The Kenyan example illustrates the importance of constitutional guarantees for devolution. But it also shows that devolution is no magic bullet for the problems of corruption and ethnic politics.
Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Trade flows between East Africa and Europe need to change.
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The numerical basis used to study African economies suffers from major knowledge gaps. This needs to improve if numbers are to inform policies that will encourage growth and push back poverty.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta address a news conference at State House in Nairobi.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Narendra Modi’s first trip to Africa has widely been heralded as a success, but his brand of diplomacy has left the most pressing issues for the continent unaddressed.
Boris Johnson, the man who led the Brexit campaign, has been appointed as the UK’s chief diplomat. It has sent shudders down many spines, but does Africa need to worry?
Protesters are standing up against the police’s road blocks in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo
The protest by Zimbabweans against police road blocks and banned imports highlights a new political economy that is rising on the back of informalisation of the economy.
Riot police detain residents of Epworth suburb after a protest by taxi drivers turned violent in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo
Zimbabwe has experienced another wave of discontent, manifesting in protests by its citizenry. This may well herald a change in the idea of citizenship in the country.
Some countries in Africa are well placed to follow the path of development pioneered by a number of Asian countries.
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It’s important to interrogate the key factors that pushed countries from Third World to First World status in the 20th century. Asia’s experiences hold many lessons for Africa.
Former South African presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki at Mbeki’s inauguration in 1999.
Reuters
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki remains a puzzle to many of his compatriots. A new book, ‘The Thabo Mbeki I know’, will help to understand him better.
Idyllic Mauritius is the only African country ranked in the favourable category of ‘more stable’ in the latest survey on state fragility.
Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi
The Fragile States Index leaves more questions than it answers. Like similar global surveys, its credibility hinges on reliable data. But how sound are its statistics and their interpretation?
Going nowhere: Robert and Grace Mugabe.
EPA/Aaron Ufumeli
Britain’s decision to leave the EU will fundamentally affect Africa’s relationship with UK in a way that will be damaging to all.
In the 1990s Paul Kagame of Rwanda, along with Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, were considered the democratic darlings of Africa.
Reuters/Hereward Holland
Africa’s democratic promise of the 1990s has lost its shine. Hopes for accountable rule have faded in Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda. All have blocked the path to meaningful popular empowerment.
Markets plunged after the UK voted to exit the EU. Africa’s trade relations with both the EU and UK will be affected by the decision.
Reuters/Kevin Coombs
The scandal at Uganda’s Parliamentary Budget Office shows that figuring out the proper roles, functions, internal controls, and capacities is more pressing than ever.
Africa must adopt an integrated approach to effectively reduce hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
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There are a number of efforts on the African continent aimed at helping people overcome food insecurity. Even though some progress has been made, the situation remains bleak.
Anthropologue et démographe, professeur émérite au Muséum national d’histoire naturelle et conseiller de la direction de l'INED, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN)