Expanding the Legacy
Battling the Odds: Somaliland Still Denied Recognition
It has all the trappings of a country - a government and parliament, army, courts, elections, passports, and a currency - but it doesn’t feature on any map other than as a terra incognita marked by a speculative broken line. However, this geographic entity has been in existence since 1991, yet the wider world stoically denies its existence. Somaliland seceded from greater Somalia in 1991 after that country’s dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, a major general who seized power in a 1969 coup, responded to local unrest by unleashing his army on the region and dismantling the economic and political power base of the Isaaq clan which had dominated the area since Medieval times.
Fighting for the Spoils: Warlords Duking It Out in Sudan
The deafening drumbeat of war and civil strife reverberating around the world, from Haiti to Taiwan, drowns out smaller, but no less deadly, conflicts elsewhere such as in Sudan. Here, powers of ill repute such as Russia, Iran, and a few other unsavoury warmongers are stoking a struggle between two factions intend on looting whatever is left of the perennially troubled country - the third largest in Africa after Algeria and the grotesquely misnamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
South Africa Teetering on the Edge
Keep South Africa Safe. The slogan is stamped on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s favourite face mask and could well refer to more than just the Corona Pandemic. The country is embroiled in an epic struggle to save the rule of law from falling prey to the caprices of political factions not...
Ambitious Morocco Determined to Bridge Two Worlds
In November, the first high-speed railway line of Africa entered into service, linking Tangier and Casablanca via the country’s capital Rabat. Over the entire 350-kilometre stretch, the ‘Al Boraq’ (named after a mythical winged creature) slashes journey times by more than half to barely two hours between its two termini.
Returning to Accelerated Growth
Home to half of the world’s fastest-growing economies, most of Africa is already now living its long-promised bright future. After a few lean years brought about by the end of the commodities super cycle, most of the continent’s top performers have pushed through the structural reforms needed to ensure the...
John Magufuli and Hope Forlorn
He earned his nickname – The Bulldozer – as minister of Roads; today the handle applies equally well to his new job as president of Tanzania. John Magufuli is all about flair. He enjoys playing his audience on national television and has a keen sense for opportunity. Perhaps taking a...
Tanzania: At the Starting Block
Home to the second largest economy of the East African Community, Tanzania struggles to find its way ahead notwithstanding a robustly expanding economy and a much-improved business climate. A nation of two minds, Tanzania has experimented with different development models. The darling of progressive donor nations such as The Netherlands,...
