Help GLD validate the Local Governance Process Indicators. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“We are disappointed in my country. We used to be a great democracy. Now we are in danger of being the laughingstock of other countries.” – Senegalese teacher Moustapha Kane
Senegal’s constitutional crisis
Senegal’s president Macky Sall announced that he is delaying this year’s presidential election nearly a year to December 15. ECOWAS asks the country to reverse the delay. Protesters reignited their #FreeSenegal campaign, and clashed with riot police outside Parliament. Police removed opposition lawmakers who refused to vote for the bill. The scene was quite chaotic. The delay certainly risks Sall’s legacy, and threatens the economy. Senegalese continue to demand democracy, but are frustrated with how it works. Human rights and democracy are at risk, as Sall’s critics even call it a coup.
Catherine Lena Kelly explains the tensions between the legislature and the judiciary, and how the president manufactured a constitutional crisis to extend his rule. Bamba Ndiaye discusses the slow demise of democracy in the country. Nic Cheeseman explains how the election fits into the continent’s political terrain in 2024. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi argues that Africans still want democracy, but their leaders are failing to deliver on those expectations.
Namibia’s president dies
Namibia’s president Hage Geingoib died at age 82 after a battle with cancer. He was the 19th African leader to die in office in the past 25 years. Deputy Nangolo Mbumba took over. What’s next in Namibia? Kim Yi Dionne outlines the next steps.
Ghana’s presidential election
It’s a long year of campaigning for Ghana’s presidential candidates. NPP candidate Mahamadu Bawumia outlined his policy proposals in a major speech this week. He seeks to cut government expenditures and taxes. John Osae-Kwapong previews Bawumia’s challenges ahead. Nana Ama Agyemang Asante calls out Bawumia’s hypocrisy and criticizes his party’s economic failures. Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo sacked 24 district executives in a government shake-up. Theo Acheampong provides his analysis of the upcoming polls. My article with George Bob-Milliar emphasizes the role of campaign visits in Ghana’s elections.
Sudan’s civil war
Alex de Waal explains how the Sudanese civil war is a vortex of transnational conflicts. The Rapid Support Forces continues its ethnic cleansing campaign, and posts about it on X.
Governing South Africa
A new poll shows that the ANC is likely to lose its majority. Justice Malala argues that South Africa faces another five years of uncertainty. This piece discusses needed reforms to South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. Migration trends and policy reforms are discussed in this report.
The future of ECOWAS
Mvemba Phezo Dizolele discusses breaking up with ECOWAS. Is ECOWAS facing its BREXIT moment? Do Africa’s many regional blocs add value?
Security and instability
Thousands flee in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels advance near Goma. Deaths from Islamist militant violence continue to rise. ACLED’s Clionadh Raleigh writes: “You’re right: the world is getting more violent.”
What does the future of peacekeeping hold?
Struggle for rights and freedom
Learn more about Dag Hammarskjöld, Katanga, and the coup against the Lumumba government. Aili Tripp explains why there are more women in parliament than ever before. A cult leader and 29 followers in Kenya are charged with the murder of 191 children. Kenyan women battle for their lives. Kenya plans to bypass court order in its troop deployment to Haiti. What’s going on with Zimbabwe’s opposition?
Adam Schatz argues that the world has caught up to Frantz Fanon.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Authorities are blaming rickshaws for rising crime in Abuja. Ivan Turok calls for a rethinking of the link between urbanization and economic development. Kenya’s Parliament Budget Office finds that President Ruto’s housing scheme favors the rich. Senegal’s Hann Bay transformed from a tourist haven to an industrial sewer. Women in Lagos’ informal settlements are struggling as breadwinners. Vincent Ng’ethe argues that Kenya keeps shrinking for the real hustlers. This article examines the making of Abuja’s informal settlements.
Is co-production useful?
Research corner
This provocative essay by Yusuf Serenkuma criticizes the “decolonial” push to provide global visibility to African scholars. Bizuneh Yimenu examines federalism and state restructuring in Africa, as well as continuities and changes in electoral authoritarianism in Ethiopia. This is a neat study on African student entrepreneurs in China. Learn about water and development in Ghana. This article examines how civic networks can help combat corruption in Africa. In this GLD Working Paper, Alexander Yeandle shows how exposure to online platforms can reduce unfair incumbency advantages in Malawi. What works in democracy support?
Moses Khisa edits Autocratization in Contemporary Uganda. Get your copy of Africa’s Global Infrastructures: South-South Transformations in Practice. Joseph Stieglitz’ The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society is out soon. Saskia Brechenmacher and Katherine Mann’s Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics looks great. Check out Angela Pashayan’s Development in Africa’s Informal Settlements: Below the Proletariat. Colonialism and Postcololonial Perspectives. This looks good: Ujamaa's Army: the Creation and Evolution of the Tanzania People's Defence Force, 1964-1979. And so does Admire Mseba’s Society, Power, and Land in Northeastern Zimbabwe, ca. 1560-1960.
What good is anthropology?
The week in development
Zainab Usman argues that the US needs to keep its trade with Africa strong. Ken Opalo explains the information problems associated with risk analysis in Africa. This piece envisions Africa’s AI governance landscape in 2024. Greece-based Mytilineos takes on Ghana’s new bauxite mine and refinery project. Trafigura and Ivanhoe sign copper export deal via US-backed corridor in the DR Congo.
Ghana struggles with the dumping of secondhand clothes. A beer shortage threatens Zanzibar’s tourist industry. Illegal fishing costs Africa billions of dollars annually. A cholera outbreak surges in Somalia after massive flooding. This is why a basic income grant would benefit all South Africans. Why are manufacturers leaving Kenya?
Africa and the environment
Giant tortoises have returned to Madagascar 600 years after being wiped out. Used car imports are threatening the environment. Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches face environmental and conflict threats. Waste has become a focal point for environmental activism in Tunisia. Italy’s energy deal faces a backlash in Africa. Uganda attempts to embed a circular economy into its national strategy. Old crops are key to saving Africa’s degraded soils. 2024 begins with more record heat worldwide. Can the sand motor save Africa’s eroding coasts?
Daily life
Will African art museums change the game? Ladies and gents, Dr. Joseph Kabila. Burna Boy at the Grammys. The global rise of African music. These Ivorian sandals are taking over football. Stephanie Kitchen explains the path to getting more African voices heard on the global stage. 8 years of Addis Fine Art. I love this: Read your way through Lagos. Elephants, Super Eagles, Let’s go!
And I am hungry: Farida Simba and Neema Iyer’s Taste of Two Regions: Celebrating East & West African Cuisines.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil