Mention of Somalis – as in Somali nationals – conjures up images of the unstable Horn of Africa nation that has known little peace since the flight into exile in Nigeria of erstwhile President... 

Imagine this: every single day, the world loses the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers to malaria – a staggering 1 600 lives snuffed out by a relentless disease. That’s 600 000 lives each... 

Africa has long been the belle of the ball when it comes to overseas development assistance. But now, as donor countries turn inward thanks to economic hiccups from the Covid-19 pandemic and the... 

This year’s iteration of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has come and gone. What stood out was the noticeable absence of the familiar spiel from African leaders railing about how the “economic... 

As I noted last week, it’s been about nine months since Ethiopia became the first country to ban the importation of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, decisively shifting gears towards a low-carbon... 

Ethiopia is not just a historical footnote as one of only three African countries to have dodged colonisation – alongside Sierra Leone and Liberia, which were established to resettle black... 

The race for Africa’s critical minerals has sparked a mixed reaction. On one hand, there is excitement that these minerals – key to the transition to a low-carbon future – could herald a new age of... 

It’s often said corruption is a cancer that ravages society, an insidious affliction that’s nearly impossible to eradicate once it takes hold. What’s less frequently discussed, however, is how this... 

The latest shake-up of the world’s billionaire hierarchy has seen Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote relinquish his crown as Africa’s richest person, after a 13-year reign. But while Nigeria... 

History is replete with government officials who put their foot in their mouth, often with dire consequences for their countries. A striking recent example involves Ukrainian military intelligence... 

Statistics South Africa released its Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the three months ending in June earlier this month – and the results are decidedly bleak. While employment figures managed a... 

Ivorian President Alassane Outtarra took some hits last week as I criticised Zimbabwe’s decision to splash $200-million on luxury villas and other infrastructure ahead of the Southern African... 

Imagine a country rolling out the red carpet for foreign guests while its citizens grapple with severe food shortages. In Zimbabwe, this contradiction is illustrated by the decision to spend... 

As the 2024 Summer Olympics spin towards their grand finale on August 11, Paris is set to be remembered for more than just record-breaking performances and emerging stars. Besides the dazzling... 

The call for ‘African solutions for Africa’s problems’ resonates strongly in discussions about our continent. Cunning autocrats have also invoked it, wielding it as a shield to deflect... 

In South Africa’s cities, caution is the currency, and being labelled ‘among the unsafest in the world’ isn’t just a statistic – it’s a stark reality. This sentiment is underscored by Numbeo’s... 

Rishi Sunak’s tenure as UK Prime Minister has clocked out, following his Conservative Party’s electoral drubbing earlier this month. Also consigned to the dustbin of history is his government’s... 

After the dear John letter that never was, five Democratic Alliance (DA) members have taken up their positions in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet alongside their counterparts from the African... 

Elephants possess a diverse communication repertoire, encompassing everything from resonant trumpeting and deep, reverberating rumbles to menacing growls, soothing purrs and plaintive squeals.... 

We ought to give the African National Congress (ANC) props. Thanks to its political sleight of hand, the party is poised to continue its dominance of South African politics for the next five years,... 

African politics has always been a big theatre where a recurring spectacle, one that never fails to captivate and intrigue, is the age-old saga of former Presidents clashing with their successors.... 

The year was 2008, in the month of September. Back then, a seer from the rugged hills of Nkandla in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal prophesied that the political party he led, the African... 

In the intricate tango of politics and military might, one undeniable reality emerges: once soldiers seize State control, they seldom relinquish it willingly. Ibrahim Traore, the 36-year-old... 

I’m not a great music fan, but I would not be completely honest if I did not own up to my partiality towards Stevie Wonder, the US-born virtuoso of soul who has created music that has reverberated... 

Conventional wisdom has it that the political map of Africa as we know it today was solely determined at the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885 by European actors who knew little about conditions on... 

The announcement last week by oil giant Shell that it is to divest from downstream operations in South Africa seems to have been a godsend to the political opposition, which did not waste time in... 

Africa may be the world’s poorest continent – hosting 33 of the 46 economies designated by the United Nations (UN) as the least developed – but it remains the target of courtship by the major... 

That the way many of Africa’s countries turned out had less to do with fate than the meddling of external players, especially during the Cold War years, has been well documented by many a scholar.... 

As election day draws ever closer, political parties are pulling out all the stops in their quest to win the hearts and minds of South African voters. All manner of promises are being made – from a... 

The 100-day period from April 7 to July 15, 1994, will forever be etched on the memory of Rwandans and indeed the rest of humanity. That’s when armed militia from the majority Hutu ethnic group... 

It was a birthday present Bassirou Diomaye Faye would not have dreamed of – being announced the President-elect of Senegal on March 25, the day he turned 44, and only weeks after his release from... 

It’s surprising how easily news consumers fall for disinformation, or fake news, as it is now widely known since Donald Trump popularised the phrase during the US Presidency campaign in 2016. I say... 

East or west, home’s best. Many South Africans who have emigrated to foreign climes in the past two decades to escape the ills besetting this country can vouch for that. Some are coming back. And... 

Our neck of the woods, the Southern African Development Community region, last month lost two high-profile personalities, a sitting head of State and a Presidential has-been. While the former,... 

Rhino and elephant poaching afflicts many African countries that are home to these endangered species, and the main driver behind this scourge is seemingly insatiable demand by the Chinese and... 

What’s the common denominator between Kenyan President William Ruto and his Nigerian opposite number, Bola Tinubu? They both have a remarkable penchant for air travel. This has incurred the ire of... 

In a televised announcement on January 28, the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger let it be known they had ceased to be members of the regional bloc in that neck of the woods with... 

Mention of the word ‘welder’ conjures up images of someone wearing heavy-duty protective gear such as a big steel helmet to shield the face from sparks. You wouldn’t think the person behind the... 

Disinformation by political actors is not a new phenomenon to South Africans. Six short years ago, Bell Pottinger, the Guptas’ now defunct UK communications consultancy, executed a spirited... 

Unless one is a football fan or a lover of the music of the late Manu Dibango, one will be hard pressed to say much that is positive about Cameroon, a 475 440 km2 country straddling Central and... 

Ructions in the Horn of Africa Martin Zhuwakinyu