Now chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling People's Democratic Party, Olusegun Obasanjo still looms large in Nigerian public life.

Tensions rise ahead of polls

Battles within the ruling PDP mean that the 2011 elections may be the country’s most competitive ever, but the risks of military intervention and electoral fraud are ever-present.

A promised return to civilian rule

Salou Djibo’s military junta must guide the country through transparent elections in 2011 if it is to prove its desire to hand over to a civilian government and maintain donor support.

Instability threatens desert charms

There is no clear frontrunner for the 2012 elections since the opposition is divided and Prime Minister Sidibé’s party is still young, untested and without a strong party structure.

No lucky breaks

Problems in the management of the cotton sector led producers to abandon the crop to produce other staples, changing the country’s dependence on a traditional source of export revenue.

Increased spending fuels growth

Boosted by increased tourism and social spending, Cape Verde anticipates calm elections in 2011 and the attainment of several Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

A chance to start again
In late October, the government appeared to be on a path out of the crisis that began in 2002, but the incoming administration will have to operate in an extremely tense political environment.

Stamping out dissent
Like most strongmen, Jammeh fears that members of his entourage would like to replace him and he continues to purge the security services of suspected plotters.

Hedging its bets

President Atta Mills faces dissent from the NDC faction backed by the Rawlings family, while the NPP faces similar problems between past and future presidential candidates.

The aftermath of mutiny

The threat posed by drug trafficking and unruly soldiers dominates the political scene, making reform of the security sector a dangerous proposition for any politician.

A new man at the helm

President Alpha Condé plans to reform public finances, the military and the mining sector, all of which will be met by stiff resistance from domestic and international vested interests.

Entering a landmark year

Faced with a sometimes hostile legislature, President Johnson Sirleaf's minority party has banded together with other groups in the hope of attracting more support in the 2011 poll.

Young politician, old-school politics

The government has effectively divided the largest opposition party by bringing Olympio’s UFC into government, ensuring that policy will be approved effortlessly at all levels of the administration.