BRICS Outcomes 2015: Strengthening political dimensions
While the BRICS’ initial focus when it was established in 2009 was on improving global economic governance in response to the 2008 financial crisis, over the last seven years BRICS co-operation and dialogue has moved into politico-security areas.
The Potential of ACP Countries to Participate in Global and Regional Value Chains: A Mapping of Issues and Challenges
International trade has changed dramatically since the 1980s. Due to enormous reductions in transportation and communications costs, as well as the worldwide liberalisation of trade in goods and – to a lesser extent – services, production processes have been fragmented while value chains have gone global. Some observers now speak of global production networks.
Fracking in South Africa: an alternative to coal?
In June 2015, the Department of Mineral Resources gazetted regulations related to hydraulic fracturing or fracking in South Africa offering a framework for the exploitation and exploration of shale gas. It could easily lead one to think that another step has been taken in the direction of the highly controversial question of industrial fracking in the Karoo basin.
What impact could the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road have on South Africa?
During state visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in later 2013, President Xi Jinping outlined China’s vision of a ‘One Belt One Road’ – running overland from China to Eastern Europe – and a complementary Maritime Silk Road that stretches from Southeast China across the Indian Ocean to Dar es Salaam and onward around the Horn of Africa to the Mediterranean.
The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis: Advice for African Policymakers
Despite the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) within the AU security system, rapid reaction remains a challenging task, as the crisis in Mali has demonstrated.
A Good Governance Driver: Is the African Peer Review Mechanism Up to It?
The introduction of the AU’s Agenda 2063 means that yet another governance initiative has entered the African political landscape.
Cooperation in the South Atlantic Zone: Amplifying the African Agenda
South Africa’s foreign policy prioritises peaceful and sustainable growth in Africa by maximising its external engagements in increasingly strategic ways.
Involving the private sector in financing infrastructure for development
The International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 13-15 July 2015 brought together world leaders to assess progress on the implementation of the 2002 Monterrey Consensus and the 2008 Doha Declaration on Financing for Development.
Why a regional approach could help end drug stockouts in southern Africa
South Africa has been facing an ongoing crisis of running out of essential drugs, such as anti-retrovirals for HIV patients. This highlights the need for a regional response to the provision and procurement of pharmaceutical drugs.
Dividend or disaster: Africa’s growing population
Since its institution in 1989, World Population Day on 11 July has drawn attention to the Earth’s rising population, and the demographic and social trends accompanying it. These serious and complex matters address the opportunities and hurdles confronting countries’ development aspirations. Nowhere is this of more profound – even existential – importance than in Africa.