Lead story

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: What does it mean for Africa?

The isolation of Russia through the West’s punitive sanctions may not only adversely impact Africa through oil, wheat and other grain price hikes, it may also create fortress Russia that will pursue an aggressive policy in Africa and other weak regions in order to gain allies, markets, raw materials and diversification of its external relations

• The integrity of Ghana’s elections remains under scrutiny
• Diaspora networks re-define humanitarian crisis response
• Israel's diamond profits linked to African conflict zones
• Inclusive negotiations key to resolving DRC conflict
• China’s $51bn Africa pledge: opportunity or debt trap?
• A struggle against religious intolerance

• Europe needs Africa, and Africa needs Europe
• Empowering African youth through tech education
• Impact of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso’s ECOWAS exit
• Will Nigerians mirror Kenyan protests? 

• SA: a maturing democracy amid high expectations

Piracy: Securing the Indian Ocean

Threat still exists:
Although the Puntland authorities are acting tough on pirates in their sphere of influence along the Somali coast, industry bodies are worried about continued acts of maritime piracy not just in the Eastern region of the continent but also in the Gulf of Guinea

Mozambique’s security conundrum 

Balancing  mineral wealth: sustainable opportunities

Powering urban water solutions for the future

How will China’s Digital Silk Road play out in Africa?



Cover Story: Politics aside, France’s economic prowess in its former African colonies has been gradually dwindling as other world powers, notably the US and China, continue to make strong inroads in various financial sectors

*Review: a deeply flawed account of Congo’s mining industry
*Banking on a single currency to boost intra-Africa trade
*What is the model trade deal for Africa?
*Zimbabwe elections: a preview

Sierra Leone: crunch elections
*Controversy rages over return of Benin Bronzes
*Unleashing Africa's mineral power: overcoming obstacles to maximise value
*Youthful and innovative potential holds key to region’s economic growth
*The fight against racism, xenophobia and tribalism

Peace and security: what will the AU prioritise in 2023?
In hindsight, 2022 was a challenging year for stability in Africa, and against this backdrop, the AU played a constructive role, achieving some notable gains, although tangible outcomes remain marginal or susceptible to breakdown
The reality of independence 60 years on
It is an indisputable fact today that the great majority of Africans have not enjoyed the benefits – the rights, liberties, prosperity and good life – in whose name their freedom from colonial rule was sought
Poor management still holding up Africa’s progress
Governance is at the foundation of promoting rapid economic growth, reducing poverty and inequality, achieving social cohesion and promoting political and economic stability, and no country can develop in the context of instability and maladministration, says Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who points out that Africa needs to first and foremost fix its governance challenges to promote political and economic stability

Africans need to declutter their minds for heightened political consciousness
Only by recognising the interpersonal effects of imperialism and colonialism can Africans hope to move forward and create a more just and equitable future
Leveraging international finance centres (IFCs) to support investment flows in Africa
Agnes Gitau examines the crucial role international financial centres can play in attracting much needed capital to the region

Nigerian elections: decision time
US ramps up plans to invest more in Africa
Boon for Africa's gas producers

Ghana’s economic headwinds
The  multiple downgrading by the international  credit rating agencies have had their negative impact on the economy, as Ghana lost access to the international capital market where it could borrow to support budget implementation and debt substitution
Kenya: Ruto rings the changes
The new Kenyan leader has taken aim at a variety of laws, regulations and programmes that were central to the administration of his predecessor by starting to dismantle them
Sub-Saharan migration to Tunisia
A film by a young Tunisian director pointedly highlights how Africans from south of the Sahara are faring in the North African country. Mounira Chaieb looks at the complex situation facing migrants there
Key to ending coups
African Union collaboration with civil society organisations could sustain the momentum against unconstitutional changes of government

East Africa’s ports step up competition 
From the Horn of Africa on the strategic Red Sea to the buoyant ports of Mozambique, East Africa’s ancient “Swahili Coast” provides a logistical nexus between Africa’s massive population centres and other continents. Foreign direct investment is driving expansion and rehabilitation of existing seaports, while entirely new facilities are also being rolled out. Ports that shun partnerships with experienced foreign investors are set to lose out as competition for market share intensifies

*The tasks facing the ‘hustler’ President 

A month after presidential and legislative elections in Kenya on August 9, and subsequent legal wrangles, a new administration led by President William Ruto has finally taken over the reins of power from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government. Moses Onyango looks at the issues that the new leader will have to tackle as he tries to maintain his populist stance

*Does Africa need ‘safari tourists’ disguised as international election observers?  

