Africa’s Big States: Toward a New Realism
New paradigms of governance and engagement must be sought to address the special challenges posed by large populations and national territories.
Editorial: No Sovereignty Without Good Governance
Africa asserts a fiction of sovereignty. We focus on the trappings of statehood – flags, presidential processions and borders. We sign treaties with our neighbours to abide by rules of non-interference and mutual respect.
It’s Good To Be the King
Ruling parties in Africa face little electoral threat from weak and divided oppositions
A Year of Checks on Ballots
At least 10 African countries are scheduled to hold presidential or parliamentary elections between April and December — ballots that could affirm the maturing of democratic practice on the continent and mark a critical turning point in the political evolution of key states.
Malawi’s Young Democrats: A View From Inside the Ranks
IN 2001, Malawian Journalist Peter Banda was assaulted by a band of UDF youth militias while working on a story.
Ghana and Civil Society Clash Over Allegations of Corruption
WITH a stroke of chutzpah or very bad timing, the government of Ghana has provoked a feud with civil society organisations just as Accra becomes the first to fall under the lens of the African Peer Review Mechanism.
A Posse of Guns for Hire
Discharged and jobless, Africa’s former combatants find dubious work as mercenaries.
Editorial: Where the Contract Begins… Or Unravels
This should be the year when democracy becomes a bona fide tradition in Africa.
Psst… Mind the Sell-by Date
ON THE euphoric eve of their independence, Zimbabweans queued enthusiastically to cast their ballots for change.
Opinion: Who Owns the Fruits Of the Struggle to be Free?
‘Even if the armed struggle has been symbolic and the nation is demobilized through a rapid movement of decolonization, the people have the time to see that the liberation has been the business of each and that the leader has no special merit.