This Week in Africa
Discover more from This Week in Africa
A very happy holiday to all. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“Let us run into a new week and chase new goals.” – Eliud Kipchoge
Ramaphosa’s future
Cyril Ramaphosa survived after a strange scandal almost derailed his future. The ANC revoted him as leader of the party. Learn more about the ANC conference, and the new leaders of the party. Ramaphosa now looks toward the 2024 election.
Nigeria’s presidential election
Nigerians go to the polls in early 2023 to vote for a new president. Idayat Hassan explains that the insecurity ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 elections is unprecedented. This Election Violence Tracker reports related conflict around the polls. Atiku Abubakar eyes victory in his sixth presidential contest, while polls favor Peter Obi. This event provides a good primer.
Tenuous peace in Ethiopia
A health crisis threatens well-being in Tigray. Tension emerges in Oromia as the potential for violence escalates. Risks of violence remain high despite the recent peace deal. Learn more about the story behind the killing of the Ethiopian college professor that led to the lawsuit against Meta for $2 billion.
Migration and displacement
A court ordered that it is lawful for the UK to send refugee seekers to Rwanda. Michaela Wrong says it is still shameful. Read these perspectives on migration.
Challenges of democratization
Joe Asunka sets the record straight on African perspectives of democracy. Make sure to read Julia Leininger’s article on democracy promotion in a time of autocratization. Get the latest on Africa’s coups and transitions.
Security and instability
Closing IDP camps in northern Nigeria create new challenges. This is an interesting brief about resistance to Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin. Kenya and Somalia commit to end violent extremism. Kenyan smugglers are using livestock to traffic bhang from Ethiopia. Sudanese security forces teargas pro-democracy protesters.
US and Africa
Where does the US and Africa stand now after the recent summit? Zainab Usman testifies on how to modernize development assistance. Howard French explains how Africa can avoid being scrambled.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
There is a tree problem in east African cities. This is what Tanzania’s “per diem town” says about development. Check out these reflections on researching new cities underway in the Global South. I look forward to reading Astrid Haas’ article “Decentralization, revenue and the capital city: the case of Kampala, Uganda.” This looks awesome: Victoria Okoye’s “Competing visions of modernity in urban Ghana.” What makes Lagos unique?
Uppsala is a great place to work on the contentious politics of urbanization. Case in point: Emma Elfversson, Kristine Höglund, Angela Muvumba Sellström, and Camille Pellerin have this new article in Political Geography: “Contesting the growing city? Forms of urban growth and consequences for communal violence.”
Research corner
Check out this entry on “The psychology of consumer dignity.” Kenneth Roberts analyzes populism and polarization in comparative perspective. Great new research on burnout and stress among maternity care providers in Northern Ghana. More on the politics of power crises in Ghana. Read this article on Malawi’s post-independence foreign policy and its influence on development options. Check out the new issue of Urban Affairs Review with its awesome new editors. I look forward to reading Vimbai Chaumba Kwashirai’s Election Violence in Zimbabwe: Human Rights, Politics and Power.
The week in development
China’s appetite for rosewood fuels illegal logging in Ghana. How to build state capacity with increased tax revenue. Ghana will suspend payments on some of its external debts to try to stabilize the economy. More on Africa’s debt crisis. Ethiopia faces a cement supply shortage. This is why social protection matters in policy responses to COVID-19. The World Bank awarded $100 million to Zambia. A map of African ports. David Ndii argues that Africa’s infrastructure-led growth experiment is faltering (thread here).
The labor of land.
Africa and the environment
SIPRI has been busy this year! Gold dredging is on the rise in Okapi Wildlife Preserve. South Africa deploys army to power stations amid energy crisis. Hunger levels in West and Central Africa are set to hit all-time high. Climate change fuels unprecedented cholera increase. Togo’s new climate policies reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Nearly every country signs onto a new agreement to protect nature. The forest in your chocolate.
Some great reads from 2022 on the world’s ecological emergency.
Daily life
This is a nice series on the importance of religion in Zimbabwe. Old Town, Mombasa—best town. Oh, Dakar. Ooh, Cameroon. Africa’s biggest photography library opens in Accra. Yum.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil