Patrick Smith
We start in Nigeria
on a rare
high note – at least on the economic plane – and then go to Tanzania, where President John Magufuli's government is
stepping up his campaign of resource nationalism. In South Africa, President Jacob Zuma is also playing the
r...
Patrick Smith
Political changes in Europe – and their effects on Africa –
start the ball rolling this week. And then it's off to Lusaka where the Zambian government is about to ink a
new deal with the IMF. In Nigeria,
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo's
profile could rise h...
Blue Lines
Extreme weather amid this week's storms in Western Cape in South Africa and the continuing drought in north-east Africa remind us of the
realities of climate change. Cape Town hovers between devastating
storms one month and worsening water shortages for t...
Patrick Smith
We start with the aftermath of the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and its implications for Africa. Then we go to Morocco, where protests are spreading. In South Africa, the relentless drip of information and claims about Presiden...
Patrick Smith
We start this week with another high-stakes battle between a multinational mining company and an African government, this time in Tanzania. The Ethiopian government is celebrating Tedros Adhanom winning the leadership of the World Health Organisation; and...
Blue Lines
The appointment of regional security specialist Peter Pham as the United States' Assistant Secretary
of State for African Affairs has been welcomed by African diplomats in
Washington. 'We have an appointee with knowledge and a certain affinity
with Africa...
Patrick Smith
This week we start in Lusaka where the dispute between the
government and First Quantum Minerals is still simmering. And then to Mali,
where French President Emmanuel Macron has been outlining a tougher military policy. In South Africa,
President Jacob Zu...
Patrick Smith
This week we start in Addis Ababa for an international
conference on development finance. And then to Côte d'Ivoire where the government is insisting the army mutiny is over. In South
Africa, the African National Congress is divided over the
reappointment...
Blue Lines
Data-mining is coming to an African election near you. President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election campaign has contracted Cambridge Analytica, the data company widely credited with having swung last year's United States' presidential poll for Donald Trump and...
Patrick Smith
This week we start with the celebrations greeting the newly-elected President of France and look at some implications for Africa. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is back in London for more medical treatment as his deputy puts the finishing touches on...
