The DRC will be the first foreign policy priority for Angola’s new president

João Lourenço has become Angola’s first new president in 38 years. Dr Alex Vines of Chatham House explains why a stable DRC is a top priority for the new leader: A stable and predictable Congo is Luanda’s most important international objective.
Angola’s new president must quickly focus on its oil and gas future

Dr Alex Vines of Chatham House writes that Angola’s new President João Lourenço needs to quickly focus on the country’s oil and gas future to attract fresh investment: The country should introduce credible policies to diversify its economy, but in the short term, the new president has no choice but to focus on Angola’s economic lifeblood.
Informing the approach of Multilateral Development Banks to use of country systems

Most countries consider infrastructure development as a key enabler of development, as it spurs job creation, trade and investment.
AGOA: It’s time to move on

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been the cornerstone of US-Africa trade relations since its inception in 2000.
To stop poaching, ivory ban must be permanent

Elephants in the wild are under serious threat: Save the Elephants estimates that 100,000 elephants were killed for their ivory in Africa between 2010 and 2012.
Have China’s global ambitions outgrown BRICS?

Has China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) usurped BRICS as China’s flagship forum? And if so, what does this mean for future BRICS co-operation?
BRICS headed towards new global era?

In the age of Western powers reorganising their priorities in the global arena, along with their diminishing relative economic and political weight, BRICS’ growing influence cannot be denied.
BRICS: Stepping into the Breach

Global headlines in the run-up to the 9th BRICS summit were dominated by the North Korean missile crisis and the stand-off in Doklam, high in the Himalayas, in Bhutan.
Creating a Market for Skills Transfer: A Case Study of AVIC International’s Skills Transfer Programs in Kenya

This paper provides an in-depth case study of a set of AVIC International’s local workforce development programs in Kenya, which challenges the stereotype that Chinese firms in Africa care little about local development.
Africa seeks rivalry-free BRICS’ support

Although the theme of the 9th BRICS Summit is “A Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future”, there is likely to be some underlying tension among the five member states when they meet in Xiamen, East China’s Xiamen province, from Sept 3 to 5.