pronounced part of the calendar for heads of state on the continent.

Their value isn’t always obvious.

Attending some events – like the UN General Assembly, or major bilateral gatherings with the likes of China – probably makes sense for the head of state, but the value of giving a speech at the ‘Davos in the Desert’ is dubious.

At times such trips feel more like a good time abroad than strategic engagement on behalf of the nation. They also incur considerable costs, often involving dozens of officials, at a time when most African governments are facing rapidly deteriorating finances.

It’s reasonable, as citizens in both Nigeria and Kenya are doing, to ask whether all this travel is necessary.

The answer is no, especially given the long to-do list most African presidents have waiting at home. There is certainly room for more governing, and less conferencing.

This report reflects the views of the author alone, not those of How we made it in Africa.

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Today’s picks

From the continent

Kenya has increased its expected budget deficit for the fiscal year through to June 2020 to 6.2% of GDP, up from 5.9% in September, the second revision in less than two months. This comes amid missed revenue targets and concerns about fiscal stability due to rising debt. More: Bloomberg

South African finance minister Tito Mboweni on Wednesday warned that the country is facing a potential debt trap amid a rising budget deficit, due to weak growth – expected at 0.5% in 2019 – and huge bailouts for state-owned companies, particularly struggling power utility Eskom. The medium-term budget policy statement underlines the country’s deteriorating outlook, ahead of a ratings review by Moody’s on Friday. More: Reuters

The global perspective

Facebook has removed three networks of accounts linked to a Russian businessman with ties to president Vladimir Putin for alleged election meddling in African countries. The targets include Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Sudan, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, and Madagascar. More: Facebook

Thirty-four percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s economy is in the informal sector, according to a new survey published by the International Monetary Fund. While this is the highest globally, along with Latin America and the Caribbean, the overall share of the informal economy is declining in all regions. More: IMF

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