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Africa Up Close

Africa Up Close is the blog of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Blog of the Africa Program, Africa Up Close provides a nexus for analysis, ideas, and innovation for and from Africa..
  • THE GRAND ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE DAM AND THE PROSPECT OF COOPERATION IN THE EASTERN NILE BASIN

    THE GRAND ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE DAM AND THE PROSPECT OF COOPERATION IN THE EASTERN NILE BASIN

    The Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) was inaugurated to address the growing socio-economic needs of the country, including saving Ethiopian women from the vicious cycle of the firewood-collecting burden. The Ethiopian rationale for building the GERD raised concern for Egypt— given the potential effects of the huge dam on the farmers and water security of 90 percent of Egyptians who rely entirely on Nile waters.

  • NGO OPERATIONS IN AFRICA’S CONFLICT HOTSPOTS: OBSTACLES, ATTACKS, AND RETRIBUTION

    NGO OPERATIONS IN AFRICA’S CONFLICT HOTSPOTS: OBSTACLES, ATTACKS, AND RETRIBUTION

    Countries that are experiencing severe conflict need NGOs, especially where state capacity to provide social services has broken down and where war has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of citizens. On the flip side, the ability of NGOs to freely operate and program in a country is an essential indicator of the state of respect for civil liberties in any country.

  • WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES POST-COVID-19?

    WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES POST-COVID-19?

    The ability of Africa’s financial sector to boost economic integration plans has been weakened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • FIGHTING HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES THROUGH TRADITIONAL JUSTICE INSTITUTIONS: RETHINKING

    FIGHTING HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES THROUGH TRADITIONAL JUSTICE INSTITUTIONS: RETHINKING

    Despite some encouraging trends, the challenges of eliminating harmful traditional practices (HTPs) persist in Ethiopia. To curb these practices, in 2015, the Ethiopian government pledged to end child marriage and FGM by 2025. However, social, religious, and cultural drivers significantly complicate the fight against HTPs.

  • WILSON CENTER NAMES OGE ONUBOGU NEW DIRECTOR OF AFRICA PROGRAM

    WILSON CENTER NAMES OGE ONUBOGU NEW DIRECTOR OF AFRICA PROGRAM

    The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has named Oge Onubogu as the new Director of its Africa Program. Onubogu most recently was the Director of the West Africa Program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where she led the strategic development and expansion of USIP’s portfolio in Nigeria and Coastal West Africa.

  • THE PRICE OF RUSSIA’S UKRAINE INVASION: AFRICA’S FOOD SECURITY

    THE PRICE OF RUSSIA’S UKRAINE INVASION: AFRICA’S FOOD SECURITY

    Africans, although far away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, are victims of the economic impacts of this crisis. The cost of petroleum products have skyrocketed, and exchange rate depreciation is a major challenge compounding the rise in global food prices. The war has prevented food exports, which account for 40 percent of the African food supply.

  • AN APPRAISAL OF ETHIOPIA’S ROAD TO DEMOCRACY SINCE 2018

    AN APPRAISAL OF ETHIOPIA’S ROAD TO DEMOCRACY SINCE 2018

    It has been four years since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s accession to power. Yared Debebe Yetena analyzes Ethiopia’s democratic transition under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over the past four years.

  • REAPING THE BENEFITS OF REFUGEE WOMEN’S PEACEBUILDING EXPERIENCE IN UGANDA FOR SOUTH SUDAN

    REAPING THE BENEFITS OF REFUGEE WOMEN’S PEACEBUILDING EXPERIENCE IN UGANDA FOR SOUTH SUDAN

    “My umbilical cord is buried in South Sudan, and although I am disabled, I want to go back and build my country,” declares Mary, who has lived in Uganda’s Nyumanzi refugee settlement since 2013, when conflict broke out in newly-independent South Sudan. For her and many South Sudanese refugee women living in Uganda, the return home is eagerly anticipated.

  • TURKISH DRONES IN AFRICA: A RISKY TURN IN TURKEY’S AFRICA POLICY

    TURKISH DRONES IN AFRICA: A RISKY TURN IN TURKEY’S AFRICA POLICY

    During his most recent trip to Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a new initiative, the promotion of defense contracts involving the sale of Turkish-made, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

  • YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA: THE EMERGING TRENDS AND CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

    YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA: THE EMERGING TRENDS AND CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

    Monetized politics introduced and sustained by older politicians remain a disincentive for youth participation. The problem has become a dilemma for the extant politicians that are wealthy and influence the system in their favor and the emerging forces of youth agitations in Nigeria.

  • NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN ETHIOPIA: KEY ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION

    NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN ETHIOPIA: KEY ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION

    Ethiopia’s National Dialogue must encompass a broad range of stakeholders in all three phases—preparation, process, and implementation—in order for it to succeed. However, there are concerning issues that should be considered before it is too late in the preparatory phase, as the approach taken will influence the ultimate legitimacy of a national dialogue.

