Value Chains in Southern Africa: Entry Points for Donor Impact
Recent interviews of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMME) that SAIIA conducted in Botswana can provide pointers on the focus that donor support should take in order to promote the growth of this sector.
Moving beyond Africa’s crisis of institutions
Since independence, most African states have struggled to develop effective institutions that are responsive to the governance and development needs of their respective societies.
A Next-Generation Peer Review: What Does the Open Government Partnership Have to Offer?
This policy briefing is based on a collaborative research effort comparing four international peer-review processes undertaken by the Open Democracy Advice Centre in 2015.
Not Beating Around the Bush: Understanding China and South Africa’s Illegal Wildlife Trade
The illegal wildlife trade is emblematic of the underlying complexities that exist in bilateral relations.
Will competitive elections lead to change in Tanzania?
‘Change’ was the word de jour as citizens headed to the polls for the fifth multi-party elections in Tanzania on 25 October 2015.
Will the APRM make for better Ugandan elections?
In February 2016, Uganda will go to the polls. It is only the country’s third election held since the constitutional restoration of multi-party democracy in 2005 and it is widely expected to be one of the most contentious. How might Uganda’s participation in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) contribute to better elections?
What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC
President Jacob Zuma’s visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on 16 October 2015 came at a critical time in the bilateral relations of the two countries, with South Africa having made significant investments in the DRC’s political process since the late 1990s.
Presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire critical to consolidate political and economic development
After relatively peaceful elections in Guinea-Conakry returned outgoing President Alpha Conde to power last week in the first round of voting, another West African country – Côte d’Ivoire – is heading to watershed presidential elections on 25 October 2015.
Economic realities and the #FeesMustFall movement: Colliding worlds or space for engagement?
21 October 2015 started out as the day that business and economic analysts were expected to reflect closely on the state of the South African economy. Instead it ended up reminiscent of a scene that sci-fi aficionados could describe as stormtroopers defending the Galactic Empire against a small, unarmed rebel alliance.
Universal health care is a tall order given southern Africa’s poor finances
Creating universal health care – one of the targets under the newly ratified Sustainable Development Goals – will have different challenges for each country depending on their economic strength, relationships with donors, and their government’s investment into the health sector.