The COP27 Conversation
Global North’s hand in climate change not recognised at COP27
Good Governance Africa: Statement on COP27 21 November 2022 COP27, the 27th iteration of the UN climate change conference, has just concluded in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. It was a tense and sometimes deeply emotional conference. One participant at the conference...
COP27 analysis
COP27: Why it is in Africa’s best long-run interests to abandon fossil fuels
News of severe flooding in Australia is just one more reminder of the ravages of climate change. The affliction and what to do about it, given that the world is not mitigating or adapting fast enough, will be the subject of heated debate at the Conference of the...
Africa’s food insecurity is getting worse
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) pledged in 2006 to double the yields of 30 million smallholder farmers by the end of 2021. But in reality, Africa's food insecurity is getting worse, while the producers of genetically modified seeds, pesticides and...
Mitigating climate-related conflict and security risks in Africa
On Monday 1 November, President Uhuru Kenyatta delivered Kenya’s national statement at the World Leaders Summit of the ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Conference (COP26). As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he pledged Kenya would create a...
Transnational climate governance or national climate policy – what matters more?
Over the past two decades, countries have battled to reach meaningful multilateral consensus on reducing carbon emissions at international climate change negotiations. Globally, climate action strikes have increased dramatically, particularly among young people, who...
The Wicked Conversation
The July 2021 unrest a year later – have the lessons been learned?
On 7 July 2021, former President Jacob Zuma began serving a 15-month prison sentence. His arrest stemmed from an unprecedented judgment by the Constitutional Court, which called for his imprisonment for failing to appear before the State Capture Inquiry. The following...
Expert analysis
Is terminating the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit legal?
Introduction The Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, has every right to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) regime, as he did on 19 November 2021. The ZEP programme was initially set up as a demonstration of goodwill by the South African government...
Addressing food insecurity as a governance issue
By the time this column goes to print, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank will have decided on whether to again raise the repo rate or not. Pundits expect the US Federal Reserve to hike its rate by 75 basis points this week, and...
South African politics: Uncertainty prevails
At the time of last year’s local government elections, it appeared we were at the end of a political age in South Africa. Since then, however, little evidence has emerged to suggest that this was, or is, the case. It is November 2022, and the African National...
A strategy to future-proof Zambia’s mining industry
Zambia is in an opportune position to benefit from the growing demand for copper to support the global energy transition. Policymakers in President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration have an opportunity to build a resilient and high-performance Zambian economy to...
Africans want democracy, but elections must be fair
This year the African Union (AU) celebrates its 20th anniversary. Despite facing many setbacks and challenges in the past two decades, the institution remains key in addressing the many difficulties facing the continent. The state of democracy and respect for human...
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The Governance Report
Explore Africa’s 54 countries from the Governance Report
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COP26: What should be at the top of Africa’s agenda?
In November, the United Kingdom will host the 26th annual United Nations (UN) global climate summit – called COP – or “Conference of the Parties” in Glasgow. COP26 (delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic) has a unique urgency and could prove to be one of the most important conferences of our time. Most experts agree that the…
The Africa Governance Papers
Podcasts
ESG is good for everyone, including the extractive industries
Why is good Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) in fragile...
PODCAST: Africa’s divided response to the war in Ukraine
Ukraine: Africa's divided response We look at Africa's perceived lack of...
PODCAST: West Africa Coups
West Africa Coups In recent years, West Africa has seen a spate of coups and...
News feed
How is Lesotho faring as its citizens head to the polls this week?
The Basotho are homogenous people sharing a language, culture, and history. The kingdom covers 30,000 square kilometers, and has a population of about 2,175,699. Lesotho was a British colony for 98 years and gained independence on 4 October 1966. The totem of the...
Energy crisis plan in action, yet more load-shedding coming
In July 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the much-required energy crisis plan, which aims to increase energy security and end load-shedding. Load-shedding is a euphemism describing rolling blackouts to alleviate pressure on the national transmission grid....
African Union at 20 – Successes and challenges
On 9 September 1999, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) adopted the Sirte Declaration calling for the establishment of the African Union (AU). The AU was officially launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. As former President Thabo Mbeki noted, when the...
Angola election day predictions
According to numerous political commentators, President João Lourenço’s pursuit to be re-elected on 24 August 2022 is facing increasing pressure from the main opposition leader of UNITA, Adalberto Costa Júnior, who is ahead in several opinion polls. A poll from the...
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