Category: Policy Review
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Rising Food Prices and Political Pressure
Food prices and other commodities are rising. Consequently, policy makers in many countries are considering short and long term approaches to make food prices affordable. The measures range from food subsidies for consumers to incentives for farmers to increase food production. The situation is more pressing on the African continent, where governments are under tremendous…
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The World’s First Climate Change Crisis
To understand the future, investigate the past. To grasp the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, one must look back in history. This crisis has been profoundly misunderstood. It is essential to consider the mid-1980s, before the violence between Africans and Arabs began to simmer. The fighting in Darfur is usually described as…
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Red Storm Rising: China Makes Her Mark in Africa
There appears to be an ongoing battle in Africa for a share of the continent’s rich mineral and natural resources. Global investment in Africa is at an all time high. This is mainly driven by the insatiable need for precious minerals, like rare earth elements or metals. Other important minerals, like gold, bauxite, and copper…
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An Unholy Alliance: Africa and the IMF
Africa and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have had a complex relationship over decades. It is akin to family members quarreling with one always going to the other for assistance. In other words, it is the classic case of “can’t live with them, can’t live without them.” The IMF was the brainchild of 44 leaders…
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South Africa’s hard truths
South Africa is widely considered as a modern industrializing country, with one of the world’s most progressive constitutions that prides itself on inclusiveness. South Africa is fondly known as the “rainbow nation” due to its diverse and multicultural society. Despite much internal and external resistance, it held a much heralded truth and reconciliation commission after…
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From Altruism to Strategy: Understanding Africa’s Rising Role in Geopolitics
The history of Western assistance or investment in Africa has been altruistic and born out of colonial guilt. For decades, Africa has been on the periphery of geopolitics. In other words, the continent was treated as a non-entity in the power play of global politics. That narrative, however, is changing. The overall structure and organization…
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Democracy in Africa: Overcoming Election Violence Challenges
Hooliganism is gradually lifting its ugly head in African elections. Post- election violence in some regions of the continent does not augur well for Africa’s march towards democratic consolidation. Who would have thought that Kenya, regarded as a paragon and oasis of peace and political stability in an otherwise volatile region in East Africa, would…
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The threat of failed states to Africa’s political and economic viability
When a government ceases to properly and effectively function, that country can become vulnerable to both outside interference and lawless internal forces. State failure means the dissolution of central political and economic institutions, and struggle among competing groups for authority or governance in regions of a given territory, for the exercise of the monopoly of…
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The Principle of Political Equality in Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice is ensuring a quality of life for all regardless of race, ethnicity or social class, and leaving enough natural resources for future generations. Everyone should have a safe and healthy place to live, work, and play, irrespective of the country they live in. Environmental injustice occurs on a global scale. The Global South…
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Africa’s Path to Economic Independence
After half a century of decolonization, Africa remains mostly dependent on its former colonial powers for economic sustenance and assistance. Political independence has yet to materialize into economic independence. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah famously once declared “Africa must unite or perish.” History has shown what he said many decades ago to be true. He believed that…
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