A reporting series on the hopes and challenges facing African agriculture - from subsistence to profit to sustainability.

An AllAfrica special feature, illustrated with video clips and photo galleries, on a movement fueled by vegetables and led by grandmothers.

United States President George W. Bush visited five nations in Africa on a tour designed to highlight his legacy on the continent.

The 2008 28th African Cup of Nations tournament sparked soccer fever throughout the continent. AllAfrica covered the matches and the games' enthusiastic fans from Ghana.

Kenya's disputed 2007 elections led to a two-month political stalemate in the country, paralyzing the hub of East Africa. International leaders and diplomats traveled to and from Nairobi throughout the protracted negotiations until former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan mediated an agreement on a government of national unity.

This special page looks back at the crisis.

Thirteen years after liberation, South Africa experienced a coup in December 2007 - a constitutional coup mounted from within the ruling African National Congress (ANC). The party first replaced President Thabo Mbeki as party leader with Jacob Zuma, the person he fired as deputy president in 2005 over corruption allegations, then removed many of Mbeki's Cabinet ministers from its national executive committee. AllAfrica covered the ANC conference and its aftermath.

A new series about Africans around the continent who are making things happen around them.

Twenty months after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took office as Liberia's president - and as the first woman elected to lead an African country - AllAfrica takes a look at the prospects for economic growth and prosperity after more than two decades of domestic conflict and war.

The history of co-operation between African liberation movements and American activists is largely untold. Now a book has been published which tells the behind-the-scenes story of how Americans and Africans helped and inspired one another in their struggles for freedom.

Excerpts from No Easy Victories: African Liberation and American Activists over a Half Century, 1950-2000 are published by arrangement with www.noeasyvictories.org and www.africaworldpressbooks.com.

TED - the annual conference on Technology, Entertainment, and Design - had a global meeting in Arusha, Tanzania this June. Attracting international tech and entertainment luminaries like Google co-founder Larry Page, Sun Microsystems co-founder John Gage and Bono, the focus was on Africa's potential. AllAfrica's Tamela Hultman previewed the event and Global Voices Online's Ethan Zuckerman blogged the conference as it happened.

    You Didn't Have to Be There

    Google.org and TechnoServe Announce Business Plan Competition

    Tanzanian President Kikwete's Statement at the TED Conference

    Euvin Naidoo

    George Ayittey

    Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

    William Kamkwamba

In this AllAfrica special report, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says the promise of peace will allow all Ugandans to benefit from the social, economic and political progress his government has fostered over the past two decades. He accuses critics like Olara Otunnu, former United Nations under secretary-general and special representative for children and violence, of backing failed genocidal regimes. Otunnu says it is Museveni's policies in northern Uganda that have perpetrated genocide and that claims of economic development and social progress are unfounded.

    Our People Embrace Peace: President Yoweri Museveni

    Nation in Crisis Thanks to Divisive Regime: Olara A. Otunnu

This series of 15 articles by Alex de Waal explains how different parts of the Darfur Peace Agreement were negotiated, what the paragraphs mean, and how they should be implemented.

    Part 1: Disarming the Janjaweed and Armed Militia | Part 2: Security For IDPs and Refugees

    Part 3: Compensation and Assistance to Victims | Part 4: The Transitional Darfur Regional Authority

    Part 5: How to Include the Different Darfur Movements | Part 6: Guarantees for the DPA

    Part 7: Community Peace and Reconciliation | Part 8: The Comprehensive Ceasefire

    Part 9: The Future of the Movements' Combatants | Part 10: The Question of Land

    Part 11: Darfurians in the Civil Service and Education | Part 12: Human Rights | Part 13: Rebuilding Darfur

    Part 14: The CPA, the DPA and the EPA | Part 15: Leadership for Implementing the DPA

Leaders from around the world took part in the inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected woman head of state. Sirleaf spoke to AllAfrica about the challenges ahead.

    Peaceful Campaign Ends in Liberia

    High Stakes for the Region as Liberians Prepare to Vote [analysis]

    All Quiet in Monrovia As People Nervously Await Elections Results

    Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Wins the Presidency in Liberian Election

    Showered With Enthusiasm, Liberia's President-Elect Receives High-Level Reception in Washington

    Pledging 'Government of Inclusion', President-Elect Wants Liberians to Be Hopeful [interview]

    AllAfrica Forum: Preserving Liberia's Hard-Won Peace

    Sirleaf to Address U.S. Congress and Meet Bush as Supporters Press for Aid to Rebuild Liberia

Business activity is a subject that is sometimes missed in international reporting about Africa, according to Carol Pineau, who has reported from Africa for CNN and French radio and television, and who spoke with AllAfrica about her recent documentary "Africa: Open for Business," which showcases interviews with 10 business owners.

While attending the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa told AllAfrica that Zambia has a lot to offer investors who are prepared to partner with Zambians for their mutual benefit.

    Debt Relief Puts Zambia on the Threshold to Move Forward - Foreign Minister Shikapwasha

Armando Guebuza, who won the presidency of Mozambique in December 2004 elections, is one of the African leaders who attended the Corporate Council on Africa's 2005 U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Baltimore, Maryland. While in the United States, Guebuza told AllAfrica that he hopes to attract investors who will build the infrastructure -- especially in rural areas -- for Mozambique's development.

While in Washington, DC, for a meeting with U.S. President George Bush Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba spoke to AllAfrica about his first three months in office and priorities for his presidential term.

The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) held its fifth bienniel U.S.-Africa Business Summit June 21-24, 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland, the largest Africa-related gathering in the United States. Over the course of the summit, 2,000 participants, including business leaders, investment promotion officers and African leaders discussed the role of the private sector in Africa - with plenty of deal-making and networking behind the scenes. AllAfrica's reporters interviewed many of the African leaders and conference organizers, who shared their insights on the importance of a strong business climate for African development.

    Business Summit Aimed at Boosting U.S. Investment in Africa

    Namibia Deserves Aid, Debt Relief, Despite 'Mid-Income' Status, Says President Pohamba

    Mozambique Pursuing Investment for Development, President Guebuza Says

    Zambia Is a Peaceful Destination for Tourism and Investment - President Mwanawasa

    World Bank Chief Paul Wolfowitz Sees Africa as Continent of Hope

    Summit Had Good Attendance and Deals Got Done, Says Corporate Council Leader

The much-anticipated Commission for Africa report lived up to expectations by "pushing the envelope" according to commissioner K.Y. Amoako. The report was released in March 2005 by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's panel of international dignitaries and development experts including Amoako, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Amoako spoke to allAfrica.com about the report's unique approach and how to implement its recommendations.

    Grass Roots Support Needed To Turn Bold Recommendations Into Policy, Amoako Says

    Commission for Africa Report [pdf]

    ECA Report: Unlocking Africa's Trade Potential [pdf]

Between meetings at the Global Commission for Africa forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi spoke with AllAfrica's Reed Kramer about many of the challenges his country faces including democratic reform, the fight against Aids, food security, and the border dispute with neighboring Eritrea.

    We're Making Progress on Democracy and Aids, Says Ethiopia PM Zenawi

    Skilled Africans Filling Key Posts Abroad, Draining Home Countries of Vital Expertise

A report commissioned by the U.S. Congress could provide options for future U.S. foreign policy in Africa. "Rising U.S. Stakes in Africa" was created by the Washington DC-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies and presented at a conference on Capitol Hill in July 2004.

    U.S. Must 'Walk the Walk' in Africa

    'Spend More Money and Put More People in Africa'

    Conservation Should Be Major U.S.-Africa Policy Issue, Report Says

    Rising U.S. Stakes in Africa: Seven Proposals to Strengthen U.S.-Africa Policy [pdf]

Dan Connell has been a 'participant-observer' of the Eritrean scene for nearly three decades, starting in the 1970s during the liberation struggle, writing books and articles about the country's successful rejection of Ethiopian rule and its adoption of creative approaches to development and nation-building. But in recent years, increasingly troubled by the repressive stance of the Isaias Afwerki government towards the press and political opposition, he has found himself shifting from being a longstanding supporter to a critic. He chose to make that shift public at the 2003 African Studies Association meeting, provoking a whirl of comment from both critics and supporters of the Eritrea government. AllAfrica published his paper and hosted a debate - see the links below.

    Enough! A Critique of Eritrea's Post-Liberation Politics

    Debate: Is Eritrea's Revolution Dead?

While in New York for the UN General Assembly, President Obasanjo spoke to AllAfrica's Akwe Amosu on the struggle to get economic reform underway, and added his thoughts on Charles Taylor, the Liberian peace process and Robert Mugabe's chances of being invited to the forthcoming Commonwealth Summit.

In April 2003, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a new president, legislature and governors in 36 states. The result was a landslide across all polls for the incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo and his People's Democratic Party. The opposition, particularly General Muhammadu Buhari's All Nigeria People's Party, Odumegwu Ojukwu's All Progressive Grand Alliance and the Alliance for Democracy all cried foul and said there had been extensive rigging.But the violent mass protests that have previously accompanied such allegations did not materialise nor, apparently, was there any inclination at the grass roots level to reject the election results. Explanations for what turned out to be one of Nigeria's most peaceful elections were many and varied. Nearly 400 people - the vast majority of them Nigerian - participated in a debate on allAfrica.com to discuss the outcome and the way ahead. Read some of the highlights and dip into the entire debate using the links below.

     Obasanjo Does Not Deserve Our Support - Farooq A. Kperogi

     An Achievement Worth Celebrating - Uche

     Obasanjo Won Because Buhari is Unelectable - Dipo

     Peace and Fraud Are Incompatible - Hammed Adewale Ibrahim

     We Cannot Afford a Return to Military Rule - Bright Ukandu

     Nigerians Abroad Are Fed Up - Taofik Onasanya

     Leave the Common Man Out of Your Fights - Dickson Chukwu

     The Masses Are Wiser Now - Femi Obiomah

     View the whole debate

In his State of the Union speech on January 28, he pledged $15 billion, including $10 billion in new funding, "to turn the tide against Aids in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean." The promise set off a debate about what the United States is doing and how much is being spent on what programs. Here is AllAfrica's coverage of reaction to the speech, as well as the reader's forum on the topic.

     Applause For Bush HIV/Aids Speech; Concern For Global Fund

     Bush Aids Pledge Stirs Hope and Questions

     AllAfrica Forum: How Should the War on Aids be Waged?

Here is a selection of allAfrica.com's coverage of attempts by all parties in Angola to find a path to peace.

     June 14: Minister Denies 'Slow Response' to Humanitarian Crisis in Unita Areas

     June 14: Unita Leader Warns Demilitarisation Process is in Danger

     June 14: 'We're Committed to Peace' MPLA, Unita tell Capitol Hill

     June 18: Interview with General Paulo Lukamba, "Gato" - Part 1 (in English)   Part 1 in French

     June 19: Interview with General Paulo Lukamba, "Gato" - Part 2 (in English)   Part 2 in French

     June 21: We Must 'Disarm our Minds', says Church Leader- Interview with Reverend Daniel Ntoni-Nzinga

     June 25:   Don't Simplify History, Says Savimbi's Biographer

Ghana's reputation has been improving with the world's business community ever since the government of John Agyekum Kufuor came to power 17 months ago. But the NPP government has also won praise for its broader political and social policies, in the wake of two decades under J.J. Rawlings. AllAfrica first interviewed President Kufuor at the beginning of his term early in 2001. In May Ofeibea Quist-Arcton returned to Ghana to ask the president about the progress he had made.

     Interview with President Kufuor- Part 1

     Interview with President Kufuor- Part 2

     Click here for AllAfrica's coverage

Following Zimbabwe's presidential election on March 9-10 and the subsequent declared victory by incumbent president Robert Mugabe, allAfrica.com launced a debate on the outcome of the ballot. Some 100 people contributed detailed comments within the first 24 hours of the debate going online, indicating the intensity of feeling both for and against the conduct of the elections and the outcome.

     Click here to view the debate

     Click here to view a photogallery of the election

AllAfrica.com's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton covered the election in Zimbabwe intensively. Here is a selection of her articles.

     March 9:   Polls Open with Long Lines and Some Confusion

     March 11: Government Orders Polls Closed after Chaotic Extra Day of Voting

     March 12: Vote Count Begins Amid Mixed Verdicts on Poll

     March 13: Mugabe Declared Winner, Opposition Urges World to Reject Results

     March 14: Key African States Endorse Mugabe Victory, the West Condemns It

     March 15: Mugabe to be Sworn in for Fifth Term on Sunday

     March 16: Mugabe Signs Repressive Media Bill into Law

     March 17: Mugabe Hints at Reconciliation in Inauguration Address

President Joaquim Chissano was in Washington DC in late February 2002 for a southern African mini-summit with President George W. Bush. While in Washington, he granted an interview to allAfrica.com.

     Interview with President Chissano- Part 1

     Interview with President Chissano- Part 2

This year's ADF focuses on the transition from the OAU to the African Union and the proposed economic integration of Africa. Visit AllAfrica's special page to get briefed on the issues, view the debate that we hosted, and follow news from the meeting.

The finals of Africa's premier two-yearly soccer competition opened in Mali in mid-January amid intense interest throughout Africa. After three weeks of upsets, surprises, goal droughts and moments of brilliant play, Cameroon's Indomitable Lions emerged victorious after a hard-fought final against Senegal. View the results of all the matches, read African coverage and get background on the teams at allAfrica's special Cup of Nations page.

After repeated hints from Washington that Al-Qaeda is regrouping in Somalia, speculation is mounting that US forces may be setting their sights on that country. View our special page.

President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso opened the 12th International Conference on AIDS and STDS (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) in Africa (ICASA) on Sunday, 9 December in the capital city, Ouagadougou. Up to 10 percent of the population is estimated to be infected with HIV in Burkina Faso, one of the world’s poorest countries and one of the nations in West Africa hardest hit by the pandemic. A group of international journalists, including allAfrica’s Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, interviewed President Compaore about Aids and other pressing national issues.

     Campaore Says All with HIV/Aids Should Have Drugs

Another World Aids Day comes around, and the news from Africa isn't good. So far, just over 28 million people on the continent have been infected with HIV and over 13m children have been orphaned by the disease. Sub-Saharan Africa is by far the worst affected continent, with 70% of the world's new infections in 2001.

     Special Page for World Aids Day

     AllAfrica's Aids Page

Joseph Kabila was installed as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo in January, after his father, Laurent Desire Kabila, was assassinated, inheriting responsibility for ending the three-year rebel war.

In mid-October, the Congolese government, opposition, armed groups and civil society finally gathered in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, but the much-heralded talks failed when Kabila and the Kinshasa authorities pulled out. The talks were rescheduled to continue in South Africa.

In October, while the special guest of the Corporate Council on Africa's US-Africa Business Summit , he spoke to allAfrica and the International Herald Tribune about Congo's relations with the West, the war and his vision for the divided nation.

     Kabila tells the West, 'Promise me Peace not Money and Hypocrisy'

African nations unanimously condemned the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC on September 11, and pledged support for a US-led anti-terror coalition. Africa's newspapers and magazines reacted to the attacks with anger and sympathy. AllAfrica.com's Diplomatic Correspondent, Charles Cobb Jr., interviewed US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Walter H. Kansteiner, about the likely implications of the attacks for US-Africa relationships.

     Kansteiner: 'You find out who your friends are when things get tough; Africa is our friend'

     Africa's Press Reacts: 'The Whole World Was Shaken'

Delegates from all over the world gathered in Durban, South Africa, to declare international determination to defeat racism in all its forms. But the meeting almost collapsed in a bitter dispute over Zionism and struggled to find common ground on the linked issues of slavery and reparations.

     AllAfrica's coverage in words and pictures

     Page featuring coverage of the conference by Africa's press

The 37th annual summit of the Organisation of African Unity, opened in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on July 9 with delegates focused on the creation of a new continental African Union (AU) to replace the OAU. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton wrote about the debates, profiled the new secretary-general and took a close-up look at one of the organisation's most controversial figures, the Libyan leader Col. Muammar Al-Gaddafi.

     From OAU to AU - Whither Africa?

     Amara Essy - A New Man for OAU and Africa

     Libyan Leader Wows Students In Lusaka

     OAU Summit Hears Warnings of 'Oblivion' if Conflicts Continue

Senegal's record against HIV/AIDS is an all-too-rare success story for Africa. The authorities have kept the infection rate down to 1 per cent and are determined to speak openly about the disease, unlike political and religious leaders in other countries who have been deeply ambivalent about acknowledging the extent of the problem. AllAfrica.com's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton went to learn about the campaign at first hand.

     Part 1: A Beacon of Hope in Africa's Fight Against AIDS

     Part 2: Living With AIDS - Mabeye's Story

     Part 3: Pop Stars and Youth Break Taboos to Spread AIDS Message

     Part 4: "Prostitution - Frontline of the War to Contain HIV

     Part 5: Women - Vulnerable but Vital Campaigners Against AIDS

     Part 6: 'This Is My Whole Life' - A Scientist's Dedication to Defeating AIDS

     Part 7: Praise for AIDS Success - But the Struggle Continues

     Senegal Fights AIDS-Picture Gallery

The first total solar eclipse of this millennium was an African phenomenon, visible only from Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the island nation of Madagascar. Our special pages tell you how astrophysicists prepared, what they learned, and what the African media said about the event.

     Other Science and Technology News

During a May visit to Washington, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo held three days of back-to-back meetings with President Bush, other administration officials, congressional leaders, the heads of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and an array of business and industry representatives. En route to the United States the President visited Angola, DR Congo and Rwanda, where he discussed the progress of peace efforts. Just before his departure, he was interviewed by allAfrica.com at Blair House, the Presidential Guest House across the street from the White House.

