South Africa’s responsibility to the ‘poor, the voiceless and the least remembered’
Speaking in February at the annual council meeting of the South African Institute of International Affairs, I expressed my fear that the constitutional compact of the last 20 years seemed dull and rudderless today, and that our constitutional democracy was increasingly being undermined by corruption and lack of political accountability.
Eastern Promises: New Data on Chinese Loans in Africa, 2000 to 2014
Chinese loan finance is often misunderstood in Africa. In this paper, we provide an overview of a new database on Chinese loans and describe our research methodology for collecting this data.
Building Freedom to Build Democracy
Human Rights Day celebrates a precious proposition: each individual is a full member of society, with entitlements to opinion and behaviour that cannot be denied.
The Abuja-Pretoria axis should reboot and pivot toward solving Africa’s multitude of challenges
President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by seven members of his executive and a dozen business leaders, undertook a high profile and widely commented state visit to Nigeria earlier this month.
Unhappy South Africans
The World Happiness Index 2016 was released in Rome this week, ahead of World Happiness Day, which took place on 20 March – a day before South Africans celebrated their hard-won Human Rights Day.
AGOA and the future of US – Africa trade relations
The US Congress passed the African Growth and Opportunity (AGOA) Act into law in 2000 in order to promote US and African trade relations and contribute to economic development on the African continent through export-led growth.
Building Freedom? Securing Constitutionalism and Civil Liberties in Africa: An Analysis of Evidence from the APRM
This report attempts to interrogate the concept of ‘freedom’ and how it is faring in Africa. To do so, it conceptualises freedom in terms of ‘constitutional liberalism’, and discusses this conceptualisation in relation to two broad themes: constitutionalism and civil liberties.
Turning its Fortunes Around – Lucky 13 for the APRM?
On 9 March, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) turns 13. ‘APRM Day’ commemorates the formal launch of Africa’s innovative governance monitoring and assessment tool in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003.
Moving South Africa Away from Junk Status?
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has just presented his first Budget Speech since being reappointed following the unceremonious firing of Minister Nene.
2016 Ugandan General Elections: All about perspective
Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni has extended his 30-year rule of Uganda by at least another five years as a result of his definitive first round electoral victory over his closest rival, Kizza Besigye, who once served as his medical doctor during the bush war against Idi Amin.