Opinions

Ueli Staeger and Babatunde Fagbayibo argue that the African Union is weak because its Member States want it to remain so. The African Union (AU) comes in for a lot of criticism. Most recently this is from within its own ranks. The AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, set out his frustrations after…

The decision of the India G20 summit last September admitting the African Union (AU) as a permanent member has been hailed as a historic development both continentally and globally. While it is not true that the benefit of AU membership to the global body is insignificant, there is merit to the view…

The AU must guard against mirroring the weaknesses of its predecessor – the Organisation of African Unity. The African Union (AU) is not living up to expectations – and member states are partly to blame, according to AU Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Mahamat. He says they are using their sovereignty to avoid…

Have you ever wanted to work for the UN or UNESCO? Well I have. As someone who is really interested in foreign affairs and the humanities, I care a lot about intercultural exchange and understanding. Yet, the UN and UNESCO is not as amazing as we think. Right now, there…

Lidet Tadesse Shiferaw wonders whether, as Africa’s global significance grows, the continent’s increasing global role will help it realize its full potential.     On September 9, 2023, the African Union (AU) was admitted as a permanent member of the G20, just weeks after the BRICS association welcomed Egypt and…

Ghadafi Saibu call on international democratic stakeholders, including ECOWAS, to facilitate the institutionalization and deepening of democratic procedures beyond elections, decrying the current approach of accepting African countries’ long-term electoral autocracies (hybrid regimes) that have long packaged themselves as democracies under the guise of elections.     The recent wave…

Fhulu Badugela posits that the entertainment sector provides a unique opportunity to uplift Africa’s people in various ways, i.e., improve lives professionally, financially, and psychologically.     Entertainment is primarily fun and enjoyable, but it also reflects and creates culture, which binds people together. It is created by scores of…

  Akinwumi Ogunranti examines how the rising political instability in Sahelian countries, i.e., Mali, Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Chad, affects the African Union’s effort to implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), arguing that although these countries may have signed and ratified the AfCFTA, it is unlikely that they…

In Africa, where development is unequal and some regions face growing conflict, highly skilled labor is likely to migrate. While this is a plus for receiving countries, the flip side is brain drain in the less developed regions, argues Msingathi Sipuka.   Postcolonial Africa has consistently sought to define a…

Hannah Ryder argues the Common Framework for Debt Treatment is based on an outdated theory that distrusts borrowers and places heavy burdens on African countries in debt distress, calling for more economically sound and development-friendly solutions.     Several events this year – from the June 2023 Paris financing pact summit to…