Politics & Security

A New Doctrine? Understanding Russia and the New Scramble for Africa

Taigh AdebajoAugust 7, 2020

Russia’s interest in Africa has been re-ignited by the clear opportunity to establish influence in a region that is increasingly becoming vulnerable to a renewed global scramble for its resources. Read more.

August/September 2020

The Kremlin’s North African Gateway? Western Sahara, Crimea and Russia’s Interest in Morocco

Dylan YachyshenJuly 31, 2020

A revanchist Russia, viewing North Africa as a gateway to expanded influence, has started positioning itself as a non-Western alternative for African states. Read more.

June/July 2020

A New Scramble in the Horn of Africa The Multipolar Contest for Africa’s Eastern Region

Stephen PaduanoJuly 27, 2020

Will the return of foreign avarice and ambition undermine the hard-fought sovereignty and emergent unity and stability that has slowly spread across the Horn in the past fifteen years? Or could the region stand to benefit from the rush of new interest and attention that a ‘new scramble’ might offer? Read more.

June/July 2020

Kremlin’s Renewed Interest Russia’s Emerging Threat to Elections in Africa

Tabitha Mwangi and Chimwemwe FabianoJuly 24, 2020

Past incidents of Russian online interference in elections are enough proof that Africa should not underestimate foreign interests in spreading disinformation. Read more.

June/July 2020

Forced, Stigmatized and Misunderstood Almajirai and Boko Haram beyond the Victim-Perpetrator Binary

Akali OmeniJune 22, 2020

This widespread begging practice within almajiranci, combined with lower prospects for alms-giving due to a constrained local economy, leads to almajirai being out on the streets for longer. This, in turn, leaves them vulnerable and prone to exploitation by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram. Read more.

June/July 2020

‘Where is God in All of This?’ COVID-19 and the Palliative Force of Religion

Abdulbasit KassimJune 19, 2020

Why are end-time conspiracy theories attributing the spread of COVID-19 to the 5G network and a proposed global world order gaining momentum? Read more.

June/July 2020Special Focus: COVID-19

Weathering the Storm COVID-19 and the Case for Universal Basic Income in Nigeria

Oluwaseyi SomefunJune 12, 2020

In Nigeria, health facilities in urban slums are few and far between, and likely to be overwhelmed if the virus spreads into these communities. Enforcing lockdowns will not be sustainable if governments do not provide a generous safety-net. Read more.

June/July 2020Special Focus: COVID-19

COVID 19 Pandemic Africans used to test drugs

Echoes of History COVID Vaccine Tests in Africa

Muzz MuhammadJune 5, 2020

That African bodies have been used to test drugs intended for Western markets and consumers is not fiction or conspiracy; it is a historical fact. Read more.

June/July 2020Special Focus: COVID-19

Deep Unlearning? AI and Africa’s Struggling Public Institutions

Victor FamubodeMay 29, 2020

Although Africa falls behind in institutional capacity, countries on the continent can begin to create AI strategies that align with their values. Read more.

April/May 2020

The Resurgence of Ansaru  Nigeria’s Silent Enemy

Abdullahi MurtalaMay 18, 2020

The re-emergence of Ansaru, after some years of inactivity, is perhaps an opportunity for the Nigerian state to reassess its strategy towards the war on terror.

April/May 2020