September 25, 2012

• South Africa: Economic Growth in South Africa - Has the ANC Got It Wrong? [analysis]

  A couple of years ago when still a political analyst for Nedbank, one of South Africa's leading banks, I was asked by a fund manager in Edinburgh how sustainable I thought South... Read more »

• Africa: Faces Change At DfiD, but Does Aid to Africa Really Matter Any More? [analysis]

  As the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals approaches what is happening to the UK Government's aid ministry and its impact on Africa? Read more »

September 22, 2012

• Africa: Never Forget - the Battle for the Soul of Afile [opinion]

  A battle has been stirring over the past few weeks between the residents of a small Italian town, Afile, which has taken the decision to honour one of the town's sons, and an... Read more »

September 21, 2012

• Kenya: Land and Communal Clashes Increase as Country Gears Up for Elections [analysis]

  In the last six weeks there have been a number of violent clashes in areas of Kenya where the existing political, social and religious structures are contested or fail to meet the... Read more »

September 20, 2012

• Africa: Africa's Fabulous Mineral Wealth That Isn't All There [analysis]

  So let's assume for one moment that you are an international corporate executive responsible for your company's emerging market strategy. You are hearing a lot more about Africa of... Read more »

September 19, 2012

• Angola: Elections 2012 - Politics Finally Gets Real [analysis]

  The tent and the table that made up the polling station looked very small in the middle of the expanse of tarmac on Luanda's Largo da Família. In one corner, journalists... Read more »

September 18, 2012

• South Africa: Apocalypse South Africa - Rumours of Armageddon Greatly Exaggerated [analysis]

  On 16 August 2012, 34 miners were killed and nearly 80 injured in confrontations with police, while scores more were arrested and allegedly tortured during a wildcat strike at... Read more »

• Somalia: A New President for Somalia [opinion]

  The election of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud by Somalia's Transitional Parliament is an unexpected success for the hugely discredited political process in the country. It could prove to... Read more »

September 17, 2012

• East Africa: Ethiopia and the Horn - Continuity Predicted in Rough Neighbourhood [analysis]

  The death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi represents a significant loss for Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa region. However, its impact on peace and security will be... Read more »

• Central Africa: Radio Congo - Taking the Slow Road Through Central Africa [book review]

  Ben Rawlence is a polymath of African politics. As happy talking about the impact of the new(ish) Kenyan constitution - "petrol on the fire of ethnic, tribalised politics" - as he... Read more »

September 15, 2012

• South Africa: 'Black Economic Empowerment Is Legalised Corruption'

  Moeletsi Mbeki is unstinting in his criticisms of the state of South Africa's current economic and political condition. Read more »

• Uganda: Oil and the Age of Entitlement [analysis]

  At Forest Mall, errand boys and girls for Kampala's wealthy families dash back and forth. The Mall is part of a string of new developments providing office space for banks, coffee... Read more »

September 11, 2012

• Central African Republic: End of Rebellion Presents Rare Opportunity [analysis]

  On 25th and 26th August, headlines revealed a newly reached agreement between the Conventions of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) and the government of the Central African... Read more »

• Congo-Brazzaville: Mining in the Republic of Congo - Waiting for Profits [analysis]

  The Republic of Congo's mining industry is developing swiftly following 50 years of uncertainty. Read more »

• Somalia: Political Newcomer Takes Power in Landslide [analysis]

  On Monday, Somalia lived up to its track record for never re-electing an incumbent leader. President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed lost to a political newcomer, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in a... Read more »

September 9, 2012

• Africa: Corruption - a Global Problem or an African Cancer? [analysis]

  Is African corruption unique, or is it just like corruption in the many other parts of the world? Citizens of African countries tend to argue that they have an unchallengeable lead... Read more »

September 7, 2012

• Zimbabwe: Save Valley Conservancy, Indigenisation and 'The Lie of the Land' [analysis]

  On the surface of it, it would appear that the political dispute over the Save Valley Conservancy in South Eastern Zimbabwe is yet another story of 'illegal land-grabs'. Read more »

• South Africa: A Descent Into Corruption, Greed and Factionalism [opinion]

  I've just returned from a couple of weeks in South Africa. It was supposed to be a holiday dominated by the Big Five on the safari circuit. But owing to the current news coming out... Read more »

• Zimbabwe: Makoni Plans to Run Again for President [analysis]

  Simba Makoni intends to run again for the Zimbabwean presidency. Read more »

September 5, 2012

• Liberia: Film-Maker Shakes Up Nation's Elite [analysis]

  Two years ago during my first month living in Liberia, my colleague Lamii took me to the annual Press Union retreat in the city of Buchanan. It was a chance for journalists from... Read more »

• Ethiopia: Post-Meles Narratives [analysis]

  Haile Mariam Desalegn - Ethiopia's new PM - must build on Meles Zenawi's strong national and regional legacy to maintain Ethiopia's influential position. Read more »

• Southern Africa: Southern African Implications of the Marikana Lonmin Mineworkers Shooting Tragedy [analysis]

  The tragic and fatal shooting of 34 mineworkers in South Africa has sadly brought back memories of the violence of the apartheid years. And because memories of apartheid are not... Read more »

September 4, 2012

• Africa: Where Families Seek to Rule [analysis]

  Why are there still so many monarchies among the 193 states of the world? 44 countries have heads of state from a single family under a primogeniture system. But it is hard to find... Read more »

September 3, 2012

• Somalia: Al-Shabaab Suffer Dramatic New Losses [analysis]

  For the first time in four years, the militant group al-Shabaab is not the center of attention in Somalia. Since the fighters were ejected from the capital Mogadishu a year ago by... Read more »

• Tanzania: Britain Increasingly Accepting of Partnership With Corrupt Government [opinion]

  The BAE 'saga' - which involved the sale of a military air traffic control system to the Tanzanian government in 2001 in a deal that was blatantly corrupt* - raised its ugly head... Read more »