Opinions

While ECOWAS member states are keen to signal their opposition to unconstitutional changes of government, socio-economic considerations shape their ability to stand in unity; thus, achieving an ‘ECOWAS of peoples: peace and prosperity for all’ requires ensuring visible dividends of good governance since “one cannot eat democracy.”   Niger’s recent…

To address the spate of Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa (UCG),  Eddy Maloka recommends strengthening of African Union’s normative framework on UCG and reinforcement of its response to unconstitutional transitions, as stipulated in the Lomé Declaration.     Africa has recently grappled with a resurgence of Unconstitutional Changes of…

Olasupo Abideen argues the Niger situation brings to light the reality that good democratic governance is the only panacea against unconstitutional transitions, urging ECOWAS to put its house in order: clamp down on leaders violating term limits or winning elections through flawed electoral processes.     Last week, just as…

 Young people have made it clear that the narrow conceptualization of the concept of UCGs as only military takeovers is flawed and leads to missed opportunities for the creation of lasting solutions that encompass the varying dimensions of this phenomenon.     The latest milestone of the African Peer Review…

Forward planning and preparation will allow the African Union to become an organised and influential member of the G20.   It is looking increasingly likely that the African Union will be admitted as the 21st member of the G20 during the next summit to be hosted by India, thereby correcting a…

Without adequate representation from Africa, the G20 falls short of being truly inclusive of the world’s economic realities; therefore, a stronger membership of Africa in the group would promote a more equitable and balanced global governance structure.     I first advocated for the African Union membership of the G7 and…

By creating youth-friendly economic policies, African governments will help youth-led enterprises create job and entrepreneurship opportunities, thereby addressing the continent’s youth unemployment crisis.     Africa, the world’s youngest continent, is grappling with a pressing youth unemployment challenge.  According to a 2015 study by the African Development Bank (AfDB), one-third…

The AfCFTA on its own will not change the extractive practices of Africa’s development partners. Africa’s trade negotiators need to find ways to make them reshape their trade patterns with the continent.     It has become quite fashionable, whenever the African continent is mentioned by development partners, to talk…

Yavi Madurai blogs about the ongoing UK refugee crisis in relation to the UK-Rwanda asylum deal, vis-à-vis South Africa’s decision to end the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), in the context of  the potential role of the African Union Free Movement Protocol (AU-FMP) in addressing Africa’s free movement and labour migration…

The EU is Africa’s most important trading partner and both Africa and Europe stand to gain from closer trade relations. Yet, as David Luke explains, trade between the two continents suffers from a broad misalignment in trade policy priorities. Drawing on research for a new book How Africa Trades, he…