Opinion

REVOLUTIONARY MOMENT

Zimbabwe’s critical choice: state collapse or people-powered change

Emmerson Mnangagwa told us the voice of the people is the voice of God. He didn’t listen to either. Now he faces a people’s power ... movement.

perfect storm

Ghana: Debt repayments greater than health or education spending

Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to ease restrictions when it lifted lockdown measures on 20 April. The country’s Minister of ... Finance Ken Ofori-Atta argued the 21-day lockdown of Ghana’s biggest cities had become financially unbearable for most of the population, a concern that gave the government little choice but to lift the restriction.

Article 9/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 25 May – 29 May"

time to act

Africa Needs Us Now

If ever there was a time to renew our commitment to global collaboration and the wellbeing of all people, now is that time. For Africa’s and ... all our sake.

Article 3/7 of "US Africa – a dynamic partnership"

POST COVID ERA

Post-coronavirus: More sorrow for Africa’s new oil and gas producers

The crash in oil and gas prices, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and the slump in economic activity, has dealt a blow to the plans and ... public finances of major oil- and gas-producing countries. But a group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa once designated as “prospective producers” are facing a different challenge.

Article 2/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 25 May – 29 May"

real world

Call to graduates during coronavirus: ‘Don’t forget how you stayed connected’

As we graduate from Harvard amidst the pandemic, we reflect on the juxtaposition of our relative privilege with the systematic marginalization ... of the artisanal miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As we go into the real world, we have to recognize the contribution of their labour to our education and commit to improving their lives.

Article 4/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 25 May – 29 May"

justice in slow-motion

Rwanda: Can Félicien Kabuga really stand trial?

After 26 years on the run, the judicial outcome of the arrest of Félicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of the Tutsi genocide, will depend on ... the ability of international justice to rise above itself.

investing in the informal

Coronavirus: Nigeria’s informal economy hit hard

Nigeria’s informal economy has grown considerably over the last decade. ...

Article 6/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 25 May – 29 May"

hopping to problems

Hopping to another crisis: Locusts and coronavirus in East Africa

As if taken from the playbook of an infuriated deity, buzzing black clouds cast shadows across countless fields in rural Ethiopia. ...

Article 1/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"

Filling the Data Void

Coronavirus: Improving resilience in West African food systems

West African governments are responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19) by closing borders, banning foreign travellers, closing schools and implementing ... curfews to stop the spread of the virus. Many economic sectors in West Africa such as tourism, transport and entertainment, have slowed to a near standstill, putting millions of jobs at risk.

dull knife

Coronavirus: Is WHO Chief Tedros Ghebreyesus on the chopping block?

When Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus formally announced his candidacy for the post of the Director-General of the World Health Organization on ... 24 May 2016, he certainly received a mixed bag of interest and expectations.

Article 5/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"