Blue Lines
Good, bad, ugly or interminable political transitions will loom large
in 2017. The theme of transition will dominate the first two editions
of Africa Confidential, which
carry a set of economic and political forecasts for countries facing
major changes th...
Patrick Smith
People across the world, bar journalists, seem to want to live
in less interesting times after the political conflagrations and
shifting geopolitics of last year. There is no sign that this wish will
be granted, even in Africa.
The preoccupations of the ...
Patrick Smith
This week we start in Israel with the news that police have put mining magnate Beny Steinmetz under house arrest in connection with a probe into contracts for Guinea's gargantuan Simandou iron ore deposit. In Kinshasa tensions rise with the deadline for P...
Blue Lines
After a year of credible elections in Ghana and South Africa but rigged
ones in Uganda, Gabon and Zambia, together with a raft of
political and
corporate corruption scandals, there will be a new focus on judicial
systems. It was the independence of court ...
Patrick Smith
We start in Ghana where last week's well-run elections brought Nana Akufo-Addo the presidency and an orderly transition is under way. Much less orderly is Gambia where Yahya Jammeh has changed his mind about accepting electoral defeat and has triggered a ...
Patrick Smith
This week we hit the election trail: first to Ghana where over 15 million citizens are due to vote in presidential and parliamentary elections on Wednesday (7 December), and then to Gambia for the aftermath of the shock election defeat of President Yahya ...
Blue Lines
The funeral of Fidel Castro on 4 December is stirring up fiercely
partisan reactions. But in Africa there is almost universal praise for
the Cuban leader, especially
his support for anti-colonial struggles
and his despatch of some 50,000 doctors across th...
Patrick Smith
This week we start with Nigeria's
governorship elections and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma facing yet another vote of confidence. Elections in
Gambia and Somalia are also
due conclude this week as the United States signals
greater interest in milita...
Patrick Smith
We start in Nigeria where the
central bank is holding critical meetings on interest rates and foreign
exchange policy. After its budget last week, Zambian officials
continue talks with the International Monetary Fund and political
tensions rise in neighbo...
Blue Lines
African treasuries, cash-strapped after the commodity price crash, are
trying to recoup their losses by launching law suits against
multinational companies. The most sensational is a court ruling in Chad on 5 October that a consortium
led by Exxon Mobil s...
