This Week in Africa

August 23, 2024

Quote of the week

“Wait so despite the Tinubu led Government telling Nigerians to bear the economic hardship and wait for a better tomorrow, they were busy paying cash for a new private Jet to add to the presidential fleet that has over 6 aircraft’s already?” – Francis D Matthew

Protests across the continent

Gen Z demands tangible governance changes. Henrik Maihack examines whether Africa is approaching its African Spring. Will there be more protests soon?

African international relations

Folashadé Soulé explains how to maximize the benefits of the renewed global interest in Africa’s strategic minerals. Global leaders all want in on the game. Judd Devermont and Mvemba Dizolele discuss rethinking Africa-US relations.

Struggle for rights and freedom

This piece outlines the relationship between God and politics in Africa. Nigerians are outraged by president Tinubu’s new plane. This is how the president deals with hunger. Learn more about Africa’s constantly evolving militant threat. This is why singer Tyla’s racial identity has rallied South Africans behind coloured communities. Cameroon’s old Paul Biya has thinner skin. This piece outlines the struggles for peace in Sudan. Learn more about Sudan’s economic and political history.

Ghana’s Muhamadu Bawumia introduces NPP’s election manifesto with an eye on the economy. Are manifestoes important? Is democracy in Africa at risk? Is Tanzania moving forward, or is it stuck in place? Is South African democracy fading?

And Nigeria’s landscape of chaos.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

A trash bomb in Uganda. Joburg is in a $22 billion hole. This is a really cool piece about Addis Ababa’s main square, which is the city’s most important and powerful public open space. Learn more about the role of non-state actors in providing housing in poor communities in Ghana. Festival Godwin Boateng and Jackie Klopp examine urbanization, legacies of elite capture, and just housing in Ghana. Kunal Sen outlines the political economy of structural transformation in African cities. Centuries of contempt have shaped the slums of Tunis.

The electric taxis of Kampala.

Research corner

Kristina Pikovskaia examines the education-employment nexus in Harare. This article finds that town-hall meetings led to a more informed citizenry and higher electoral participation in Benin. Learn about how post-conflict states shape international statebuilding. This article examines identity realignment in China-Africa encounters in the construction industry in Congo-Brazzaville.

This working paper analyzes the divergence of trajectories after successful rebellions, which draws on cases of Tunisia and Uganda. This is a helpful analysis of traditional institutions in Africa. Carl Müller-Crepon explains how administrative units shaped ethnic groups in Africa. Niloufer Siddiqui and Megan Turnbull analyze ethical challenges and guiding principles for research with violent political actors. This article explores care at work in Zambia's copper mines.

I look forward to reading William Moseley’s Decolonizing African Agriculture.

The week in development

Kenya is turning teachers into its next big export. How to transform global health. They arrived in Cuba with a suitcase and returned to South Africa as doctors. A cholera outbreak threatens displaced communities in Sudan. What’s the root cause of Nigeria’s economic crisis?

Africa and the environment

How big are global wildfires this year? Rockefeller Foundation invests in Uganda’s climate change Health National Adaption Plan (H-NAP). In Kenya, drought-weary farmers reap rewards of early warnings. This is why higher prices are bittersweet as climate change hits crops. Nearly 68M suffer from drought in Southern Africa. Eswatini turns to nuclear technology to transform agriculture, health care, and energy. Chad appeals for aid as dozens killed in floods linked to climate change. Is off-grid solar a good investment?

Daily life

The beautiful Zakouma National Park. Nigerian satirist Dan Bello is a star. South Sudan is reveling in Olympic joy. Oh, but how quickly glory fades. Capturing hearts and minds at the Paris Olympics. The culture and cuisine of Senegal. South Sudanese basketball star JT Thor signed a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kenya will need a new Olympic strategy to keep winning.

The Zamrock revival.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil