October 24, 2022
South Africa: Parliament Fails to Hold the Executive to Account - History Shows What Can Happen
In South Africa's apartheid era from 1948 to 1994, the executive arm of government dominated over parliament. In any system, this allows a small group of politicians to dominate… Read more »
October 23, 2022
Africa: Policy-Makers Must Change Direction Fast in the Post-Pandemic Era
After navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians now find themselves facing still more challenges that impact their daily lives on almost every front. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria Floods - Govt's Mismanagement of Dams Is a Major Cause
There has been severe flooding in Nigeria - the worst in a decade. Earlier this month, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency warned of catastrophic flooding for states… Read more »
October 20, 2022
Lesotho: New Leaders Will Have to Deal With Political Discontent
The southern African kingdom of Lesotho went to the polls on 7 October 2022. Or at least some of its voters did. Turnout was at an all-time low of 38% of registered voters. Many… Read more »
South Africa: Struggle Songs Against Apartheid Come From a Long Tradition of Resistance
Struggle songs, also known as protest music or liberation songs, are defined as "expressions of discontent or dissent" used by politically disenfranchised protesters to influence… Read more »
Lesotho: New Leaders Have a Lot of Work - and Convincing - to Do After Elections
The southern African kingdom of Lesotho went to the polls on 7 October 2022. Or at least some of its voters did. Turnout was at an all-time low of 38% of registered voters. Many… Read more »
October 14, 2022
Lesotho: Lesotho Elections - Newcomers Score Impressive Win, but Politics Will Still Be Unstable
The 2022 national elections in Lesotho will go down in the country's history as among the most eventful. A party formed only six months ahead of the legislative election,… Read more »
October 10, 2022
Burundi: Exit of Nkurunziza's Men - What Evariste Ndayishimiye Should Do Next
Burundi's president, General Évariste Ndayishimiye, recently sacked the country's prime minister Guillaume Bunyoni after alleging that Bunyoni was plotting a coup against… Read more »
October 07, 2022
Uganda: Uganda's Owen Falls Dam - a Colonial Legacy That Still Stings, 67 Years Later
Uganda's Owen Falls hydropower plant has a rich history that predates the country's independence in 1962. The plant is located across the White Nile and sits between the towns of… Read more »
October 05, 2022
Lesotho: Lesotho Bungles Political Reforms, Risking Fresh Bout of Instability After 2022 Poll
The Kingdom of Lesotho - a small landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of 2.1 million people - has failed to introduce key political reforms needed to bring… Read more »
October 04, 2022
South Africa: A Basic Income Grant for South Africa - More Money in Poor People's Pockets, but At a Heavy Cost
Analyses of the implications of extending income support measures in South Africa, including a basic income grant, have focused on one of three things: how much it will cost,… Read more »
October 03, 2022
Kenya: New Finance Minister Has Good Credentials but He Can't Work Miracles
President William Ruto has nominated Njuguna Ndung'u to head Kenya's National Treasury. A Central Bank of Kenya governor for eight years between 2007 and 2015, Ndung'u is also an… Read more »
October 02, 2022
East Africa: Massacre Offers Window Into the Past and Future of the DRC Conflict
For nearly three decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been embroiled in violence. Millions of people have been killed and an estimated 5.6 million others displaced… Read more »
September 30, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria At 62 - Five Essential Reads On Why There Isn't an Inspiring Story to Tell
As Nigeria marks its 62nd independence anniversary, many will be checking to see if there is indeed any reason for celebrations. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria Ticks Some Boxes As a Democracy. Why This Hasn't Translated Into a Better Life for Most
Since gaining independence on 1 October 1960, Nigeria has struggled to maintain a democratic government. Read more »
Nigeria: Independence Day Is a Time to Reflect On Political Gains and Challenges - and a Way Forward
Nigeria got independence from Britain on 1 October 1960. As the country celebrates its political journey in the last 62 years, political scientist Ayo Olukotun takes a look at the… Read more »
September 22, 2022
Africa: Calls By Zelensky and Biden for UN Reform Are Supported By People Around the World - New Survey
In a landmark speech to the United Nations (UN), the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, demanded that Russia and other aggressors should be stripped of their veto power in… Read more »
September 25, 2022
South Africa: 5 Xenophobic Myths About Immigrants in South Africa Debunked By Researchers
In South Africa, immigrants are often scapegoated as the root of socio-economic problems. In the post-apartheid landscape, Black African immigrants, mainly, from other African… Read more »
September 23, 2022
Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta Failed to Turn Kenya Into As Big an International Player As He Could - Here's Why
One of the notable achievements of Uhuru Kenyatta's nine-year tenure as president was that he invigorated Kenya's foreign policy. Read more »
September 18, 2022
Kenya: William Ruto Vs Media - Democracy Is At Stake
It's a long-standing Kenyan tradition to offer congratulations in paid print and TV messages to an incoming president. The bulk of these messages are put out by government agencies… Read more »
September 13, 2022
South Africa: South Africa's Increasing Water Stress Requires Urgent Informed Actions #AfricaClimateCrisis
Progress has been made since 2015 on a global scale in terms of increasing access to water of an acceptable quality and to sanitation services. But 2 billion people still lack… Read more »
September 15, 2022
Kenya: William Ruto Is Now in Charge of Shaky Economy - Where to Start
Kenya's President William Ruto, sworn in as new President on 13 September 2022, has inherited an economy saddled with debt, inflation, joblessness and national pessimism. The… Read more »
September 14, 2022
Senegal: 2024 Presidential Poll Is Shaping Up As a Real Contest, With Voters in the Driver's Seat
In July 2022 Senegalese voters converged at polling stations to elect 165 members of parliament (MPs) to represent them in the National Assembly. Read more »
September 11, 2022
South Africa: Job Creation in South Africa - the President's Advisors Discuss What It Will Take
At the end of 2021, South Africa recorded its highest unemployment rate since the dawn of democracy, at 35.3%. The figure has marginally dropped but there is still concern about… Read more »
September 07, 2022
South Africa: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Credibility Has Been Dented, Putting His Reform Agenda in Jeopardy
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa's business interests are threatening to derail his presidency and stall his economic and political reform agenda. Read more »