DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 12 | AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK The battle for capital 2nd June 2025 Can new President Ould Tah counter the retreat from development finance in Africa? Raising capital will be the first immediate challenge facing Sidi Ould Tah, elected on 27 May as the new president of the African Development Bank (AfDB). His previous... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | EUROPEAN UNIONAFRICA Brussels claims the EU is Africa’s ‘reliable partner’, as officials tout cooperation on UN 27th May 2025 Kallas wants to work with AU to support beleaguered multilateral bodies The European Union may not be putting anything new on the table but it ‘is the partner Africa can rely on’, the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | KENYATANZANIA Hassan intensifies crackdown with torture of Kenyan and Ugandan activists 27th May 2025 Boniface Mwangi was held for four days before being dumped at the border The detention and torture of Boniface Mwangi, one of Kenya’s most prominent civil society activists, is the latest move by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s increasingly authoritarian government. Hassan... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | MAURITIUSUNITED KINGDOM Starmer puts legal spin on Chagos Islands deal 27th May 2025 Prime Minister Ramgoolam claims it completes the ‘decolonisation process’ United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking heat at home over his government’s £3.4 billion deal with Mauritius that will allow Britain to retain control of the... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | EUROPEAN UNIONAFRICAN UNION Brussels puts migration ahead of trade and investment deals 19th May 2025 A shortage of energy and ideas haunts preparations by foreign ministers for this year’s bi-continental summit The mood music out of Brussels suggests that relations with Africa are not getting priority at the European Commission despite rhetorical assurances to the contrary. That is reflected... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | GUINEA Questions abound as prime minister Bah promises junta will hold elections this year 19th May 2025 After long delays in voter registration and organising logistics, few believe the vote could be credible Widespread scepticism greeted Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah’s announcement at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan on 12 May that three years of military dictatorship will come to... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 11 | ANGOLA De Sousa defends US$1 billion J.P. Morgan loan 19th May 2025 Finance Ministry to approach IMF for funds as debt matures The average yield on Angola’s dollar bonds has soared above 13.5% in recent weeks, prompting Finance Minister Vera Daves de Sousa to shelve plans to test the... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 10 | KENYA Wary of hiking tax rates, finance minister Mbadi cracks down on evasion 12th May 2025 Treasury seeks revenue via heavier enforcement and digital surveillance as protestors hold fire Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has ruled out any new tax rises in his budget plan for 2025/26, arguing that greater efficiency in revenue collection will be sufficient. READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 10 | MALI After extending General Goïta’s term until 2030, the junta bans protests 12th May 2025 In line with the juntas in Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali’s ruling soldiers are shutting civilian politics and extending their tenure Facing public opposition to General Assimi Goïta’s plans to stay in power until 2030, his military junta has suspended all political activities across the country ahead of protests... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 10 | AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK US President Trump’s block on funding upends elections for bank leader 12th May 2025 With access to Gulf funding, Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah may win more backing from worried shareholders The US Trump administration plans to slash US$555 million in support for the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) soft-loan affiliate will leave a hefty funding gap for the new... READ FOR FREE