DON'T MISS : Talking Africa Podcast – Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema: 'We've never seen such levels of corruption'

Latest Stories

Justice is served

DRC: Kamerhe loses his appeal and his party threatens to drop its alliance with Tshisekedi

Although his sentence was reduced, former cabinet director Vital Kamerhe has been found guilty of “misappropriation” of public funds. His ... party, the "Union pour la Nation Congolaise" (UNC), has denounced this “political trial” and threatened to “no longer participate in [state] institutions.” This could cause further upheaval within the ruling “Union Sacrée” alliance

Phased out

Nigeria is at war. So why are so many generals potentially heading for retirement?

Nigeria is currently facing an asymmetrical war. There are battles against Islamist terrorists, bandits, militants, pirates and separatists, ... a situation which has placed the most populous African country as number three on the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Terrorism Index. But policy and personnel changes mean that a large number of senior officials could be forced into retirement. With activists and analysts already sounding the alarm about the rise in insecurity, will those personnel changes have a major impact on how the country responds to these threats?

react or reflect?

Benin: Has Talon’s government underestimated the jihadist risk?

A report about a worrying increase in violence in the Benin has caused a stir in Cotonou. Its authors claim that jihadists are operating on Beninese ... territory and that the authorities are trying to minimise the threat. Unofficially, the latter deny its content and criticise its methodology. But at what point should Benin's authorities start paying attention?

South Africa's Deputy President, David Mabuza, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

international exits

Will rising insecurity in Africa push China away?

One of the original 'China in Africa' memes that still endures today among many people on the continent is that the “Chinese want to colonise ... Africa” and want to “invade” the continent using a mix of debt traps, trade dependency, and immigration.

Covidgate continues

Cameroon: Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute questioned over ‘Covidgate’

Cameroon’s prime minister Joseph Dion Ngute faced questions over mismanagement of Covid-19 funds. ...

Africa goes to Cannes

Cannes Festival: Two African films up for Palme d’Or

The Cannes Festival, which was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place this year from 6 to 17 July, with two African ... films in the line-up. It is expected that the world’s largest film festival will be able to proceed almost as normal, thanks to a decline in the number of Covid cases worldwide.

A man holds a flag of Oromo Liberation Front during the opening ceremony of Irreecha celebration in Addis Ababa

non-violent struggle

Ethiopia: Victory for the Oromo will come from winning hearts and minds, not terrorising people

The terrorism of the Oromo Liberation Army is not advancing Oromo interests. Nonviolence succeeds more often than violence in securing political ... power. Its adherents are sometimes killed and hurt. But the number of casualties is less than those in war, and the political gains from nonviolence tend to be more durable.

Nigeria is at war. So why are so many generals potentially heading for retirement?

react or reflect?

Benin: Has Talon’s government underestimated the jihadist risk?

Covidgate continues

Cameroon: Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute questioned over ‘Covidgate’

Phased out

Nigeria is at war. So why are so many generals potentially heading for retirement?

react or reflect?

Benin: Has Talon’s government underestimated the jihadist risk?

Covidgate continues

Cameroon: Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute questioned over ‘Covidgate’

Join a global community who rely on us for insight into power,
markets and people on the continent.

Join now

foreign investors

How will Nigeria’s Twitter ban affect tech investors

In recent years Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, has become Africa’s most attractive tech hub for investors. But that could be imperilled by ... the government’s decision to suspend Twitter’s operations in the country.

modern colonialist venture

UK’s plan for ‘Global Britain’ is arguably the re-emergence of colonialism

To say I’m disappointed in Britain would be an understatement. I think for many British Africans, we have gotten to a point where we are either ... questioning our place in British identity or ready to completely denounce it.

David and Goliath

Nigeria: Guaranty Trust Bank’s holding company can lift profit, analysts say

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Nigeria’s biggest bank by market value, is close to obtaining regulatory approval for a holding company structure, ... which analysts say will lift profitability.

Secret mission

Algeria/France: Saïd Chengriha’s secret meeting with Paris on the Sahel’s security

Saïd Chengriha, head of the Algerian army, has gone to Paris to discuss the Sahel’s new security situation, nearly a week after France’s ... President Emmanuel Macron announced the end of Operation Barkhane.

power list

Ethiopia elections: 10 things to watch out for

On 21 June, Ethiopians will vote in legislative and regional elections. Twice postponed due to Covid-19 and security issues, the upcoming ballot ... promises to be crucial for Africa’s second most populous country. What are the various flashpoints around Ethiopia? Who are the main parties? Here are 10 things you should know ahead of the polls.

close supporters

Côte d’Ivoire: Who are Laurent Gbagbo’s most loyal allies?

Despite his arrest and imprisonment, Côte d'Ivoire's former president Laurent Gbagbo had the unwavering support of a core group of people. Some ... were arrested and also imprisoned; others went into exile after his fall. We take a look at those who have been waiting for his return eight years after leaving the country.

Caught in the middle

CAR’s former prime minister Firmin Ngrebada was a victim of France and Russia’s power struggle

The handover of power between Firmin Ngrebada and Henri-Marie Dondra, the new CAR prime minister, took place on 15 June. We reveal the backstory ... of how Ngrebada got caught up in France and Russia’s power struggle.

african gandhi

Obituary: Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda helped liberate Southern African countries

Kenneth Kaunda, one of Zambia’s former presidents fondly known as KK, died at the age of 97 on 17 June. A pan-Africanist, Kaunda is being mourned ... at home and the continent. He will be most remembered for his unwavering support of Southern African nationalism.

Army deployment

Algeria: Is President Tebboune preparing to send troops abroad?

During recent statements made on Libya and Mali, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hinted that Algerian troops may be sent abroad. ...

smaller is beautiful

Smaller African states do not necessarily make better democracies

After publishing 'Democracy in Africa' back in 2015, I spent the next few years answering all kinds of questions about the prospects for democratic ... consolidation on the continent.

Article 9/9 of "Political Capital"

The return of Gbagbo

Côte d’Ivoire: Return of Laurent Gbagbo brings both excitement and fear

The former president returns today, 17 June, to Côte d'Ivoire, a decade after his arrest and three months after the International Criminal Court ... (ICC) acquitted him. His supporters await his return with enthusiasm but some Abidjanis remain apprehensive.

Liberation hero

Zambia mourns, as Kenneth Kaunda dies age 97

Zambian Independence leader Kenneth Kaunda has died in a military hospital in Lusaka. A much-beloved leader for his willingness to step down ... after losing an election, nationalising the assets of DeBeers and Oppenheimer, and facing down apartheid South Africa.

A worker is pictured at the Stena forth drill rig for Springfield Group, the first independent African energy company to discover oil in deep sea, at the sea near Takoradi

energy transitions

Exxon’s exit from Ghana may be first sign of majors quitting Africa

Ghana's upstream petroleum sector is going through a tricky patch. American giant ExxonMobil's unexpected exit from the sector has only ramped ... up anxiety. And it is not just Exxon: TotalEnergies is also actively moving away from crude in Nigeria. Ghana will need to aggressively tackle many challenges while quickly repositioning itself in the face of a global energy transition.

Latest Stories

More top stories