 As global political and business leaders gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a new Oxfam report is casting a sharp spotlight on the growing divide between the world's richest and the rest of humanity. The report shows that billionaire wealth rose by more than 16 per cent in 2025 alone, reaching a record 18-point-3 trillion dollars - while hundreds of millions of people worldwide continue to struggle with hunger, rising living costs, and shrinking economic opportunities. Titled Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power, the report argues that extreme wealth is increasingly translating into political influence, shaping laws, policies, and economies in ways that deepen inequality. To unpack what this means for Africa and the global South, we're joined now by Pooven Moodley, Executive Director of Oxfam South Africa.

<p>&nbsp;As global political and business leaders gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a new Oxfam report is casting a sharp spotlight on the growing divide between the world's richest and the rest of humanity. The report shows that billionaire wealth rose by more than 16 per cent in 2025 alone, reaching a record 18-point-3 trillion dollars - while hundreds of millions of people worldwide continue to struggle with hunger, rising living costs, and shrinking economic opportunities. Titled Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power, the report argues that extreme wealth is increasingly translating into political influence, shaping laws, policies, and economies in ways that deepen inequality. To unpack what this means for Africa and the global South, we're joined now by Pooven Moodley, Executive Director of Oxfam South Africa.</p>