The pan-African magazine of choice since 2009
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 …
Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died in September at the age of 84, served in the country’s government for four decades, starting at independence in 1962 and ending with his ouster from the presidency in 2019. His career exemplified a ruling class defined by military autocracy and economic cronyism, in which Algeria’s oil wealth …
Like many African cities, Accra has grown rapidly over the last few decades, and it’s experiencing a construction boom in the city center. But most of the housing built is far too expensive for the majority of the people, who work in the informal economy and have incomes too irregular to get loans. The privatization …
Ghana’s Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has vehemently denied that he promised a man whose case was pending before the Supreme Court that he could deliver a “successful outcome” for a payment of US$5 million. But Akwasi Afrifa, the former lawyer for the man at the center of the allegation, Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI, insists …
Ghana’s Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah tarred by $5M bribery scandal Read More »
Almost 4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide since they became publicly available late last year. But access in Africa has been extremely limited, with supplies restricted by the wealthiest countries buying up doses, drug companies refusing to share manufacturing processes, and donations delivered in small amounts and often delayed. Lori Hinnant, …
Over the last 15 years, international donor organizations have given more than $700 million to the U.S. firm Cepheid to supply its rapid disease-testing equipment to developing countries particularly African nations at a discount. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Cepheid most its COVID-test cartridges to wealthy nations who could afford to pay more and left …
On March 12, Patrice Motsepe became the new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He replaced Ahmad Ahmad, who was banned from world professional football for two years by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), the sport’s global governing body. Motsepe, a South African mining magnate and owner of the Mamelodi Sundowns club …
Ethiopia’s 1994 constitution gave the country’s more than 80 ethnic groups unique rights to self-determination, but it also laid the groundwork for the political explosions – one that erupted last fall with the Tigray region, writer Addisu Lashitew argues. The violent aftermath of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front’s loss of power in Addis Ababa, he …
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement went into effect on Jan. 1, after being signed by all but one of the continent’s nations and ratified by two-thirds of them. It is intended to stimulate Africa’s economy by eliminating tariffs and other barriers to intracontinental trade, creating one market for 1.3 billion people. Yet getting it …
The NATO coalition bombing campaign in Libya in 2011 killed an unknown number of civilians, possibly more than 400. The eight nations involved have all refused to accept public responsibility for the harm they caused, and almost none of the families left behind have received compensation or an apology. They claim that the burden of …