Vol 61 No 12 | GUINEA Steinmetz deal bears fruit 11th June 2020 President Alpha Condé has held up his end of a secret bargain with Israeli mining billionaire Beny Steinmetz now that Conakry's prosecutors have dropped all bribery charges against...
Vol 61 No 7 | GUINEA Condé goes it alone 2nd April 2020 The President gets the constitutional change he wants to enable a third and fourth term, and the crackdown on the opposition continues President Alpha Condé got what he wanted: a 92% 'yes' vote in the constitutional referendum, which was held on 22 March alongside a long overdue legislative election which...
Vol 61 No 5 | GUINEA Forced delay 5th March 2020 Late on 28 February, President Alpha Condé made an unexpected appearance on national television, admitting he had been pressured into delaying the double poll he had called for...
Vol 61 No 2 | GUINEA Terminal turbulence 23rd January 2020 Alpha Condé is keeping the nation in a state of suspense by refusing to confirm whether he is standing for a third term In his New Year address to the nation, President Alpha Condé confirmed his plans to submit a new constitution to a popular referendum. But he again failed to...
Vol 60 No 24 | GUINEALIBERIA Iron back on track 5th December 2019 A mining rights sale linked to railways sets off an iron rush of sorts and promises to open up the sub-region The granting of the much-coveted multi-billion-dollar Simandou South iron ore concession in Guinea to a Chinese-backed consortium promises to shake up regional mining industry dynamics and the political...
Vol 60 No 22 | GUINEA Dancing the third-term tango 7th November 2019 Condé appears prepared to crush massive opposition in order to secure a third term of office, regardless of the dangers to society The idea that President Alpha Condé would get the required two-thirds parliamentary majority to change the constitution to allow him to seek a third term has always been...
Vol 60 No 8 | GUINEA Condé bids for third term 19th April 2019 The President’s bid for a third term has hit top gear. Can a fractured opposition unite to deny him the constitutional changes he needs? President Alpha Condé's campaign to change the constitution to get himself a third term has now reached full steam, as he exhorts his party's rank-and-file to 'prepare for...
Vol 60 No 5 | GUINEA A surprise reunion 8th March 2019 A unexpected deal ends a long-running dispute, allowing everyone to get back to the business of extracting iron ore Israeli mining magnate Beny Steinmetz has made a surprise re-entry into Guinea, after reaching an apparently amicable settlement in his lengthy dispute with the Guinean government over allegations...
Vol 59 No 20 | GUINEA Turks in troubled waters 12th October 2018 Another over-priced port contract comes under fire for political patronage and secrecy The Port Autonome de Conakry (PAC), Guinea's principal sea port, is a strategic national asset, so the fact that it is now to be run by Turkey's Albayrak...
Vol 59 No 13 | BURKINA FASOGUINEATOGO Adieu à Françafrique 29th June 2018 The investigation of Vincent Bolloré highlights how the old business networks are losing influence in French former colonies When the French billionaire industrialist Vincent Bolloré was placed under formal investigation by Paris prosecutors on suspicion of bribing foreign officials in Africa, commentators wondered whether it was...