     Obasanjo Interview

     Better Living Standards Key to Democracy

The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, went on a four-nation African tour in May, which took him to Mali, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda."I¹m here because President Bush wanted me to be here, because he does believe Africa is important," he told allAfrica.com in an exclusive in-depth interview. In the six day trip, Powell discussed AIDS, good and bad governance and democracy, as well as regional wars and hopes for conflict resolution.

     AllAfrica Exclusive: Powell Promises US Support but Says Africa Must Help Itself

     Powell Ends Tour With Pledge to Keep Africa High on US Agenda

     Powell Hears Demand for More US Action on AIDS

     US Secretary of State Delivers Tough Message to President Moi

Impassioned argument about World Bank and IMF policy in Africa is the norm. But the total collapse of Mozambique's cashew nut industry in 2000-2001 has provoked real anger, with critics directly blaming the Bank and IMF for the tragedy. The links below chart the progression of policy statements and wrong turns that led to factories closing and the loss of nearly 9,000 jobs.

In twenty-five years nearly 50 percent of the world's population will face water scarcity. Africa is likely to be hit particularly hard, according to reports published to mark World Water Day.

After almost a year after he defeated Abdou Diouf in March 2000, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal talked to allAfrica.com's correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton and other reporters on a diverse array of subjects.

     Part 1: Investigation Into Killing Ordered

     Part 2: Some Success Fighting HIV/AIDS But "We Are Living A Tragedy In Africa Now,"

     Part 3: A "Continental Strategy" For Building Africa Infrastructure Needed

AllAfrica's Ofeibea Quist Arcton travelled to southern Guinea early in late January to report on the plight of hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire near the borders of Sierra Leone and Liberia. Two weeks later, the newly-appointed United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, described the situation as "the worst refugee crisis in the world".

     Border Security Worsens, Refugees Trapped In War Zone

     "We Want To Go Home" Refugees Beg UNHCR

     United Nations Refugee Chief Visits Crisis Area

     Scenes from a Refugee Camp

One of the first actions of Ghana's newly-elected president, John Agyekum Kufuor, was to grant an in-depth interview to allAfrica.com's veteran correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton.

     Part 1: "Securing The State" Top Prioriy, Says Ghana's Kufuor

     Part 2: Managing and Revitalizing the Economy

     Part 3: Leading by Example

A fool at 40? Or a chance of a new start for Nigeria on its 40th birthday - October 1, 2000? Read the analysis from our senior correspondent and Nigeria's finest journalists, get a view from the grassroots, check out some useful links and a chronology of the forty years since Independence.

Get a complete picture of Africa's performance at the Sydney Games - all the stories we published, results for every competition in which African athletes participated and a full medals tally.

President Clinton's three-day state visit to Nigeria, his meetings, the speeches, useful links and coverage by Africa's press.

Additional coverage on the three-day event in Washington, DC

     Summit on Africa Raises Hopes, Issues

     Angolan Journalist Barred from Travel to Washington

     African Ambassadors Weigh in on Summit policy document

     Trade Bill Prospects Improve, Textile Policy Unresolved

     Delegates Work Late Into the Night on Plan of Action

     "Where do we go from here?" Summit delegates ask

An analysis of the presidential election (1999)

An interview with the president of Equatorial Guinea (1999)

A profile by Charlie Cobb (1998)

South Africa announces ambitious plan (1998)

Panel report and related resources (1997)

A growing number of rural Kenyan families are turning to an alternative to the rite of female circumcision for their daughters. (1997)

A survey of news decision-makers and analysis of the "why's" and "how's" of Africa reporting

Dateline: Africa--Essay by Tamela Hultman  Savage Beasts and Beastly Savages  If it's Africa it Must be a Tribe  Dog Bites Man No Longer News  Communication Breakdown  Africa Coverage Lags

One quarter of Somalia's children died while the world looked the other way -- and the United States held a presidential vote -- then "Operation Hope" was launched.

Tangled Ties of the Past Shape U.S.-Somalia Relations  Gun-toting Taxis and Wartime Luxury  A Nation of Poets  Do We Know What We're Doing in Somalia?  Saving Somalia Without The Somalis  Somalia's Silent Sufferers  Dictators and Warlords are a Modern Invention  How the U.S. Can Support Peace and Democracy in the Horn of Africa  Declaration by Somali Political Movements and Traditionally Community Leaders  Relief, Reconciliation, Reconstruction in Somalia

How the United States responded to an early post-Cold War crisis and what that has meant for the West African region and American policy towards Africa.

As conflict and crisis became the order of the day in many of the countries that were leading U.S. allies during the Cold War, the Bush administration carried an an extensive examination of policy options. The text of the confidental study, "American Policy Toward Africa in the 1990's," completed during George Bush's final weeks in office.