Africa in the News 7/6/15

[caption id="attachment_6981" align="aligncenter" width="645"] Photo Courtesy of Brice Blondel via Flickr[/caption]

Inclusive Governance and Leadership

Burundi rejects U.N. mediator after critical report about elections – Reuters

July 5, 2015

The Burundi government rejected a second UN diplomat on Sunday after allegations that the mediator was biased against the government. This was in response to a critical report newly released that stated the elections on June 29th had not been neutral or fair, a claim which the government finds to be false.

Preventing another Marikana starts with solving SAPS leadership crisis – Institute for Security Studies

July 3, 2015

A report on the Marikana massacre was released a few weeks ago and has spurred outrage in South Africa. Many organizations and activists groups have called for the reformation of the South African Police Service (SAPS) including new leadership and an advisory board to oversee activities and to ensure that such instances of mass violence do not occur again.

Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

Boko Haram Steps Up Attacks After Buhari's Vows to Defeat the Group – Foreign Policy Magazine

July 2, 2015

Buhari won his country's election this past March by promising to defeat the militant group Boko Haram. Since his pledge, Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks and increased the levels of violence used against Nigerian citizens. The US is limited in the amount of help it can give Nigeria due to its history of human rights abuses.

Power-Sharing in Africa: Does it still have a role to play? – E-International Relations

July 1, 2015

Power-sharing has been generally misused on the continent and that the definition itself has been misrepresented leading to multiple understandings of its function. Therefore, in the long run it is unsustainable and damaging. It has been used to deal with political, social, ethnic, and economic divisions without addressing the underlying differences. The article continues to give recommendations as to the feasibility of power-sharing in the African context.

Trade, Investment, and Sustainable Development

Kenya: Multi-million USD Investments as US Extends AGOA Trade Deal – The Africa Report

July 2, 2015

Kenya expects 20 companies to start investing about 8 billion shillings ($80 million) immediately in the African nation's textiles industry after the renewal of a deal offering access to the U.S. market, its industrialization minister said. Kenya is the biggest exporter of textiles as part of AGOA. The main issue will be maintaining competitive labor costs.

Rwanda: Targets $1.2 billion USD in foreign investment for 2015 – The Africa Report

July 2, 2015

Rwanda aims to increase foreign direct investment in 2015 to $1.2 billion, a fourfold jump from two years ago, helped by a new investment code that offers tax breaks and other incentives, a senior official said on Thursday. The target is ambitious. However, Rwanda is now the third easiest country in Africa to invest in and so the potential remains for FDI to continue to steadily increase.

How Solar Sister is fueling a women-led clean energy revolution in Africa – Tech Republic

July 2, 2015

Solar Sister has women in rural Africa sell clean energy solutions, which brings light to their communities and turns them into entrepreneurs in the process. Women, who are critical to the eradication of global poverty, are incredible businesspeople when it comes to bringing their communities what they need. In an interview with Solar Sister, this article explores how technology has changed the way these women do business.

Africa's Strategic Role in the Global Arena

Deliberate Trade Policies for Africa's Industrialization  - The Africa Report

July 3, 2015

African countries can use deliberate trade policies to achieve growth through industrial development and structural transformation. Africa's manufacturing industries are strikingly not competitive in comparison to sectors in other continents. Income is often dependent on external investment, primarily China, and means that internally there is not the same level of development. With the focus of "smart protectionism," African countries have the potential to not only grow their GDP but truly develop their own economies as well.

Is 'China in Africa' something to fear? – The Washington Post

July 3, 2015

In a lengthy Interview, Howard French discusses his new book "China's Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa." He gives an in depth analysis of China's role in Africa as well as the failing role of the US in comparison. China is obviously competing with the US; however, the US has been coasting and has "simply not brought its "A Game."

The Africa Program seeks to develop weekly updates and information to underpin each of its four programmatic pillars.

1. Inclusive Governance and Leadership

2. Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

3. Trade, Investment, and Sustainable Development

4. Africa's Strategic Role in the Global Arena 

If you are interested in our program or any of these topics check our our blog Africa Up Close and our Homepage for more information and events.