In both South Africa and Ethiopia, the dominant political party grew complacent and corrupt, and suffered decay COMMENT | BINIAM BEDASSO | The leaders of two key African countries resigned their posts within 24 hours of each other recently. South Africa’s Jacob Zuma finally buckled under pressure from his own party …
Read More »In the Alps, traffickers prey on migrants and rescuers alike
Montgenèvre, France | AFP | Five African migrants stumble through the snow, exhausted and numb, abandoned hours earlier by a smuggler who left them to make their own way down the mountain from Italy into France. They are among dozens who have been tricked in recent weeks into paying hundreds …
Read More »Tillerson heads to Africa, with China in his sights
Washington, United States | AFP | Washington’s top diplomat set off for Africa on Tuesday to tour countries that form a new theater for competition with America’s ambitious great power rival China. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s trip to Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Chad and Nigeria will take him to new …
Read More »African legislators in campaign to address gun violence
Midrand, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | African legislators have started a campaign to push for ratification and implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to address armed violence rampant on the continent. The Members of Parliament (MPs) noted that the readily available small arms and weapons are responsible for the …
Read More »Tillerson to take first Africa trip next week
Washington, United States | AFP | US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Africa next week, the State department said Thursday, in his first visit to the continent since President Donald Trump entered office. Tillerson will travel to “N’Djamena, Chad; Djibouti, Djibouti; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; and …
Read More »COMMENT: Africa’s leadership gap
The continent’s democracies badly need a new generation of leaders, but where are they to be found? COMMENT | STEPHEN CHAN | In every single African country, young people make up the majority of the population and they are generally very ill served by their ageing governments. Young leaders, where they …
Read More »COMMENT: Keys to a new South Africa
The new leader; Ramaphosa will need to urgently attend to them if the country is to chart a new course COMMENT | FRED PHASWANA | Jacob Zuma resigned as South Africa’s president – an inevitable move, following the African National Congress’ withdrawal of its support. Two decades after Nelson Mandela tried …
Read More »Erdogan starts new Africa tour to push Turkey’s influence
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Algeria on Monday as he embarked a new tour of Africa in a bid to ramp up Turkey’s growing influence throughout the continent. The Turkish strongman touched down in Algiers, the first leg of the trip that he described as …
Read More »The problem with Africa
The problem with Africa: If our countries remain poor, it’s because its leaders and elites are too kind to their people to force transformation THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Last week, President Yoweri Museveni tweeted a picture of himself pushing a bicycle in some village “promoting” an irrigation scheme. …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How corrupt local officials kill decent education in Africa
Kampala, Uganda | MATY KONTE | There’s no disputing that many African countries’ education systems are in trouble. Despite significant investment and some improvements linked to the push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, children in large parts of Africa are simply not being well taught or learning what is needed …
Read More »