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.
African unity will remain illusionary without values
‘African unity’ has been one of the most consistent themes in African political thought. Since independence, the vision of a continental order stretching from Cape Town to Cairo and from Dakar to Dar es Salaam has been an entrancing one. Africa, rather than being a geographical descriptor, would be a geopolitical identity.
Aligning Sustainable Development Goals with climate-resilient growth
In December 2015 the UN will host the 21st annual Conference of Parties (COP 21) negotiations to achieve universal commitment to an ambitious, legally binding agreement on climate change.
Moving Beyond Africa’s Crisis of Institutions
This paper explains the dysfunctional state of African institutions and suggests possible interventions for effective and resilient institutions at the national, regional and continental level. It argues that institutional failure in Africa can be diagnosed at the conceptual and operational level.
Borderline growth: Kickstarting development in South Africa’s border towns
The city of Erenhot sits on the Mongolian border, five hours of desolate steppe tundra away from the nearest major Chinese city. In 1992, the town had a population of 8000, and was best known for its bizarre 80-foot archway of kissing sauropods, which bridges across a usually empty freeway.
The need for specialised investment courts
Sorting out a trade dispute can be a tricky thing. Nations may want to advance their economic interests but are reluctant to upset relations with another country over a dispute with a private investor.
South Africa’s foreign policy walks a fine line
Today, 5 October 2015, South African authorities are expected to submit their reasons for failing to arrest Sudanese President Al-Bashir when he attended the African Union Summit in June 2015.