SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Sep

19

2024

Four ways Africa is already seeing the effects of climate change – and what can be done about it

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AFRICA is already being heavily affected by climate change. Between 1991 and 2023, the African continent warmed at a rate of 0.3°C per decade, a rate slightly faster than the global average. This has brought more frequent and severe weather extremes. The cost of adapting to these changes and events is also immense. This was emphasised in a recent report by the World Meteorological Organization. The UN agency found that, on average, African countries were losing 2%-5% of their GDP – a measure of economic output – annually and many were diverting up to 9% of their budgets in response…

Sep

17

2024

By IFEDOTUN AINA and OPEYEMI AYINDE

Nigerian farmers lack insurance: payouts triggered by weather data offer a solution

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AGRICULTURE is hugely important to Nigeria. It makes up about a quarter of the country’s economy, and almost half of the population are smallholder farmers. Most farm on less than 10 hectares of land. It can be a tough way to make a living. Smallholder farmers in Nigeria regularly lose crops and livestock to floods and droughts. For instance, Nigeria lost over 1.7 million metric tonnes of grain to drought in 2021. Extreme weather events can devastate farmer families for a long time because agriculture is their main source of income. But research shows that up to 82.7% of Nigeria’s…

Sep

14

2024

By OBI ANYADIKE

Dadaab Voices: Kenya’s flagship refugee plan marred by lack of consultation

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Obi Anyadike THE Kenyan government has announced a plan that could transform the lives of the more than 670,000 refugees sheltering in the country – ending a three-decade-old policy that has forced them to remain in isolated, overcrowded, and chronically underfunded camps. Launched with fanfare last year, the Shirika plan aims to turn the country’s two huge camp complexes – Dadaab and Kakuma – into self-reliant integrated settlements, allowing refugees and host communities to live and work side by side, both benefiting from government services. But while the vision of…

Sep

09

2024

By FIKIR GETANEH HAILE

Demolitions in Ethiopia are giving rise to a new Addis Ababa – it comes at the expense of the city’s residents

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A spate of demolitions radically transformed one of the oldest parts of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in early 2024. The city is home to an estimated 4 million people. These demolitions were concentrated in the city’s historical Piassa neighbourhood – established over 100 years ago. Thousands of households were displaced in the span of a few weeks, some with as little as five days’ notice. The demolitions in Piassa drew international attention because of the destruction of numerous historical buildings. However, demolitions in Addis Ababa have become commonplace under Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s urban agenda. This agenda prioritises…

Sep

06

2024

By DANI MADRID-MORALES; HERMAN WASSERMAN and SAIFUDDIN AHMED

Chinese and Russian disinformation flourishes in some African countries – anti-US sentiment helps it take hold

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE spread of disinformation is one of the biggest risks to societies. Recent examples have been conspiracy narratives about COVID-19 vaccinations and false claims about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The trend is linked partly to competition among world powers, which is being played out in Africa too. Across the continent, multiple foreign powers, including China, France, Russia, the US and others, are competing to shape public opinion. In most cases, states use legitimate approaches to get their messages across. However, there are many recent examples of foreign powers spreading misleading or false narratives about current affairs. For example, in 2020,…

Sep

06

2024

By JULIA TAYLOR and IMRAAN VALODIA

Climate change has deep historical roots – Amitav Ghosh explores how capitalism and colonialism fit in

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AMITAV Ghosh is an internationally celebrated author of 20 historical fiction and non-fiction books. The Indian thinker and writer has written extensively on the legacies of colonialism, violence and extractivism. His most famous works explore migration, globalisation and commercial violence and conquest during the colonial period, against the backdrop of the opium trade in the 1800s. Caroline Southey, from The Conversation Africa, asked economics professor Imraan Valodia and climate and inequality researcher Julia Taylor about the significance of his work. What has Ghosh contributed to our understanding about the root causes of climate change? Julia Taylor: In Ghosh’s recent non-fiction…

Sep

05

2024

By ASTRID R.N. HAAS

China’s investments in Africa aren’t working as well as they should for cities: this needs to change

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

OVER the past two decades African leaders have become increasingly drawn to Chinese financing and investment. These investments are made rapidly and with reportedly less stringent conditions than traditional financing sources. Some also suggest that China’s approach aligns more closely with African priorities. This sentiment was summarised by the former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, in 2008: China’s approach to our needs is simply better adapted than the slow and sometimes patronising post-colonial approach of European investors, donor organisations and non-governmental organisations … China has helped African nations build infrastructure projects in record time. African leaders attending this year’s 8th…

Sep

04

2024

By ROD CROMPTON

Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa endured an electricity crisis from 2008 characterised by intermittent rolling blackouts and a growing culture of non-payment. The state-owned utility, Eskom, came to be regarded as the single largest risk to South Africa’s economy. At the end of March 2020, Eskom’s debt stood at R488 billion (US$27.4 billion). The government has attempted several measures to overcome the country’s energy problems. These have included new Eskom boards, new CEOs, bailouts for Eskom and a National Energy Crisis Committee that includes the private sector. Now it’s trying legislative reform. In mid-August 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa approved a new law that…

Sep

03

2024

By HARRY VERHOEVEN

Sudan Armed Forces are on a path to self-destruction – risking state collapse

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IT is now 10 months since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April 2023, pitting the Sudan Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group. The war, which erupted after relations between the two wings of Sudan’s security apparatus broke down, rapidly spread beyond the capital, Khartoum. More recently, the Sudan Armed Forces have suffered numerous setbacks at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces. For months, army units have struggled to break their grip on much of the capital. The Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias have overrun most of Darfur and swathes…

Aug

31

2024

By JONATHAN O. CHIMAKONAM

Is ‘Africa’ a racial slur and should the continent be renamed?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SHOULD African people be called black – or is the categorising of people by skin colour a racist practice? How about Africa? Is the name of the continent a racial slur because it was chosen by European exploiters and based on the weather rather than the people – and should it be renamed? These are questions that African philosophy scholar Jonathan Okeke Chimakonam considers in a research paper. We asked him what he and his co-author concluded. Who named Africa and what does the name mean? The name Africa was given to the continent by European exploiters, slavers and colonists…