This Week in Africa

November 10, 2023

Listen to this: What’s next for Africa’s urban future? Here is the week in Africa:

Quote of the week

“A lot of people are reaching out to me, saying, ‘how did you do this, how did you do that. I can mentor them and show them the way.” – 25-year-old Senegalese AI entrepreneur Rokhaya Diagne

Humanitarian crisis in Sudan

The humanitarian situation in Darfur is dire. The world’s largest child displacement crisis is in Sudan.

African elections

Madagascar’s upcoming presidential election is off to a rocky start. The NPP selects Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia as its flagbearer for next year’s election. DR Congo confirms 26 candidates for the upcoming election. This report summarizes the importance of off-cycle elections in Nigeria.

Governing Ghana

The cost of politics continues to rise in Ghana. It faces soaring public debt and challenges to its democracy. Meanwhile, the country places fifth in Africa with highest offshore oil rig demand.

Migration and displacement

This piece digs deep into why African migrants risk so much to make it to Europe and the US. This is how migration really works. Learn more about why Kenya’s visa-free plan for Africans is fueling tensions. This report mainstreams migration and displacement into urban policy. Where is home without legal status?

Security and instability

This video explains how Russia is restructuring the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa. Nina Wilén and Dr Jack Watling argue that the decline in western influence opens up new problems in Africa. Nine people are killed as the ex-leader of Guinea breaks out of jail. Fighting persists in Ethiopia. Ambassador Johnnie Carson explains how Mandela’s model for peace offers the world a path forward.

Struggle for rights and freedom

Explaining the Crown in Kenya. This piece discusses the World Bank’s decision to suspend aid to Uganda because of the anti-LGBTQ law. Learn more about China’s first political school in Africa. Awino Okech discusses authoritarian drifts, freedom of speech, and academic freedom. This is how the red beret became Africa’s most political hat. South Africa has halted diplomatic relations with Israel. Isaac Samuel explains the African diaspora in Portuguese India. This is what has happened since Twitter fired its Africa staff—and never paid them. Rhodesia’s history offers lessons into the difference between talking about equality and really supporting it.

How common is police brutality in Africa? Does liberal democracy need rethinking? How should the US respond when countries undermine democracy and human rights?

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Cape Town faces a massive affordable housing crisis even though it has significant unused, public land. Mozambique’s government plans to formalize almost 190,000 traders. Kampala’s “Weyonje” app, which maps pit latrines across the city, is shortlisted for a prestigious global award. Is Nairobi’s Eastleigh rising?

There are some good debates happening at KU Leuven about the world of cities. Tune in for this event on sustainable cities and structural transformation in Africa. The UN calls for global action to turn cities into engines of sustainable development. A UNDP report documents that there has been a reduction of the percentage of people living in shantytowns across Africa. The Charter Cities Institute catalogs “bad urban laws,” while supporting Africa’s New Cities Summit.

Research corner

This looks neat: Ato Quayson and Ankhi Mukherjee’s Decolonizing the English Literary Tradition. Eric Morier-Genoud’s Towards Jihad? Muslims and Politics in Postcolonial Mozambique is out. I look forward to reading Christopher Tounsel’s Bounds of Blackness: African Americans, Sudan, and the Politics of Solidarity. Aïssatou Mbodj-Pouye’s An Address in Paris: Emplacement, Bureaucracy, and Belonging in Hostels for West African Migrants looks awesome. Check this out: A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Age of Discovery.

This article explains localization in peacebuilding efforts. This excellent article outlines the role of partisanship, identity, and incentives in mobilizing Zambian citizens. This article discusses whether capitalism is destroying the Horn of Africa. This is an impressive research program for PhD students who want to study Africa’s urgent challenges.

And a case for description.

The week in development

Economics for an uncertain world.

China has shifted its focus to “rescue-finance.” Kenya concedes “millions of hectares” to UAE firm in latest carbon offset deal. This article analyzes public–private partnerships and genetically modified crop development for smallholder farmers in Africa. This piece outlines how Africa can build local refineries to profit more from raw materials. South Africa could improve history teaching by incorporating language skills into the curriculum. Meet Rokhaya Diagne, a 25-year-old Senegalese woman using AI to quash malaria. This is what happens when economists shut off your water. Will Big Tech and telecommunication companies split the bill for more bandwith?

Read this: David Pilling on why small is not beautiful when it comes to development.

Africa and the environment

Somalia’s worst flooding in decades has killed more than 29 people and displaced 300,000 others. Learn more about the global company pushing for regenerative agriculture and renewable energy in Africa. Building resilience in São Tomé and Príncipe. This article discusses how to tackle South Africa’s growing water woes.

Daily life

Afrobeats in Vancouver. A new Moroccan women’s football team eyes the top of African football. Kenyans imagine the future through running. Where is African cinema in Hollywood?

Baloji returns.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil