The pan-African magazine of choice since 2009
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 …
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 …
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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, …