CLIMATE CHANGE The 28th UN Conference of the Parties Climate Summit – a users' guide 7th December 2023 Pic: @COP28_UAE How to navigate the facts, the figures and the declarations | By Tim Concannon and Jerry Sam in Accra and Caroline Chebet in Nairobi "There is no future in charging in the footsteps of the polluter. There is opportunity in leapfrogging and leading the world in a new direction." Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa. READ FOR FREE
SOUTH AFRICA Former ANC business brain may take over Moonshot Pact 6th December 2023 Roger Jardine. Pic: firstrand.co.za A new contender has entered the crowded opposition field with a plan to take on the ruling party in next year's elections Outgoing chairman of FirstRand Bank, Roger Jardine, has surfaced as the latest contender to lead an alliance of opposition parties against the ruling African National Congress (ANC...
TUNISIA Parliament in chaos over anti-Israel law 4th December 2023 Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar and President Kaïs Saïed. Pic: @TunisieDiplo The President's inconsistency has dashed his hopes of bolstering his popularity by backing the Palestinian cause Tunisians of all political stripes have united in their thousands in protest at Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza. Demonstrations have continued over much of the last ...
AFRICAFINANCE Tracking the missing billions 30th November 2023 Copyright © Africa Confidential 2023 African, Asian and Latin American states have won a vote on tax reform at the UN – it could boost revenues and help them catch stolen cash Ahead of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, African states were focusing on the need to claw back the billions of dollars lost in illicit financial flows (IFFs) as thei... READ FOR FREE
AFRICAFINANCE The global south wins a big money battle 30th November 2023 Pic: @UNDGACM_EN A decade-long campaign for global tax rules to be set by a UN authority could finally come to fruition Years of campaigning to coordinate support from middle-income and developing countries saw the UN General Assembly vote decisively on 22 November to establish a UN tax authority, e...
ECONOMYAFRICA Central bankers hunt for foreign exchange 30th November 2023 Pic: RODWORKS / stock.adobe.com From negative-equity Ghana to South Africa with its sizeable gold holdings, emerging markets are scrambling for liquidity What happens when your central bank starts losing money? Less than you might think, in practical term at least. Ghanaians were horrified to hear their central bank – the Bank...
NIGERIA Tinubu struggles to rebalance the budget 30th November 2023 Copyright © Africa Confidential 2023 Based on ultra-optimistic data on oil exports and tax, the President insists his market reform policies are on track The Central Bank of Nigeria's second successive postponement of a bi-monthly meeting of its influential monetary policy committee (MPC), in November, points to dissension behind t...
NIGERIA Central bank’s Cardoso faces policy fight 30th November 2023 Yemi Cardoso. Pic: @cenbank The radio silence from President Tinubu's economic reform team is unsettling financial bigwigs Mystery surrounds the failure of the Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to meet since its new governor Yemi Cardoso was appointed in late September. Bankers don't like ...
SOUTH AFRICA Advisors abandon ship amid poll storm 30th November 2023 Cyril Ramaphosa. Pic: GovernmentZA (CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED) The presidency has been hit by a wave of resignations as doubts grow about his political survival Key advisors to President Cyril Ramaphosa have been quitting as signs grow that support for the African National Congress (ANC) will below 50% of the vote in the 2024 national and ...
SOUTH AFRICA Contenders brace for electoral upsets 30th November 2023 Pic: @jsteenhuisen Both the ruling African National Congress and the main opposition Democratic Alliance are struggling to navigate a new political era The latest opinion survey results – by the Social Research Foundation, Ipsos and the Brenthurst Foundation – are unanimous that the African National Congress's (ANC) sh...
MALI Junta falls out with its fanbase 30th November 2023 Pic: EspritModiboKeita Facebook The regime's split with the anti-French and pro-Russian Yerewolo – its biggest supporter – may have been provoked by links to Hizbollah Fear of links to Iran and Hizbollah helped turn interim President Colonel Assimi Goïta's regime against its biggest domestic supporter, and to imprison its leader and harass o...
CONGO-KINSHASA Meagre record haunts Tshisekedi's plan 30th November 2023 Pic: @Fatshi20 For all the President's rhetoric and slick campaigning, many voters remember his failure to deliver on past promises The campaigning season is careering towards election day on 20 December with Félix Tshisekedi expected to win another presidential term despite his meagre record in governme...
SOMALIA Floods put fighting on hold 28th November 2023 Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addresses the the East African Community. Pic: @HassanSMohamud A 'once-in-a-century' deluge halted troops movements while the President went on a world tour to raise funds President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has November's unprecedentedly severe rains and floods to thank for the fact he has not paid the full political price for the setback government for...
NIGERIA South-west bias claims weaken Tinubu's standing 27th November 2023 Inaugural Federal Executive Council with newly appointed ministers at the council chambers of the State House, Abuja, 28 August 2023. Pic: @officialABAT The President is accused of stacking the cabinet and the military with his fellow Yoruba – and the critics are getting louder The government's policy team has won plaudits internationally but at home it is struggling to reignite the economy and the burden of its reforms is hitting middle-class and poorer ...
MALI Much ado about Kidal 23rd November 2023 Copyright © Africa Confidential 2023 The junta's seizure of this key northern city from the Azawad coalition could create more problems than it solves The victory of Forces armées maliennes (FAMa) and its Russian Wagner Group allies over the Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA) for control of Kidal on 14 November ...
CÔTE D'IVOIRE Will Tidjane Thiam's 'grand retour' succeed? 22nd November 2023 Tidjane Thiam. Pic: David Levenson / Alamy The former chief executive of Prudential and Credit Suisse is returning to national politics as presidential contender A big choice faces the internal elections committee of the Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), the long-time ruling party now in opposition, as they prepare to...
SOUTH AFRICA Political fight intensifies over state transit company 20th November 2023 Pic: transnet.net Finance minister turns down bailout request from Transnet whose failings have cost the economy over US$26 billion Tough decisions and strong political backing are needed to turn around the ailing state-owned transport and logistics company, Transnet which could face a ratings downgrade. Struct...
SOUTH SUDAN Mix-up costs Juba envoy 30th November 2023 Pic: @AfricanUnionUN The long-serving South Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations, Akuei Bona Malwal, is being recalled to Juba after a series of misunderstandings which enraged President Salva Kii...
RUSSIAAFRICA Wagner pays cash for digital influence 16th November 2023 Drissa Meminta A leak from the Russian group's propaganda arm reveals payments for videos by West African bloggers and influencers on social media platforms READ FOR FREE
SOMALIAHORN OF AFRICA Trading dams for ports 16th November 2023 Pic: @AbiyAhmedAli Abiy's clumsy proposal to swap shares in the Nile dam for access to a port took the region by surprise
ZIMBABWE ZANU-PF's impostor plot 16th November 2023 Bishop Tapfumaneyi Masaya Pic: @CCCZimbabwe The ruling party sows discord in the opposition as a rogue activist sacks their MPs
EGYPTEUROPEAN UNIONNORTH AFRICA Into the arms of Abdel Fattah el Sisi 6th November 2023 Pic: @AlsisiOfficial The likelihood that the Israel-Hamas war will trigger a refugee crisis has pushed Brussels to strike a migration deal with Cairo
EAST AFRICA Arrears all round 30th November 2023 Salva Kiir takes over the chairmanship of the East African Community from President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi. Pic: @SouthSudanGov
SUDAN Darfuris face a global dereliction of duty 16th November 2023 Copyright © Africa Confidential 2023 As the UN accuses the generals of 'verging on pure evil', the international system runs out of ideas and energy
NIGERIA Tinubu tightens grip, opposition regroups 16th November 2023 Pic: @officialABAT Violence, low turnouts and blatant vote rigging raise doubts about the APC's latest state election victories
LIBERIA Weah-Boakai election race tests 20-year peace settlement 14th November 2023 George Weah casts his vote, Monrovia, October 2023. Pic: Seth/Xinhua/Alamy In the closest election since the civil war, voters choose between the two front-runners in the presidential run-off
SUDAN Amid regional chaos, a glimmer of hope in Jeddah and Addis 3rd November 2023 Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower, September 2023 Headquarters of the Sudanese Armed Forces, April 2023. Pic: ©2023 Maxar Technologies. As the devastating stalemate between Burhan's and Hemeti's forces continues, the pressure for a ceasefire is mounting
ETHIOPIA Abiy spells out expansionist plans 16th November 2023 Copyright © Africa Confidential 2023 The premier is targeting direct access to the Red Sea, a move that could destabilise the region
SOUTH AFRICA Godongwana's realism unsettles ANC 16th November 2023 Enoch Godongwana. Pic: GovernmentZA CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED Ministers are torn between tax hikes and spending cuts in the tightest fiscal crunch for 30 years
CHADFRANCE Presidents Mahamat Kaka and Macron meet on security threats 13th November 2023 Emmanuel Macron and Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno 'Kaka' at the Élysée Palace. Pic: Julien Mattia/Le Pictorium/Alamy Paris needs Ndjamena's cooperation more than ever after the rupture of its ties with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso
