Evaluating African countries: hard-won lessons from within the continent
African countries seem to be forever undergoing assessments and evaluations. Many stem from the governments of international development partners who have poured money into a plethora of projects, programmes and plans, and want to know what has worked and why. Others are commissioned by international organisations such as the World Bank or the International Monetary […]
World Humanitarian Summit: Effective discussions or talk shop?
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Turkey is the state with the most refugees worldwide, hosting three million refugees from Syria alone.
The 2016 US presidential elections and the implications for US-South Africa trade
The 2016 US presidential elections are just around the corner, and the world has been watching closely as this year’s particularly colourful and controversial campaigns have unfolded.
Ivory sales by Zimbabwe and Namibia could ‘create demand spike’
In early May, the governments of Zimbabwe and Namibia took the unusual step of petitioning the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) to remove their elephants from CITES protection, which currently prohibits them from selling elephant ivory.
Land in Africa: Property Rights Needed
The ‘Land Question’. From legislation under consideration – such as the new Expropriation Bill – to a reopened land claims process, to violent evictions in Hammanskraal, to emotive rhetoric around current landholding patterns, the politics of land is shaking South Africa.
Where Africa Meets Asia: Chinese Agricultural and Manufacturing Investment in Madagascar
Madagascar’s abundant natural resources, low labor costs, and geographic location make it a potentially attractive destination for Chinese outward investment as rising wages in China and domestic competition increasingly drive firms to ‘go out.’
The Hissène Habré trial: a triumph for victims and civil society
Nearly 26 years after he was forced out of power, former Chadian president Hissène Habré has been found guilty of crimes against humanity, torture (including sexual violence) and crimes of war committed under his rule from 1982 to 1990.
Wage strikes loom in a sector that cannot afford it
Mining production has declined 18% year-on-year to May and job losses are growing.
The demise of African unity?
People of Africa have shared interests and should be united around common goals. This is the main idea behind Pan-Africanism.
Enhancing biotrade in an era of biodiversity mainstreaming
The 2016 International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) will be commemorated on the 22nd of May with the theme of ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity: Sustaining People and their Livelihoods’.