It is not enough for foreign poll monitors to rush into a country and make pronouncements on election results after a short stay, argue Babafemi A. Badejo and Nana K. A. Busia, Jr., who say these observers would not fully understand the complexities at play, especially before the day of elections

*Transatlantic slave trade: the other side of the coin

The issue of the return to Nigeria of Benin Bronzes looted by British troops in February 1897 from the ancient kingdom has been in the headlines recently. While many argue in favour of the artefacts to be sent back, an African American group fighting for “slavery justice” does not support the idea. The Restitution Study Group contends that the bronzes would benefit the descendants of African slave traders. This has raised a few hackles among those who say that Africans were not responsible for the odious trade in human beings. Max Siollun looks at this thorny debate

Civil society and the search for justice
SA: security risks one year after July 2001 looting
The US dollar as a potent sanctions weapon
USA AND THE LUMUMBA ASSASSINATION

The unravelling of multi-party politics

Election violence in Africa has been, invariably, put down to bad political leaders, but Nana K.A. Busia Jr argues that it has been more a case of bad constitutional drafting that has seen the continent backslide into anarchy from the close of the decade, in 1999, when almost three quarters of African countries were under democratic rule with all of them having undergone periodic elections  

 Two coups that tested ECOWAS’ resolve

With the Guinean military junta announcing on April 30 a 39-month timetable to return the country to civilian rule, Issaka K. Souaré looks at Guinea and Mali, two countries where, he says, the regional body committed some strategic mistakes in trying to deal with the interference of soldiers in politics  

Kenyan elections: kingmaker against the kings

Barely four months before voters go to the polls, the political temperature is rising as leading candidates, power barons and interest groups scramble to tie up loose ends before the big day, writes Sylvanus Wekesa 

 The war in Ukraine and its impact on Africa

In this analysis of selective African countries and regions, Toyin Falola explores the continent’s economic interactions with Russia in particular and Europe in general in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war

Counting the cost of Europe’s quest to ramp up African gas supplies 

European countries are engaged in frantic diplomacy with North African states and other African natural gas producers to secure new gas supply contracts in an increasingly competitive market. At least $50 billion in new pipeline investments may be signed off this year

• EU’s blinkered view on South African findings

• Archbishop Desmond Tutu: 1931-2021
Consummate believer in universal human rights
• Russia attempts to refocus its ties with Africa 
• Five key trends to watch for trade and investment

• After COP26: why gas should be part of the continent’s clean energy future

• Corruption and the violation of human rights

• Forced displacement: a global cause for concern

• The making of African dictatorships

• Coup in Guinea more than an act against controversial change of Constitution

• The recent pillaging and violence in South Africa highlighted the desperation of the poor in a country with the world’s widest wealth gap
• Questions have been asked recently about whether Nigeria is a failing state or is already a failed state
• With rampant cases of selfish and visionless leaders, governance in Africa has become a practice in divisions, victimisation, alienation and marginalisation 
• Will the new government walk the talk and fulfil the promises made on the campaign trail to deliver a united, prosperous and equitable Zambia 
• Africa Briefing talks to Teddy Osei, founder and leader of legendary ‘sunshine’ band Osibisa, which has just released a new studio album

Africa Union's flawed peace and security agenda

A slow and bumpy start for Africa free trade

Legal systems need reform

*Mozambique: challenges ahead
It is one of the poorest countries in the world, yet extremely rich in natural resources that could turn its economy around only if it is able to defeat the Islamic insurgency that has halted critical investment

Ethiopia at the crossroads: the perils of narrow nationalism

John Magufuli: his legacy

Preview of Ghana's December elections
Ethiopian PM Abiy's military offensive on Tigray
Africa is going for gold

African Heritage: Reclaiming the Narrative

In this edition, we examine Africa's involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement; Ghana's voter registration brouhaha and the changing narrative of the country's politics.
We also look endemic corruption in Nigeria with the arrest of the country's anti-corruption czar
Other issues include the agenda of Malawi's new president

Africa's future through the lens of its past
Africa and the world in the face of Covid-19
Covid-19: Africa has to rely on its own resources

Debate rages over new West African currency
African countries at the highest  risk of debt distress
The unfulfilled promise of African independence
Jury still out on the political change in Kenya
UK's Ghana aid dilemma

Crucial year for international criminal justice

Russia joins the new 'scramble' for Africa

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Africa Briefing Magazine - March - April 2022

Africa Briefing Magazine - March - April 2022

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