The June 2025 issue of Paradigm Shift opens with a sobering reflection on the shifting fault lines that define Africa’s institutional and policy landscape. Titled “Borders, Budgets & the Climate Between Them,” this edition offers a clear-eyed examination of the pressures reshaping national priorities across the continent.

Setting the scene is Chris Diaz who explores the rising cost of insecurity. As conflict and instability escalate in regions such as the Sahel and eastern DRC, public spending is being redirected from development into defence. This reallocation raises difficult questions about what security means in an African context—and whether traditional models are still fit for purpose. Drawing on data, case studies, and expert commentary, the issue interrogates the long-term consequences of this fiscal pivot.

The second feature, written by Rosa Nduati-Mutero, Leah Muhia, and Wendy Irungu, turns attention to labour mobility, positioning it not as a problem to be solved but a potential lever for transformation. At a time when many African countries are grappling with unemployment and a youth demographic bulge, flexible migration policies could offer a powerful—if underexplored—pathway to shared growth. The analysis challenges rigid border regimes and presents compelling examples of how movement, when properly managed, can drive both resilience and innovation.

Climate change, too, runs through this edition as a cross-cutting concern. Dr Levious Chiukira and Tanatsiwa Dambuza discuss climate change as more than an environmental issue, and one which includes geopolitical and economic dimensions. Regional trade agreements, particularly the AfCFTA, are assessed not just for their commercial value but for their potential to support climate adaptation and build cooperative frameworks for sustainable development.

Enjoy the read, and catch the July issue of Paradigm Shift. Monthly. Sundays. Always Thought Provoking.