Vol 65 No 6 | KENYA It's the politics that counts 14th March 2024 Disregarding economic woes, President Ruto has asserted his authority over the ruling party and its opponents Laments over spiralling prices and multiplying taxes on transactions dominate conversations in Kenya's cities and towns these days. President William Ruto's strategy of pushing through austerity policies instead...
Vol 65 No 6 | ETHIOPIA How war sank the development plan 14th March 2024 After the devastating human cost of the Tigray war comes its destruction of the country’s economic base Almost six years since taking office, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presides over an economy that falls far short of the grand ambitions set forth in the 2019...
Vol 65 No 6 | ETHIOPIA Addis enters the debt talks tunnel 14th March 2024 Abiy Ahmed’s government is edging towards an IMF deal as it approaches a March deadline for a debt agreement Three years after Ethiopia officially requested relief under the G20-backed Common Framework for debt treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration is... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 6 | TANZANIAUGANDA Pipeline to nowhere 14th March 2024 Two years after the final investment decision to construct the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) was taken, the US$5 billion project is limping on to an uncertain...
Vol 65 No 6 | RWANDACONGO-KINSHASAEUROPEAN UNION How Brussels was caught out by the Kivu war 5th March 2024 The proxy war between Kinshasa and Kigali is derailing the European Union's plan to secure critical minerals Three days after an angry meeting between Congo-Kinshasa's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame on 16 February in Addis Ababa over the escalating regional conflict,...
Vol 65 No 6 | RWANDACONGO-KINSHASAEUROPEAN UNION Kigali pushes back against the African Union 5th March 2024 President Kagame's strategic position is facing growing regional pressure Rwanda has warned the Africa Union that it would see any support for the South African-led regional intervention force against the M-23 militia in eastern Congo-Kinshasa as a...
Vol 65 No 5 | UGANDA Rifts threaten Bobi Wine's party 29th February 2024 The opposition party is under pressure from not only the government but also its own socially conservative supporters Supporters of Uganda's biggest opposition political party, the National Unity Platform (NUP) of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu 'Bobi Wine', are warning that generational jealousy and pressures to compromise could...
Vol 65 No 5 | TANZANIA Nation mourns the 'nearly man' Lowassa 27th February 2024 Despite his burning ambition the late Edward Lowassa was ever the bridesmaid and never the bride, but his career exemplified national politics Edward Lowassa, who has died aged 70, was a close friend, confidant and ally of ex-President Jakaya Kikwete who spent a fortune advancing his prospects and embracing any...
Vol 65 No 5 | ETHIOPIA Taking Amhara to Washington 26th February 2024 Loyalists to Abiy Ahmed turned dissidents take their case to the US capital to lobby Congress and the Biden administration The ultra-nationalist Amhara Fano Unity Council (AFUC) led by Fano militia leader Mihret Wodajo is stepping up its political advocacy in the United States after registering lobbyists...
Vol 65 No 4 | KENYA Ruto gambles on Eurobonds 15th February 2024 Nairobi's Treasury joins borrowers paying over 10% interest to meet escalating debt service demands At the heart of the government's plan to issue US$1.5 billion of debt at 10.375% for a buy-back deal is President William Ruto's determination to avoid protracted debt...