As the security situation appears to worsen, a row has blown up over government payments to South African-owned Executive Outcomes. A leaked letter from the International Monetary Fund...

Increasingly, it seems that General Sani Abacha is drawing his political and business inspiration from the East. By bringing Malaysian, South Korean and Chinese companies into the country,...

The one-party state is back in Togo. The resignation of Prime Minister Edem Kodjo on 19 August puts President Gnassingbé Eyadèma back in control, after dividing the opposition...

Whatever the truth about the alleged coup plot against President Henri Konan Bédié last October, it is being used comprehensively to weed out perceived enemies of the ruling...

The seizure of two military helicopters on 30 August at Miami's international airport, stored on a plane about to take off for Banjul, has raised more suspicions about...

Nigeria's delegation of 17 emerged victorious from its closed-door confrontation with the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in London on 24-25 June. Led by Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi, it...

Gambia's military rulers, like Nigeria's, appear to have got the better of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group and its attempts to encourage democracy and human rights. After a...

A streak of cold-blooded rationality is emerging in Ghana's opposition. Against expectations, the two main Nkrumahist and Danquah-Busiaist groupings are forging an effective alliance, choosing common candidates on...

Three months after their electoral victory, President Ahmad Tejan Kabba and his Sierra Leone People's Party still do not look as if they are in charge. Partly, this...

Oil traders and their sponsors may grumble that prices are low. But for the well-connected trader Nigeria is offering some of the best returns around. A comparison of...