Consumer goods as well as fuel and cocoa are all crossing Ghana’s northern border illegally, and in large volumes.

It's costing the government billions of dollars in lost revenues.

Ed Butler looks at perhaps the biggest illegal trade - gold - Ghana’s number one cash export.

But even as the informal economy, unmonitored and untaxed, continues to grow, some are asking: isn’t there also a specific economic solution to the problem?

In the second of two programmes, based at the northern Ghanaian border with Burkina Faso, he finds out what some are suggesting could be done to change the criminals’ incentives.

Produced and presented by Ed Butler

(Image: Illegal gold mining in northern Ghana)

Consumer goods, fuel, gold and cocoa are all crossing the border illegally - it's costing the government billions of dollars - so can it be stopped?

Ed Butler travels to the northern Ghanaian border with Burkina Faso, and hears from cocoa smugglers who are operating in the region.

Produced and presented by Ed Butler

(Image: A livestock market in northern Ghana. Traders, including those pictured, told the BBC they believe some of the livestock is contraband)

Argentina, a country often associated with economic turbulence, is emerging as a frontrunner in agricultural biotechnology and home to a third of Latin America's start-ups.

From shrimp shells to super crops, we explore how a blend of scientific talent, venture capital and cutting-edge research is starting to transform farming - one of the country's most important sectors.

While Argentina is becoming a global player in this area, can this boom be sustained amid economic and political challenges in the country?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Natalio Cosoy

(Picture: Engineer Mario Nejamkin, and Claudia Casalongue, cofounder and scientific lead at agri-tech start-up Unibaio, standing in a potato field in Argentina. Credit: BBC)

The small country of Armenia in the South Caucasus has long been positioning itself as an emerging technology hub. Hundreds of tech start-ups with strong ties to the US market through the Armenian diaspora are now based there. From 2020 to 2022, investments in small Armenian tech companies reached $48 million.

The industry has been partly fuelled by the arrival of hundreds of Russian IT specialists following the invasion of Ukraine.

We hear how the government wants the IT sector to develop the economy, talk to tech start-up founders, and find out how tech education for children is being prioritised.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: Staff in the offices of Doctor Yan, a health care assistant app in Armenia. Credit: BBC)

Presented and produced by Rayhan Demytrie

In India’s villages, innovation is being born from necessity.

From a fridge made of clay, to silk fashioned from lotus stems, to smart devices helping blind farmers manage their land, we meet the country’s grassroots innovators.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

(Picture: A lotus flower, on top of some fabric, next to a small handloom machine. Credit: BBC)

We’re in Helsinki where Europe’s biggest campus for startup companies is being built. What role could it play as Finland strives to create the continent’s most supportive environment for new businesses?

We’ll look at some of the challenges the country’s facing as it competes for global investment and tech talent.

And hear from Sweden - does it see Finland taking its start-up crown anytime soon?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Maddy Savage

(Picture: Turkish entrepreneur Lalin Keyvan, who's founded a startup in Finland. Credit: BBC)

Thousands of businesses have 'spun-out' from universities - so is this an opportunity for further growth?

The model has seen great success in the US, leading to booming commercial ventures such as Dropbox, iRobot, and Boston Dynamics.

And now the UK government has plans for further investment in spin-outs from Oxford and Cambridge.

But what evidence exists that this approach can be as effective in other parts of the world? And as global economies strive for growth, will there be competition for talent and investment?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick

(Image: Oxford University in the UK)

From noticing a gap in the market, to launching a start-up with her husband, CEO Julia Hartz tells us how she's built Eventbrite to become one of the biggest event ticketing platforms in the world, distributing 272 million tickets to more than 1.7 million global events in 2024.

Julia shares how the company has dealt with challenging economic climates, the scourge of surge pricing, and how it's adapting to new ways of bringing the world together offline.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Ed Butler

(Picture: Julia Hartz. Credit: Getty Images)

Colombia has emerged as the world's second-biggest exporter of cut flowers, and the largest supplier to the United States.

Local growers suffered a scare this year when US president Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of 50% on imports from Colombia. The dispute was quickly resolved but, even so, the threat of tariffs remains.

And the sector faces other challenges, particularly around sustainability. We visit a flower farm in Colombia and go to Bogota airport to see how the country exports this most delicate and perishable of goods.

We also talk to an academic who says the industry is changing rapidly, with an emphasis on growing flowers locally rather than flying them around the world.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

(Picture: A female employee handling roses at a flower farm, Flores de los Andes, near Bogotá, Colombia. Credit: BBC)

A shortage of workers is leading some retailers to forgo hiring altogether. The number of unmanned, or staff-less stores in South Korea has grown rapidly in recent years - from ice cream shops to bustling cafes and bars.

We explore how these unmanned stores operate and if they can offer a solution to the country’s demographic problems. Is this the answer for business to keep things running when there aren’t enough people to work?

Producer/presenter: David Cann

(Image: An unmanned bar in Seoul, South Korea)