Africa

The European Union – the continent's biggest trading partner – has now signed up most sub-Saharan African countries to bilateral or regional Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA). The framework...

West African small farmers' organisations oppose the European Union's Economic Partnership Agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). The Ouagadougou-based Réseau des organisations paysannes et...

Senior officials from the African Union, European Union and United Nations were at the Police Club House in Khartoum on 13-16 October for the AU's Regional Conference on...

A geographical shift in uranium production should, in theory, have benefitted Malawi, Namibia, Niger and South Africa as, together with the world's biggest producer, Kazakhstan, they have become...

At least it started well. Three days before the world's leaders gathered on 23 September at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to debate the urgent measures...

For many, the most emblematic moment of Washington's maiden Africa summit on 4-6 August came at the end of an intense day of economic and commercial debate on...

Seasoned Africa summit organisers in Paris, Beijing, Tokyo and New Delhi looked on with more than a hint of competitive concern as the United States launched its own...

Following President François Hollande's brief African tour this month came questions about France's development aid policy. After all, critics say, it is economic development and poverty reduction that...

In December next year, France will host the next global climate summit, the Conference of the Global Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change...

Responsibility for foreign policy is primarily shared between the President François Hollande and the Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. The President’s Africa Advisor is Hélène le Gal, a career...

France sees itself as a participant in the struggle against jihadism across the Sahel and Sahara but insists it will not take sides in internal conflicts between governments...

It took Germany's historic 7-1 defeat of Brazil on 8 July to put the disappointing performance of African teams at the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 2014...

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s African tour was a week-long, effective sales pitch for Chinese technology and infrastructural expertise. He also announced several major projects. His chosen destinations...

The end of 1963 was an interesting, and lucky, time to be asked to become Editor of Africa Confidential. There is no doubt that Africa as a whole...

Evoking 'a partnership between equals', José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, celebrated progress on security, migration, trade and development at the end of the fourth European...

Tough negotiations on trade, and peacekeeping missions for Mali and Central African Republic, will dominate the fourth EU-Africa summit in Brussels on 2-3 April. Recognising that Europe has...

Albert Essien, the new Chief Executive of Ecobank, told delegates at the Africa CEO Forum in Geneva on 18 March that the bank would relentlessly focus on the...

Chinese police and Kenyan conservationists worked hand in hand in Nairobi in mid-January to secure the arrest of the Chinese boss of an ivory smuggling ring and two...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state tour to Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Ethiopia in early January was only the third official visit by a serving Japanese Premier to take...

India's diplomats started off the year with a flurry of official visits to North African countries with a view to strengthening economic ties there. External Affairs Minister Salman...

New efforts by the Seoul government and by South Korea's private companies aim to widen cooperation with its African partners this year. These new initiatives follow a series...

The International Monetary Fund’s projection that Sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product growth should be over 6% in 2014, compared to average Asian growth of over 5%, is an...