Blue Lines
A year into his presidency and a quarter century after the first free elections in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has to strike a balance in his State of the Nation address to Parliament on 7 February. On the one hand he wants to assure people th...
Blue Lines
Shakier economies and an accelerating youth revolt dominate our second special issue on the year ahead
There are clear parallels between the wave of protests demanding radical change across Africa this month with the early days of the North African revol...
Patrick Smith
Radical political change and peace-making in Ethiopia,
together with the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area
agreement, lifted spirits in Africa as other regions became embroiled
in trade wars and a wave of nationalism in 2018.
But many of...
Blue Lines
Stripped of the spin from politicians seeking re-election and international financial institutions seeking to make more loans, it has been a dire year for Africa's economies and worse for its markets.
Buoyed by demographics and better policies, the likes...
Blue Lines
Those criticising the Trump Administration for its lack of interest in Africa may find themselves being more careful what they wish for. About two years late, a form of United States policy towards Africa is taking shape sometimes with the overt connivanc...
Blue Lines
Developments in Nigeria and South Africa point to the danger when political and business interests converge. President Cyril Ramaphosa's directorship of Lonmin, the company operating in Marikana when the police massacred protesting mineworkers, nearly san...
Patrick Smith
We start on the election bandwagons in Abuja, Nigeria for the beginning of the campaigns and move on to Pretoria where President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a heavy challenge to his leadership of the anti-corruption campaign. And then to the Horn of Africa:...
Patrick Smith
We start in Geneva but the real story is in Congo-Kinshasa as the opposition parties argue over who should represent them as presidential candidate in elections next month. It's an action-packed week in South Africa, with one minister resigning and two ot...
Blue Lines
Apart from the disputed casualty figures – the Nigerian army says six people were killed and Amnesty says more than 45 – the best measure of the seriousness of a security crisis is the deafening silence of mainstream politicians. Few seeking votes ahead o...
Patrick Smith
This week our correspondents have filed from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Nigeria, and you will find their more detailed stories in the main newsletter on the website on Thursday 8 November.
ZIMBABWE: As cash crisis deepens and budget cuts loom, governmen...
