Join GLD’s policy roundtable on gender and politics in the global south. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“When I saw the number of people coming out, I just wanted to give all of them a hug and say sorry for all the trouble you had to face.” – Senegalese president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye
Senegal’s new president
44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the president-elect of Senegal. People poured into the streets to celebrate. He comes from humble beginnings: the remote town of Ndiagania, where residents lined up in a long queue to vote. He is a former tax collector who was imprisoned for criticizing the government and spent ten months in jail. He was released a few weeks ago. He was viewed as a proxy for opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, and has stressed sovereignty from France and the establishment of a national currency. He has vowed to govern with humility and transparency. Oge Onubogu and Ibrahim Gambari reflect on the results.
Senegal’s election was the one everyone was waiting for. The weeks leading up to the polls were tumultuous with a lot at stake: the polls threatened Senegal’s standing as a democracy. The broader region – and former French colonies in particular – face significant strains to their political systems. But, the victory of Faye the is a triumph for democracy. The bonds market rallied after the polls too. Is democracy really backsliding in Africa? Jide Okeke provides his take.
Kidnappings in Nigeria
The children recently kidnapped in northern Nigeria were freed this week. This is why Nigerian bandits strategically target school children for kidnappings. Congrats to the team behind the impressive investigation of Nigeria’s mass graves from satellite.
Struggle for rights and freedom
What does activism in Congo look like beyond the hashtag? Will Togo’s new constitution strengthen sovereignty or consolidate power? What is the future of US-Africa trade policy? Jason Warner asks (and answers): Is the Islamic State’s leadership moving to Africa?
And Africans mostly have negative perceptions of their police forces.
Migration and displacement
This article examines the dreams, resilience, and defeats of migrants navigating between Libya and their home countries. Tolu Ogunlesi’s migration musings, on Japa. Amnesty International publishes a new report on how to defend the rights of migrants and refugees in the digital age.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Biking through Kampala. A new World Bank report examines how urbanization can deliver growth and structural transformation in Madagascar. Lagos State forcibly evicted residents and demolished structures in Otto communities, making way for “urban renewal.” Residents were left without compensation. Urbanization and arms trafficking are a deadly mix in Bamako and Lagos. Felix Agyemang and Sean Fox model urban expansion in Africa. Should celebrities like Idris Elba promote new charter cities?
Urbanization in Ethiopia
Is Addis Ababa’s urban makeover progress or peril for its residents? Marco DiNunzio, offers his thoughts on evictions, while Abiy opens the real estate market to foreign investors. So much for Africa’s “tiger economy.”
Research corner
Jeffrey Ahlman discusses his new book Ghana: A Political and Social History on this podcast. I am very excited for Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi’s forthcoming Imagine Lagos: Mapping History, Place, and Politics in a Nineteenth-Century African City. Check out John Clark’s Political Identity and African Foreign Policies.
Natalie Letsa’s article examines partisanship and political socialization in electoral autocracies, with evidence from Cameroon. This article on gender equality in Nigeria analyzes the role of education and religion. Learn more about violent conflict and hostility toward outgroups in Nigeria. This article explores diamonds and risk in British colonial Africa. This is an interesting article on political appointments, electoral competition, and violence in Cote d’Ivoire.
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The week in development
South Africa’s power sector causes severe pollution problems. Egypt’s inflation affects its Ramadan menus. Morocco plans to build the largest football stadium in the world for the 2030 World Cup. Kenya Airways records its first profit since 2017. This is a helpful discussion of Ghana’s cocoa market. Ghana begins new debt talks. This report outlines how to tackle vaccine hesitancy with empathy in Zimbabwe. This piece outlines sustainable fuel subsidy reform in Nigeria. Egyptians brace for more hardships after another currency devaluation. Africa is more unequal than we thought. Car repair businesses in Nairobi open side-by-side as a survival tactic.
When is a policy not a policy? Ken Opalo outlines policymaking for economic transformation.
Africa and the environment
Rising heat, drought and disease ( we will be hearing about this for awhile in the era of climate change). Climate change puts pressure on Kenya’s water resources. Women farmers and children are especially at risk. Chocolate prices will keep rising as West Africa’s cocoa crisis deepens.
And Greenpeace maps Africa’s air pollution hotspots.
Daily life
A walk to the center of the world in Ghana. French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura is caught up in debate over the Olympics and what it means to be French. Novuyo Rosa Tshuma discusses the similarities between US Indian reservations and areas allocated to indigenous populations in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Cameroonian singer Mr Leo finds the “power of our voice.” Life and times, in Abuja.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil