The Gambia: A Dictator’s Anti-Media War
Since the 1994 coup d’etat that saw President Yahya Jammeh rise to power, the Gambian media has been forced to work under repressive and restrictive conditions.
The Scramble for East Africa
The East African Community has accelerated negotiations with Europe for an Economic Partnership Agreement. The race is on for negotiators and lobbyists to either let Europe in or keep it out.
Multinational Oil, The US and Nigeria: A Crude Contrast
In the wake of the environmental disaster caused by the 20 April explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the oil multinational was immediately pressured into providing adequate compensation by the US government. This is an experience palpably not shared by Nigerian people in the face of another multinational, Shell, in the country’s Niger Delta.
Obama and U.S. Military Engagement in Africa
Upon replacing George W. Bush as US president, hopes were high that Barack Obama would oversee sweeping change in relation to US military policy. But far from seeing a reversal, such policy has in fact intensified, entirely at the expense of more progressive diplomatic and economically-based approaches.
Bad aid: Throw your arms around the world
Haiti never had a chance. It had been treated as a standing threat since its revolution in 1804.
Ethiopia: Licensed to Steal
Two former leaders of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front have alleged in a BBC radio program that the TPLF leadership – which included Meles Zenawi – used millions of dollars earmarked for famine relief in the 1980s to buy weapons and enrich themselves.
Ghana’s 2010 oil ‘boom’: Ensuring public interest over private gain
While Ghana’s mining industry has historically been characterised by a lack of transparency and the dominance of foreign multinational interests, Dake stresses that the burgeoning oil industry must not be allowed to go the same way.
Equatorial Guinea: The good, the bad and the ugly
Agustín Velloso looks at Obiang’s controversial effort to obtain wider global respect and appreciation through the creation of an international prize in partnership with UNESCO.