How UN staff are reshaping African cities
Expensive lunch menus, high-end car washes and imported nibbles are some of the signs
A SPECIAL ECONOMY emerges around any big UN office in the developing world. Other international bodies cluster around it. Expatriates move into the safe, pleasant neighbourhood where it is located. Local suppliers vie for contracts to sell fresh produce, stationery and other staples to all these organisations. Unskilled workers get jobs as cleaners, gardeners and security guards. And small businesses, such as posh cafés and dry cleaners, thrive serving the expats and well-paid local staff.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Expatonomics”
From the October 30th 2021 edition
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