July 15, 2022
Kenya: Kenya's Election Promises - an Economist's Perspective
Kenya has four presidential candidates in the August 2022 general election. They recently launched their manifestos and one thing ties them together: the economy. Read more »
July 12, 2022
South Africa: Zondo Commission's Report On Intelligence Agency Is Important but Flawed
South Africa's judicial probe into state capture and corruption, the Zondo Commission, has concluded that the State Security Agency was integral to the capture of the state by… Read more »
West Africa: Herder-Farmer Conflict in the Sahel Needs a New Description - Why 'Eco-Violence' Fits
The Sahel - a 5,000km long strip of the African continent stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea - has become the most neglected and conflict-ridden part of the planet.… Read more »
July 11, 2022
South Africa: A Referendum On Electoral Reform Might Stir Up Trouble
After 28 years of democracy, South Africa is having to reform its political party-based electoral system to make it fairer and in line with the constitution, by allowing… Read more »
July 09, 2022
South Africa: Deadly Riots May Recur If There's No Change
Last July South Africa was hit by a wave of devastating violence that left over 350 people dead and caused massive economic damage. Different people have used different terms to… Read more »
July 06, 2022
Africa: How Africans Can Assess the Value of the Latest G7 Summit
Leaders of the world's seven advanced economies have once again pledged economic support for Africa and other developing countries. But the realisation of these commitments depends… Read more »
July 05, 2022
Kenya: Fringe Presidential Candidates - What They Offer in Elections
On 9 August 2022, Kenyans will vote for their fifth president. It will be the country's seventh general election since the resumption of multiparty electoral democracy 30 years… Read more »
July 04, 2022
Lesotho: Elections Due in October Despite Lack of Progress On Key Political Reforms
Lesotho is due to hold national elections in mid-October. The polls were expected to be held under a new constitutional regime resulting from a reform process that started in 2012.… Read more »
July 03, 2022
Africa: The African Union At 20 - Some Reason to Cheer, but Lots of Work Ahead
The European Union (EU) has lived up to the primary reason it was created - ensuring that member states will not wage physical war against one another, but settle their differences… Read more »
Kenya: Why Kenya's Experiment in Giving Local Govts the Power to Manage Food Security Hasn't Worked
The ability of Kenya's 47 county governments to manage food security has been met with various challenges. These have crippled their capacity to deal with the impact of the ongoing… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Book On Zimbabwe Strongman Robert Mugabe's Legacy Has Many Flaws
Development studies professor David Moore's new book, Mugabe's Legacy: Coups, Conspiracies and the Conceits of Power in Zimbabwe, attempts to understand the legacy of Robert… Read more »
June 24, 2022
South Africa: Ramaphosa Scandal Likely to Intensify Ruling Party's Slide
The African National Congress (ANC) faces an increasingly uncertain future as the dominant political party in South Africa following the recent scandal engulfing its leader,… Read more »
June 23, 2022
Kenya: How Degree Requirement for Top Political Posts Turned Into a Fiasco
The rush for academic credentials is nothing new ahead of a Kenyan election. Candidates are challenged about the existence or validity of their university degrees, and controversy… Read more »
June 15, 2022
South Africa: South Africa's Epochal 1976 Uprisings Shouldn't Be Reduced to a Symbolic Ritual
On the morning of Wednesday, 16 June 1976, young students from schools across Soweto set out on a march through the sprawling black township outside Johannesburg. The march was to… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Fourth Republic Has Been the Best the Country's Had. but It Could Be Better
Ghana has had four constitutional republics since independence. However, only the Fourth Republic - 1992 to the present - has remained relatively stable. This is partly due to the… Read more »
June 12, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria Has Failed to Marry Its Rich Cultural Diversity and Democracy. Can It Be Done?
Democracy in Nigeria has been characterised by election rigging, rotation of the same set of candidates for various electoral positions and subversion of the rule of law. Thuggery,… Read more »
Nigeria: Money Is Breaking Democracy in Nigeria
Nigeria has had 23 years of unbroken civilian rule since 1999, and commemorates this return to democratic governance on 12 June. The Conversation Africa asked political scientist… Read more »
June 09, 2022
Southern Africa: What Lesotho Can Teach Eswatini and South Africa About Key Political Reforms
Two southern African countries, South Africa and Eswatini, are undergoing important reforms. South Africa is reviewing its electoral system while Eswatini is revisiting the powers… Read more »
June 08, 2022
South Africa: South Africa Is in Search of a Fairer Electoral System. but What's Been Tabled Is Flawed
South Africa is amending its electoral law to make it fairer by enabling citizens to contest provincial and national elections without being forced to join political parties. Read more »
June 07, 2022
Nigeria: There's Violence Every Election Season in Nigeria - What Can Be Done to Stop It
Violence is one of the recurrent features of Nigeria's electoral history and democratic journey since independence in 1960. The country invariably sees an escalation of violence in… Read more »
June 06, 2022
Somalia: Election Was Different - Why That's Not Necessarily a Bad Thing
At the end of a tough electoral process marked by intensified violence, Somalia has a new president. Read more »
June 05, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria Has Just Hiked Interest Rates - Why It's the Wrong Recipe for Curbing Inflation
The Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced an increase in the interest rate, from 11.5% to 13%, a 1.5 percentage point hike that took effect immediately. Read more »
June 03, 2022
Uganda: Martyrs' Day - How Life in Uganda Today Mirrors the Dark Old Days of Kabaka
Martyrs' Day in Uganda commemorates the bold decision of some early converts to Christianity to give up their lives for the sake of the gospel. The day, marked on 3 June every year… Read more »
June 01, 2022
Zimbabwe: How to Judge Candidates' Social Protection Promises Ahead of 2023 Elections
Zimbabwe is heading for general polls in 2023 amid an ongoing macroeconomic crisis. In the decade starting from 2001, the state-led economy started to show signs of strain.… Read more »
May 31, 2022
South Africa: ANC Policy Papers Touch On Key Issues Facing Agriculture and Land Reform in South Africa
The latest policy discussion document published by the African National Congress (ANC) presents a positive change from the ambiguous agriculture policy the South African governing… Read more »