  • THE CRUCIAL ROLE THAT REGIONAL ACTORS CAN PLAY IN THE 2023 ZIMBABWE ELECTION

    THE CRUCIAL ROLE THAT REGIONAL ACTORS CAN PLAY IN THE 2023 ZIMBABWE ELECTION

    Although Zimbabwe’s elections are still a couple of years away, many experts believe that in order to make any impactful change, the country’s electoral reforms must begin well in advance, and regional actors play a pivotal role.

  • HOW BIDEN SAVES THE WORLD: HE MUST START BY RETURNING A FAVOR

    HOW BIDEN SAVES THE WORLD: HE MUST START BY RETURNING A FAVOR

    COVID-19 poses many challenges in the U.S. and abroad, President Biden has an opportunity to lead a worldwide initiative to combat the pandemic.

  • THE HISTORY BEHIND SUDAN’S IDENTITY CRISIS

    THE HISTORY BEHIND SUDAN’S IDENTITY CRISIS

    The Black Lives Matter Movement catalyzed conversations about racism and anti-Blackness in America, but it also brought attention to internalized anti-Blackness and colorism in Africa, and Sudan in particular.

  • COVID-19 ADDS TO CHALLENGES OF CURBING CHILD MARRIAGE

    COVID-19 ADDS TO CHALLENGES OF CURBING CHILD MARRIAGE

    The prevalence of early marriage had been declining globally, however, COVID-19 poses challenges to curbing child marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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  • The African Continental Free Trade Agreement’s Ventures in 2022

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    By Mariama Diallo  // Thursday, January 26, 2023

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    In 2022, Kenya shipped car batteries and tea to Ghana, its first deliveries in a pilot program of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

    The world’s largest free-trade pact, which took effect in January 2021, aims to facilitate and increase trade across Africa. Kenya and Ghana are among eight countries taking part in the AfCFTA pact’s trial phase.

    The battery shipment marked Nairobi-based Associated Battery Manufacturers Ltd.’s entry into the West African market, according to finance manager Nixon Paloma. He said the company, which specializes in automotive and solar batteries, previously had traded only with other East and Southern Africa regional blocs.  

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    Topics: Stay Informed, U.S. - Africa Policy
  • Articles in Focus / Director's Discourse:

    Wilson Center Names Oge Onubogu New Director of Africa Program

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    By Africa Program  // Wednesday, January 18, 2023

    Blog-Welcome-Oge-Onubogu-2023On January 3, 2023, the Africa Program at the Wilson Center formally welcomed Ms. Oge Onubogu as its new Director.

    Onubogu most recently was the Director of the West Africa Program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where she led the strategic development and expansion of USIP’s portfolio in Nigeria and Coastal West Africa. In this position, she oversaw the design and implementation of projects to mitigate violent conflict, promote inclusion, and strengthen community-oriented security by partnering with African and U.S. policymakers, civic leaders, and organizations.

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    Topics: Articles in Focus, Director's Discourse
  • Lessons from the Field / Southern Voices:

    NGO Operations in Africa’s Conflict Hotspots: Obstacles, Attacks, and Retribution

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    By Mziwandile Ndlovu  // Monday, November 21, 2022

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    Introduction

    Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe are some of the countries with either the most pressing security situations or the longest-standing democratic regressions or stagnations in Africa. The countries in the Sahel have been afflicted by continuous internal and cross-border security challenges, such as intense armed conflict and severe terrorist attacks spearheaded by Jihadist groups like Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and Ambazonia separatists as well as Islamic State-linked groups. Political instability characterized by a slow pace of reforms, economic malaise, and public discontent marred Sudan’s democratic transition. South Sudan has been struggling with the effects of civil war to attain stability. Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe have all seen different variations of coups and growing authoritarianism in the last couple of years. Libya is in the throes of armed conflict between two rival administrations. Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, government forces are mired in an intractable conflict with Tigrayan nationalists. Mozambique is only just managing to contain an Islamist insurgency in its Cabo Delgado region.

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    Topics: Lessons from the Field, Southern Voices
  • Meeting Africa’s Demographic Challenge

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    By Phillip Carter III & Stephen Schwartz  // Tuesday, November 15, 2022
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    This blog was originally posted on NewSecurityBeat, a blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.

    Often cast into the backwaters of U.S. foreign policy, sub-Saharan Africa now looms large as the Biden Administration grapples with a wide range of global challenges. President Biden will soon host the upcoming Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, that acknowledges the U.S. government must do much more in Africa in order to advance U.S. interests and global prosperity.

    Africa will play an increasingly important role in the global economy in this century. The war in Ukraine and China’s increasingly aggressive international posture have wiped away Western somnolence. Seeking to counter Russian and Chinese influence on the continent, the U.S. and its Western partners now are scrambling for Africa’s resources and diplomatic support.

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    Topics: Governance and Emerging Global Challenges, New Security Beat, Stay Informed
  • In the News / Southern Voices:

    Crimes and Manmade Humanitarian Crisis in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

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    By Getachew Zeru Gebrekidan  // Thursday, November 10, 2022

     

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    One of the world’s deadliest conflicts, the war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, raises serious concern over ethnic cleansing, human rights abuses, and manmade humanitarian crises. Established by the UN Human Rights Council in December 2021, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) believes there are reasonable grounds to trust that the Federal Government of Ethiopia and its allies (Amhara regional and paramilitary forces and the Eritrean government) have committed crimes against humanity in the Tigray region. In the same vein, a joint investigation by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHC) point to the same evidence. ICHREE and OHCHR/HER have also documented war crimes and human rights abuses by the Tigrayan Defense Forces—including attacks against Amhara civilians in Kobo and Chenna in August and September 2021. In September 2022, dozens of Amhara civilians were also killed by Tigray fighters in the town of Kobo.

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    Topics: Eastern Africa, In the News, Southern Voices, Stay Informed
  • Southern Voices:

    Balancing Carrots and Sticks: The United States as a Peace Guarantor in South Sudan

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    By Maram Mahdi  // Wednesday, November 9, 2022

    AFR-Blog-US-South-Sudan-FeaturedThe United States and its Troika partners, the United Kingdom and Norway, have played a critical role in South Sudan’s state-building. The United States, a lead negotiator of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that led to the secession of the south, conceptualized a free, prosperous, and democratic state. However, the past decade has presented a plethora of challenges that have prevented that vision from materializing. A signatory to the latest peace agreement, the United States is responsible for working with South Sudan to achieve this common aspiration.

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    Topics: Northern Africa, Southern Voices, U.S. - Africa Policy
  • In the News / Southern Voices:

    A Local Turn: Influencing Online Peacebuilding through Evidence-based Interventions in Kenya’s 2022 Elections

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    By Fredrick Ogenga  // Wednesday, October 26, 2022

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    This article is based on a study[1] for Mercy Corps’ Umoja Kwa Amani (“United for Peace” in Swahili), a 12-month election violence prevention and mitigation program whose goal was to “promote peaceful elections in Kenya by strengthening stakeholders’ capacity to prevent and mitigate election violence and contribute to a peaceful political transition around the August 2022 elections.” The use of technology was a key pillar in the Umoja Kwa Amani (UKA) program in mobilizing community capacities for peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, and civic education, as well as improving coordination and collaboration between and among community, county, and national-level stakeholders in early warning and early response mechanisms. To complement UKA, Mercy Corps implemented a program christened Mitigating Election Violence through Social Media Micro-Influencers, whose goals are to mitigate the potential of social media to incite conflict, promote the digital space as a forum for non-violence discussions, and build evidence around the effectiveness of social media influencers as tools for promoting peace and mitigating conflict.

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    Topics: Eastern Africa, In the News, Southern Voices
  • Southern Voices:

    The Misattribution of Africa’s Natural Resource Wealth: An Examination of the Diamond Industry

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    By Taylor Laube-Alvarez  // Friday, September 30, 2022

     

    AFR-Blog-Diamond-Mining

    From toilet paper and baby formula shortages to skyrocketing global gas prices, the past two years presented challenges across the globe In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War have highlighted the interconnectedness of the world’s economies, especially regarding resource management and supply chains. It has also exposed, more than ever before, who benefits and suffers in these interconnected trade deals. As the most natural resource-rich continent on the planet, yet widely considered the most impoverished, this disconnect raises the question: where is Africa’s wealth going?

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    Topics: Southern Voices
  • Articles in Focus / Lessons from the Field / Southern Voices:

    The 2022 Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Annual Conference Calls for Business Unusual

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    By Africa Program  // Friday, September 30, 2022

     

    AFR-Blog-SVNP-2022-Conference

    From September 12-16, 2022, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Africa Program hosted the 2022 Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) Annual Conference, “Business Unusual: A Rapidly Changing World Calls for Adapting Peacebuilding in Africa.”

    The conference convened 26 members and representatives in Washington D.C. from 21 SVNP organizations, SVNP scholar alumni, members of the public, policymakers, practitioners, experts, and international stakeholders to assess the current state of peace and security in Africa and analyze how peacebuilding approaches can or should change to fit the current environment. 

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    Topics: Articles in Focus, Lessons from the Field, Southern Voices
  • Southern Voices:

    Ethiopia’s Forgotten Census

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    By Hannah Akuiyibo  // Friday, September 30, 2022

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    Amidst Ethiopia’s political transition beginning in 2018 along with the ongoing war, the completion of Ethiopia’s fourth decennial national census has slipped through the cracks. Now five years past its originally scheduled date in 2017, the government postponed the census a third time in June 2020. Initially delayed over domestic security concerns, the 2020 rescheduling was in response to COVID-19 hindering the preparation and implementation of the count. As a result, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) released its first electoral constituencies map in March 2020 using census data from 2007. The electoral map demarcation used census data from 1994—when Ethiopia’s population was roughly half of what it is today. When asked in 2019 about the census, NEBE Chairwoman Birtukan Mideksa said it had no bearing on the then-upcoming election because the NEBE only needed the number of registered voters to structure polling stations and hold elections.

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    Topics: Eastern Africa, Southern Voices, Stay Informed
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