• woodrow wilson center
Africa Up Close
Subscribe:
  • rss
  • mail-to
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
  • Southern Voices
  • Articles in Focus
  • Lessons from the Field
  • Regions
    • Central Africa
    • Eastern Africa
    • Northern Africa
    • Southern Africa
    • Western Africa
  • Themes
    • Governance and Emerging Global Challenges
    • Human Security
    • Peacebuilding, Development and the New Economic Paradigm
    • Science, Technology, and Innovation
  • Series
    • Director’s Discourse
    • Beyond AGOA
    • Obama in Africa: Up Close
    • African Women and Youth as Agents of Change through Technology and Innovation
    • U.S. – Africa Policy

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..
  • In the News:

    Africa in the News: November 2nd, 2015

    By Africa Program  // Monday, November 2, 2015
    Zanzibar's picturesque, well-touristed exterior hides some contentious, tumultuous politics underneath. Photo by George Pauwels, via Flickr. Creative Commons

    Zanzibar’s picturesque, well-touristed exterior has contentious, tumultuous politics underneath. Photo by George Pauwels, via Flickr. Creative Commons

    Inclusive Governance and Leadership

    In Zanzibar, Democracy, Peace, and Unity Are at Stake after Annulled Elections
    Washington Post Nov 1

    In contrast to the rest of Tanzania’s smoothly executed elections, semi-autonomous Zanzibar’s elections were annulled in a controversial call by the ruling CCM. The opposition claims it was on the verge of winning, and this decision is a way of stealing the election. Talks to find a political solution to the crisis take place on the backdrop of Zanzibar’s thorny history with the mainland, and its citizens increasing desire for autonomy or even independence.

    Are Ghanaians Fed-up with Democracy?
    Wilson Center Africa Program Nov 3

    Ghana has long been regarded as one of the success stories of liberal democracy in Africa, but recent Afrobarometer data suggests that Ghanaians themselves have increasingly deep satisfaction with their democracy’s ability to deliver the goods. Southern Voices Network scholar Isaac Debrah and [Kamissa Camara] of NED discuss at our Nov. 3 event, summarized and recorded here.

    Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

    After Boko Haram
    The Economist Oct 31st

    As Idayat Hassan and others pointed out at [our event on armed groups last week], part of any counterterrorism strategy is planning for what comes next. Nigeia is going to be facing questions–what happens to refugees and displaced persons? Will there be compensation, or retraining and resettlement programs? What happens to captured or surrendering fighters?–soon and it needs to have a plan in place.

    The Ivory-Funded Terrorism Myth
    New York Times Oct 29

    Contrary to much popular belief and even pronouncements from State Department officials, there’s very little evidence that poaching and the ivory trade are major sources of funding for Al-Shabaab. The ivory trade is now being militarized as national wildlife agencies gear up to fight terrorism.

    Trade, Investment, and Sustainable Development

    Obama Removes Burundi from Trade Program
    Voice of America Oct 30

    Obama announced he will drop Burundi from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on January 1st in response to President Nkurunziza’s controversial third term and the political crackdown he’s using to hang on to it. This marks only the fourth country to be suspended from the important AGOA framework, and a definite sign that international pressure is ratcheting up on Burundi.

    These Cheap, Clean Stoves Were Supposed to Save Millions of Lives. What Happened?
    Washington Post Oct 29

    In retrospect (and to many at the time) it’s obvious that stoves are not just stoves, they’re a crucial part of cooking, one of the most important and culturally-specific acts across all cultures. Convincing a lot of people to change their cooking habits to use stoves that were expensive, poorly built, or unsuited to cooking the foods they ate was always going to be difficult. It also brings up deeper questions about how and when well-intentioned development projects work.

    Africa’s Strategic Role in the Global Arena

    India Leverages ‘Global South’ Credentials to Revive Africa Ties
    World Politics Review Oct 30

    Last week India hosted the India-Africa Forum summit as part of Prime Minister Modi’s attempts to strengthen Indian-African ties. India has ties to the continent through a shared history of colonization and independence movements, the Non-Aligned Movement, and peacekeeping, but Modi’s government is now seeking to leverage those ties for better economic engagement.

    Madagascar: the Country That’s Poor But Not Poor Enough for Aid
    Guardian  Nov 1

    Madagascar, slammed by drought and food shortages, is poor yet often overlooked by donors and development agencies. The world’s fourth biggest island is stuck in the space between severe food insecurity and disaster bad enough for international press and major aid efforts.

    Share | Print this post
    • Comments Off on Africa in the News: November 2nd, 2015
    • MAKE A COMMENT
    Topics: In the News
Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
View full site

Follow Us Online

  • rss
  • e-newsletter
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • iTunes

What We’re Tweeting

Tweets by @AfricaUpClose

What We're Reading

  • Africa in Focus (Brookings Institute)
  • Africa in Transition John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Africa is a Country
  • Africa Unchained
  • AfricaCan End Poverty blog by Shanta Devarjan, WB Chief Economist for Africa
  • African Arguments Covering contemporary events, and developing debates
  • Aid Data
  • Aid Info operated by Development Initiatives
  • America's Trade Policy A Wilson Center scholar blog that informs and debates about trade issues in the US
  • CGD Policy Blogs various blogs from the Center for Global Development
  • Chris Blattman Asst. Professor of Political Science & Int’l and Public Affairs at Columbia
  • Dr. Carl LeVan Carl LeVan’s blog on development
  • Economist's View
  • Kujenga Amani A blog by Social Science Research Council
  • Marcelo Giugale WB’s Director of Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction Programs for Africa
  • Mexico Portal Wilson Center blog
  • New Security Beat Wilson Center Blog for the Environmental Change and Security Programm
  • On the Ground Nicholas D. Kristoff, the New York Times
  • Quartz Africa
  • Seguridad Ciudadana en las Americas blog under the Wilson Center’s Latin American program
  • Small Wars Journal multi-author blog across the practice spectrum
  • The Official Blog of Amb. David H. Shinn
  • The RockBlog blog of the Rockefeller Foundation, focusing on development, public health, and more
  • The Washington Post's Monkey Cage
  • Thought Leader A blog by the Mail & Guardian
  • Timbuktu Chronicles
  • United to End Genocide

Supporting Partner

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About
  • Southern Voices

© Copyright 2023. Blog of the Africa Program, Africa Up Close provides a nexus for analysis, ideas, and innovation for and from Africa.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. All rights reserved.

Developed by Vico Rock Media

Africa Up Close | A Wilson Center Blog

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

  • One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
  • 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  • Washington, DC 20004-3027

T 202-691-4000