THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Dec

30

2024

Ghana’s outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo failed to live up to expectations – a look at his time in office

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FOR the first time in seven years, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will end the year without Ghana’s presidency weighing on his shoulders. Ghana goes to the polls on 7 December. Whatever the outcome, Akufo-Addo has served two terms as president and will be retiring from a long political life. Akufo-Addo became president in 2017 with a pedigree in both modern and traditional statecraft. Three of his relatives – Edward Akufo-Addo (his father), J.B. Danquah and William Ofori-Atta – were among the architects of Ghana’s first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention. As a university student in the early 1960s,…

Dec

23

2024

By ADEM K ABEBE

The African Union has a poor record of protecting democracy. 2024 was no different

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has congratulated the military-led government of Gabon on a successful constitutional referendum. General Brice Oligui Nguema came to power through a coup d’etat in 2023. The new constitution is expected to provide the basis for the conduct of elections that will replace the military government with an elected one in 2025. Faki’s statement was notable for its omission. Under existing African Union frameworks on unconstitutional changes of government, coup leaders are not allowed to run in the elections marking the formal end of governments installed by coups. This is so…

Dec

17

2024

By PAUL KAGAME

Rwandan President Kagame announces F1 Grand Prix bid and celebrates FIA’s historic milestone in Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I want to thank the FIA, under the leadership of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, for choosing our country as the venue for this meeting, as you mark your 120th anniversary. We are particularly honoured to host the prize-giving ceremony later this evening. For the very first time, the FIA General Assembly is being held in Africa. This is an important milestone, which signals the goal of the motorsport industry to connect directly with fans and aspiring drivers in Africa. All over the world, motorsport is recognized for its elite performance, focus on safety and cutting-edge technology. Behind these high standards, is…

Dec

17

2024

By ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

Across the continent, nations are rising, drawing strength from their history, their culture, shared aspirations

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TWO centuries ago, as profound upheaval was reshaping southern Africa, King Moshoeshoe charted a revolutionary path. While others chose conflict, he embraced dialogue. When faced with hostility, he responded with wisdom and courage. His vision transcended the challenges of his time – transforming this great land into a sanctuary of peace through diplomatic and moral courage. By welcoming displaced communities and building bridges across divides, he showed the world how diversity can strengthen the fabric of nationhood. The principles he embodied – human dignity, diplomacy, and the courage to embrace differences – lie at the heart of our shared aspirations…

Dec

14

2024

By DAVID MANDIYANIKE

Women in Botswana make up 54% of voters, but less than 10% of parliament: political parties can change that

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE’S a question that has consistently gripped Botswana’s politics: bomme ba kae? (where are the women?). It became even more urgent with the country’s 2024 general elections. Only 28 women stood for parliament out of 258 contestants, representing 10.85%. Only three women won their seats. This represents 4.92% of the 61 seats. It’s a drop from 5.26% in the 2019 elections. In Botswana, women make up 54% of the eligible voters. Yet few occupy the corridors of power, where decisions and policies that affect them are made. The country has been praised for being a model democracy. One of the…

Dec

13

2024

By ABBEY MAKOE

Chinese-funded enterprises in South Africa enhance unique economic development that benefits all

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DURING his fourth state visit to South Africa last August, Chinese President Xi Jinping famously described bilateral relations between the two allies as having entered the "golden era." In September, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reciprocated by undertaking a state visit to China, where he was received with great pomp and ceremony. The September meeting ushered in a new phase in the bilateral relations between the two countries, elevating their ties to "an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era." These ties continue to yield golden opportunities for both sides. When it comes to South Africa, China truly delivers…

Dec

12

2024

By GRETCHEN BAUER and AKOSUA KESEBOA DARKWAH

Ghana’s election system keeps women out of parliament. How to change that

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

VOTERS in Ghana elected the country’s first woman vice president, Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, in early December 2024. Voters also elected John Mahama as president, a man who had served as president before, from 2013 to 2017. In that first term as president, Mahama had also appointed the most women cabinet ministers ever in Ghana – six out of 19. But in the December parliamentary elections, women candidates barely improved upon the 2020 election result. Whereas 40 women – 20 from each of the two major parties – had been elected in 2020, only 43 women were elected in 2024…

Dec

10

2024

By FRANZISCA ZANKER and AMANDA BISONG

African migrants can drive growth in their home countries – but three barriers stand in the way

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE idea that migration is closely linked to development has long been pervasive on the African continent. The main reason for this is that migrants – those travelling from rural to urban areas, as well as across borders – send home remittances. This money helps to pay for houses, school fees, hospital visits, weddings and funerals, to name just a few of its uses. Scholars and policymakers acknowledge that remittances vastly outweigh development assistance. Take one example: in Senegal, remittances made up just over 10% of GDP in 2017, and overseas development assistance just over 4%. Remittances represent over 20%…

Dec

11

2024

By LLOYD G. ADU AMOAH

Ghana’s president John Mahama makes a comeback – what lies ahead

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JOHN Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s incoming president, has won a chance to rewrite his legacy. He was voted out of office in 2016 by what was then the highest margin in the post-independence history of the West African nation amid corruption scandals and an energy crisis that had crippled the country. But he has made a comeback, winning 56.55% of the total valid votes cast according to the country’s Electoral Commission. It is the largest margin of victory in a Ghanaian election since 1996. Voter turnout was 60.9%. Although there has not been an official declaration of the 2024 election results…

Dec

07

2024

By LURDES CALVO

In Spain, a survivor of gender-based violence finds her voice

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN Aminata Soucko arrived in Spain from Mali she was like a prisoner. Unable to speak the language and trapped at home by a violent husband whom she had been forced to marry, Aminata was desperate and alone. “My husband was my translator. I didn’t understand anything in Spanish, and he didn’t want me to learn Spanish either,” she said. One day, she slipped out of their home in the eastern city of Valencia and bumped into a woman from Mali who helped her find a language course. That chance encounter was the start of a dramatic shift in Aminata’s…