This Week in Africa

August 9, 2024

Quote of the week

“A Kenya that benefits Kenyans is what we are demanding. We are not our parents. We are an educated generation who can make the connection between a corrupt government and our own lack of opportunities.” – Kenyan lawyer and activist Kelvin Kubai

Kenyan protests

Kenya’s William Ruto struggles to come up with a plan to raise more revenue. Youth call for more protests as Ruto swears in new cabinet members. It has been a costly price to pay for change in Kenya.

Sudan’s civil war

Justin Lynch explains the mercenary logic behind Sudan’s war. The UAE’s secret war in the country is devastating. The war has sparked a severe hunger crisis in the country. This piece takes you into the mountain stronghold of the SPLM in Sudan.  This provides important historical context to the conflict.

Protests across the continent

Economic and political grievances are fueling protests in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. This piece explains why Nigerians are protesting. Is an “African Spring” in the offing?

Challenges of democratization

Ethnicity still matters in Ghana’s elections. Filip Reyntjens outlines the eternal sunshine of Rwanda’s “spotless election.” Here’s a good summary of Afrobarometer’s inaugural flagship report on democracy on the continent. Is democracy surviving the year in elections?

Struggle for rights and freedom

Alice Evans talks culture and politics with Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. Learn more about the stagnant transition in Guinea. Nneka Chile argues that African journalists should adopt a systems approach in their reporting. The Pentagon hands over last base in Niger as extremism spreads in the Sahel. A beach attack kills 37 civilians in Somalia. A brief note on new discoveries in African archeology and the stone ruins of Cameroon. Ethiopians “in transit.”

Apply for CSIS’ Africa Policy Accelerator.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Susan Ekoh explores the influence of power on the governance of climate im/mobility in Accra and Dakar. The ACRC outlines how to overcome systemic barriers facing young people in African cities. Akon is on notice over his proposed charter city. This article explains differences in access and expenditure on water in Accra’s neighborhoods. Learn more about Lagos’ rent roulette.

Brandon Marc Finn is right: Informality is at the heart of sustainable development.

Research corner

Check out Shelley Liu’s cool article that examines postwar legacies of victimization during Zimbabwe’s liberation war. This article examines the role of witchcraft beliefs in governance in Malawi. Large-scale land acquisitions exacerbate local farmland inequalities in Tanzania. This essay reviews the literature on extra-regional return migration to Africa.

Tom Lavers’ Dams, Power, and the Politics of Ethiopia’s Renaissance is out soon. Get ready for Blessing Miles-Tendi’s The Overthrow of Robert Mugabe: Gender, Coups, and Diplomats. Will urban youth fundamentally change African politics? Africa’s Urban Youth: Challenging Marginalization, Claiming Citizenship provides some answers (some posts here).

The week in development

Africa’s top two economies diverge. Ghana opens a refinery to produce bullion from gold. Malnutrition soars among Nigeria’s food price spike. Farmers in the north are really struggling. Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed proposed massive salary hikes for civil servants in latest economic reforms. Evicted.

Africa and the environment

2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record. Go inside the petrostate hosting this year’s climate negotiations. UN agency raises 20% of needed African drought aid. Learn more about carbon markets in Africa. Do carbon credits funnel money to Africa? How can tree planting campaigns actually work?

Crows.

Daily life

This is a cool map of Africa’s Olympic athletes. Visit the unique desert landscapes of Namibia. The making and unmaking of Ethiopia’s imperial messiah. This is a really interesting article about a battle over a farm, a mosque, and the moral high ground on the outskirts of Minneapolis. Explore the heart of the Congo. The Nigerian women’s basketball squad!

Ahhh, Senegal.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil