African countries are missing an opportunity to work closer together to boost trade and infrastructure
African Union
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, Health
Trump’s global gag rule puts safe abortion in jeopardy
In his first week as President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has demonstrated a callous disregard for women’s rights by reinstating and extending the so-called global gag rule, a policy which will prevent all organisations receiving US foreign aid for health from including abortion referrals or information within their programmes. Not only […]
Posted inBusiness, Equality
Human (in)security: Can the AU accelerate intra-Africa trade?
By Zukiswa Mqolomba According to the latest Human Development Report, sub-Saharan Africa countries, even those classified as middle-income countries, have disappointingly low human development indices (HDIs). HDIs are worse in Africa’s conflict zones. A reading of the literature suggests three things in order to boost intra-Africa trade: Firstly, a key tenant lies with navigating the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The al-Bashir saga: Questions about the bottom line on SA’s sovereignty
By Jan Hofmeyr One of the more revealing aspects of this week’s fracas involving Omar al-Bashir’s entry and exit from the African Union Summit in Sandton, is the deep insecurity our government has displayed in asserting its own sovereignty. Faced with a choice between adherence to our constitution, abiding to an international convention to which […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
The ICC is not Africa’s enemy
On New Year’s Eve in 1989 in Monrovia, Liberia, 17-year old Leymah Gbowee was finishing high school and looking forward to starting university to study to become a doctor. Like many middle class Liberians at the time she did not think that the coup by Charles Taylor on 24 December 1989 from the outskirts of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Post-blackness and what it means for African unity
By Melo Magolego Every so often, a chorus of scribes invokes the memory of Nkrumah to remind us of the urgent task of uniting Africa, both politically and economically. The 50th anniversary (in 2013) of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) — predecessor to the African Union — proved yet a stage for another hymn. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
African Union, useful or useless?
By Lindelwe Dube The continent has recently seen an increase in the number of attempted coups. The list includes Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast and now the Central African Republic (CAR). While Africans themselves and the international community may look to the African Union (AU) to facilitate peace and stability, the AU has struggled to fulfil […]
Posted inNews/Politics
‘They shipped you there, so come back to us’
By Afua Hirsch From an African perspective, going to the Caribbean can be a disarming experience. On many of the islands, the people look distinctively west African, their national dishes are barely changed versions of African food (compare Nevis’s “cook-up” to Ghana’s “waakye” and I challenge you to spot the difference), and their Creole dialects […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Nkosazana good for AU, good for SA
As Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma prepared to take over her responsibilities as the new and first female leader of the African Union Commission, the reaction back home was somewhat bitter-sweet. Many said the former foreign affairs minister was being sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. They argued SA was losing one of its finest. That she […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
The trouble with international justice
This month marks 10 years since the International Criminal Court first opened its doors at The Hague in Netherlands. The court was created under the Rome Statute to prosecute serious international crimes like war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has 121 member nations, with Guatemala being the latest. With a decade gone since the […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Levels of peace and stability on the African continent
The concept of “peace” has traditionally been abstract in definition. Perhaps the most workable methodology of approaching the concept of peace is to define it in terms of harmony achieved by the absence of war or conflict. This definition applied to nation states would purport that those countries not involved in violent conflicts with neighbouring […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
The geopolitical transformation and significance of South Africa
Since our country’s new democratic transition, South Africa has displayed remarkable levels of socio-political stability, which has resulted in a strong influence in Africa as well as within the international community. South Africa has one of the most advanced and diversified economies in Africa and also accounts for a significant proportion of global foreign trade. […]