GHANA Elections 2012: Mahama ahead by a hair 16th November 2012 GHANA Obuasi: Gold pouring into moulds that form gold bars. Jacob Silberberg / Panos Image courtesy of Panos Pictures Oil, gas, gold, education and health dominate a landmark election in which the main contenders may again be fewer than just 50,000 votes apart It has been Ghana’s longest-ever campaign and electors are being offered a real choice of policies and people but still the two major parties are running neck-and-neck ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections on 7 December. The centre-left National Democratic Congress under President John Dramani Mahama has maintained a slight lead, according to local and international pollsters. Yet the NDC is fighting off criticism that it has not maximised the economic potential of new oil and gas production and that it remains hamstrung by corruption and chronically inefficient public services.
GHANA Contributions gratefully received 16th November 2012 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site Foreign campaign contributions are illegal in Ghana but are not properly tracked because the main anti-corruption agency, the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice,...
SIERRA LEONE Elections 2012: Koroma in front 16th November 2012 Image courtesy of Panos Pictures View site The elections should crown peace in the country but worries about vote-buying and violence persist Ahead of the 17 November elections, the country is starkly split between the two main parties, the governing All People’s Congress and the Sierra Leone People’s Party. These are th...
No one could accuse West Africa of rushing into a war in northern Mali. It is eight months since the putsch by dissident soldiers in Bamako against President Amadou Toumani Touré and the subsequent takeover of the north by jihadist militias. It was not until 11 November that the Economic Community of West African States met in Abuja and finally agreed to send in troops: 3,300 from No one could accuse West Africa of rushing into a war in northern Mali. It is eight months since the putsch by dissident soldiers in Bamako against President Amadou Toumani Touré and the subsequent takeover of the north by jihadist militias. It was not until 11 November that the Economic Community of West African States met in Abuja and finally agreed to send in troops: 3,300 from Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso. They will fight beside the 5,000 Malian soldiers who will lead the campaign to reconquer the three northern provinces: Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. France, Britain and Germany are offering 200 military trainers and air support. Neighbouring Algeria and Mauritania won’t join the campaign but have promised not to obstruct it and may help with logistics. The military plan has been accepted by Ecowas and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. This week, the Chairwoman of the AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, is in Paris meeting top officials at the same time as Niger’s President, Mahamadou Issoufou, who has already toured Europe to alert governments to the growing security threats in the Sahel. Next stop is the United Nations Security Council, which asked to see the detailed plan by 26 November. It is also expected to back it unanimously and offer finance. France wants the soldiers to move as soon as possible, Britain and the United States argue for better if lengthier preparation. Military action is unlikely before January at the earliest. Read more
SIERRA LEONE Sesay and the city 16th November 2012 The youth of Freetown helped to swing victory for Ernest Bai Koroma in 2007, runs the conventional wisdom. Overwhelming support in the capital was decisive in convincing even the d...
SOMALIAANALYSIS Hassan Sheikh keeps it in the family 16th November 2012 After a long delay the new President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, finally appointed a prime minister and a cabinet, all of them drawn from a tight circle of family, friends and his most trusted political allies. He risked appearing elitist and non-inclusive because he wanted to be sure of his team. He is signalling that this government is here to stay and in no mood for compromise on sovereignty. Kenya and its allies in Kismayo are providing him with an early test of his resolve and credibility In the two months that it took President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to appoint the Premier and other ministers, he has attracted growing criticism for his aloof style. The diplomats and...
SOUTH AFRICA How the branches voted 16th November 2012 Of the 4,500 voting delegates who will decide the African National Congress presidential election at the party conference, 4,103 (91.2%) will come from ANC branches, each of which ...
UNITED STATESAFRICAMINING Opacity for all 16th November 2012 In August, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission published its 236-page guide to the operation of Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Prot...
ALGERIA No spring in the step 16th November 2012 Popular discontent remains widespread but unfocused. The looming presidential succession may sharpen choices and increase tension Many Algerians feel that 50 years of independence have left them with little worth celebrating. Yet while dozens of protests about housing, job shortages and other grievances take ...
SOMALIA Breaking ranks in Kismayo 16th November 2012 Kenya’s defiance of the Somali government on the ban on charcoal exports from Kismayo threatens the cohesion of the African Union Mission in Somalia. It will also test the mettle o...
MALAWITANZANIA Oil and gas prospects fuel lake row 16th November 2012 The two sides will return to the table to settle an old dispute Malawi and Tanzania will return to the negotiating table on 15-17 November to seek a diplomatic resolution to their dispute over the border in the lake that divides their two count...
ZIMBABWE ZANU-PF’s gem of a campaign 16th November 2012 Everyone is asking where Mugabe’s party is finding the money for its fleet of new vehicles and its pre-election largesse A spending splash by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front is attracting increasing suspicion that the funds come from illegally diverted diamond sales. ZANU-PF will ...
SOUTH SUDAN Juba runs out of patience 16th November 2012 The governing party cracks down on critics at home as its negotiations with Khartoum continue to frustrate The prospect of oil exports resuming in the next few weeks and the economic boost that brings should have cheered President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government. However, long-term imp...
SOUTH AFRICA Zuma or else 16th November 2012 A ruthless re-election campaign is set to win Jacob Zuma another term as ANC leader and national President The re-election of President Jacob Zuma as African National Congress (ANC) President is an ‘unstoppable tsunami’, say his backers, yet many members of his original coalition of tra...
UNITED STATESAFRICAMINING Dodging Dodd-Frank 16th November 2012 Lobbyists failed to dilute the strong disclosure requirements that are now law in the USA but the transparency battle still rages in Europe The American Petroleum Institute, a major oil industry association, and other pro-business groups are challenging the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Maj...
SOUTH AFRICA Undiplomatic corps 16th November 2012 A furious row has erupted in cabinet between the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and her counterpart at National Planning, Trevor Manue...
LIBERIA What price the Unity Party 16th November 2012 The member of parliament and former Speaker Edwin Melvin Snowe has renewed the offensive against Robert Alvin Sirleaf, Chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia, and Presiden...
SUDANCHINABRITAIN Sanctions bypass 16th November 2012 China has quietly joined countries implementing sanctions against Khartoum, we hear. This may not reduce Beijing’s substantial arms exports to Khartoum but it is making life diffic...
CONGO-KINSHASA Expert opinions 16th November 2012 The controversy over the United Nations’ report on the conflict in eastern Congo-Kinshasa continued this week as the UN Security Council debated it yet again. The United States is ...
