Barack Obama’s high standing in sub-Sahara Africa persisted despite grumbling that he never delivered American largess to the degree many initially expected.
The Gambian election dispute is not the first that ECOWAS has confronted. Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 presidential election is a case in point. There it resorted to military action to enforce the outcome.
The politicisation of academia definitely contributes to a decline in academic standards. This is a situation South Africa must work hard to avoid. It can learn from others on the continent.
Despite military successes against Boko Haram, Nigeria needs to face up to the unpalatable truth that military force alone will not win the deadly war, and start discussions about peace building.
Sustainable development is one of the priorities of Nigeria’s new government. This is an opportunity to combat problems detrimental to the country’s economy and ecosystems.
President Buhari’s cabinet selection brings hope. The major challenge now is to deliver on his promise to fight corruption, restructure Nigeria’s economy and reduce poverty.
No-one imagined that it would take Muhammadu Buhari more than 100 days to form a cabinet. But, then again, Nigeria is no ordinary country and it has its own inherent logic.
President Buhari of Nigeria has finally named his cabinet. He was either slow, or he was very choosy, or he couldn’t find enough honest people. Certainly his 55th national anniversary speech was full of…
Apart from numerous worldwide threats including from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the US is taking more notice of Africa due to the expansion of extremist organisations on the continent.
Muhammadu Buhari could learn some useful lessons from Barack Obama when they meet in Washington, particularly on how to get an economy back on its feet.
Former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo led confidently on African affairs because they were elected by comfortable majorities at home and had solid control of their political parties.
Jan Smuts Professor of International Relations and Director of the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS), University of the Witwatersrand