The pan-African magazine of choice since 2009
When South Sudan became independent in 2011, many hoped that its oil wealth would provide a base for building the nation’s economy and lifting citizens out of poverty. Instead, politicians have purloined these revenues and put them toward patronage and personal enrichment, feeding internal conflict. Where the oil money goes is kept murky: Much of …
Kenya has had relatively stable governments in its nearly 60 years of independence, and has been democratically governed for almost 30 years. But underneath that surface is a system where personal deals, patronage, and ethnic bloc voting are often the road to power. With the 2022 elections coming up, citizens should demand more than ethnic …
The African Continental Free Trade Area was supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2021, but more than a year later, no trading under its provisions has happened. AfCFTA’s top official says it takes time for nations to reach complex agreements to cover more than 8,000 categories of products, as well as informing small …
False start for the African Continental Free Trade Area Read More »
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon, an uncompromising foe of apartheid and a lifelong activist for racial justice, died December 26 at 90. South Africans, world leaders, and people around the globe mourned the death of the man viewed as the country’s moral conscience. Without Tutu and Nelson Mandela, does South Africa …
After trying to ban cryptocurrencies, Nigeria’s Central Bank launched its own digital currency, the eNaira. It immediately proved popular in a country where many people have used cryptocurrencies for cross-border trade or remittances. But it is not an economic panacea: It won’t end Nigeria’s foreign-exchange volatility or stem the devaluation of the naira. Doyin Olagunju …
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to fix the country’s relations with Africa. But he’s going about it the wrong way. Rather than change the unequal economic system that is the legacy of colonialism, he is reviving the 1950s-1960s strategy of cultural diplomacy. Frank Gerits reports. French President Emmanuel Macron has committed himself to remaking the country’s …
Africans normally abhor military coups, as they replace democratic governments with rule by a cadre of soldiers. But what if the president they ousted had eliminated constitutional term limits, enabling him to stay in office indefinitely? How can international organizations condemn coups when they have effectively condoned elected leaders undermining democracy? Steve Mallory ponders these …
As 26 miles of cheering fans welcomed the New York City Marathon’s return after its cancellation last year, two Kenyan runners achieved victory. Albert Korir won the men’s race, and Peres Jepchirchir took the women’s race with the third-fastest time in its history. Jake Seiner reports. New York sought a comeback story for its 50th …
The 20th-century American conservative Barry Goldwater famously declared that “moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” He might have been wrong, judging by what happened in Cote d’Ivoire after the International Criminal Court arrested former President Laurent Gbagbo in 2011: The country experienced nine years of low-intensity political violence that abated only when Gbagbo …
South Africa’s local elections Nov. 1 were the first since the beginning of multiracial democracy where the governing African National Congress party didn’t win a majority of the vote. But while many South African voters are disillusioned with the ANC after its more than 25 years in power, they haven’t found an alternative: None of …