THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Oct

01

2020

Good governance is the lynchpin for African progress

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ABDOULIE JANNEH COVID-19 has joined the climate emergency at a time when Africa is facing what Mo Ibrahim calls “a crisis in leadership and governance.” This crisis seems all the worse when we define governance as the delivery of goods and services that citizens legitimately expect their governments to deliver. Citizen’s expectations relate to the promotion and support of human rights and participation, safety and rule of law, socio-economic opportunities and human development. In view of the very mixed progress made so far in meeting these entirely reasonable expectations, the permanent question is how to apply Africa’s abundant wealth in…

Oct

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Why global leaders must listen to the girl child

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JULIA LALLA-MAHARAJH “The girl child of today is the woman of tomorrow.” So states the Beijing Declaration, agreed in 1995 at what was hailed as an extraordinary step forward for gender equality. On 1st October 2020, world leaders will gather at a high-level meeting during the UN General Assembly to commemorate the day the landmark declaration was signed, and show leadership on the roadmap is set out. A girl born on this day a quarter of a century ago, would today be a young woman, celebrating her 25th birthday. If she lived in one of the 90+ countries where woman…

Oct

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria is still struggling at 60. But hope is still alive

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SHERIFF FOLARIN, Professor of International Relations, Covenant University NIGERIA'S population is estimated at over 200 million, which means the country has skilled and unskilled labour in abundance. The population also makes it a fertile ground for global trade. Nigeria is also rich in mineral resources. It is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, and the world’s 13th largest, producer and exporter of oil. These endowments should have made Nigeria one of the key destinations for global investment. And with its wealth in petroleum and natural resources as well as its vast agricultural potential, Nigeria should have by now become Africa’s undisputed economic giant.…

Oct

03

2020

By The African Mirror

How Kenya courted a constitutional crisis over parliament’s failure to meet gender quotas

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MUTHOMI THIANKOLU, Lecturer, School of Law, University of Nairobi UNLIKE the typical liberal constitution, Kenya’s 2010 constitution is transformative in character. Liberal constitutions primarily seek to demarcate the mandates of key organs of the state. Transformative constitutions on the other hand seek to bring large-scale egalitarian social, economic and political change. Its interpretation and application, therefore, requires a value-centric approach that takes account of the historical, social, cultural and political contexts of the country. Gender representation falls squarely into these categories. The 2010 constitution calls for the elimination of all forms of gender-based discrimination and marginalisation. Article 27 (8) requires…

Oct

04

2020

By The African Mirror

North to South, countries must collaborate to end COVID-19

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ERNA SOLBERG and CYRIL RAMAPHOSA IN the battle against COVID-19, we all have a common goal: to save lives, reopen our societies and rebuild our economies. New diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines offer the best hope of achieving this – but only if they are deployed when and where they are needed most. This is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. Against a foe that respects no borders, national solutions are bound to fall short. This week, global leaders are meeting at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the global solution…

Nov

07

2020

By The African Mirror

US election: what the tight results mean for Democrats and Republicans

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS vote counting continued in key battleground states in the US election, Joe Biden edged closer to the White House while Donald Trump launched multiple lawsuits. Whatever the final result, Democrats have not secured the resounding landslide against Republicans many of them had hoped for. Thomas Gift, associate professor and director of the Centre on US Politics at UCL, looked at what the close margin of the race means for both parties. THOMAS GIFT, Associate Professor of Political Science at UCL and Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Programme, UCL Q: Whatever the final vote count, what does…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Study sheds light on how South Africa can best tackle prejudice against migrants

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

STEVEN GORDON, Senior research specialist, Human Sciences Research Council XENOPHOBIA is a serious problem in South Africa. Cross-border migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the country face harassment and discrimination. Hundreds of incidents of anti-immigrant hate crime have been reported in the past decade alone. To address this, the government launched the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in March 2019. The plan recognises that without quality data the government will struggle to design effective policies to change public attitudes towards foreigners. Targeted communication campaigns can be very effective in expanding tolerance between groups…

Nov

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Tanzanian election leaves a highly polarised society with an uncertain future

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KARUTI KANYINGA, Research Professor, Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi WHEN Tanzanian voters went to the polls on October 28, the incumbent President John Pombe Magufuli and his party Chama Cha Mapinduzi showed all the signs of being confident about victory. This confidence resulted from the way in which Magufuli has governed Tanzania since he assumed office in October 2015. His style has been one of intolerance, populism and a no-nonsense ‘bulldozer’ attitude. He pursued this approach in the run up to the elections too, effectively fencing off the opposition. By the day of the poll, the opposition,…

Nov

01

2020

By The African Mirror

I’ve spent decades working towards Nigerian women’s power. #EndSars is our moment

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BUKOLA ONYISHI The past few months, women in Nigeria have been busy protesting for justice on multiple fronts. Earlier this year, women protested against gender-based violence. Today, young women are leaders in the #EndSARS protests. I have over two decades experience working with marginalized and resilient women in conflict zones and helping them to find their voice and rebuild their lives. As a Nigerian woman, I have seen how COVID-19 has deepened inequities and the economic, social and physical pain it has forced women to endure. The pandemic has also made clear that any sustainable path towards progress for our…

Oct

15

2020

By The African Mirror

Zuma’s attack on a judge is without merit, but it’s dangerous for South Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CATHLEEN POWELL, Associate Professor in Public Law, University of Cape Town “POST-TRUTH” culture is exemplified by the constant negation of fact-finding, expertise and research. Within such a culture, speakers, whether they occupy positions of power or are commenting anonymously on social media, become increasingly comfortable with claiming that reality is whatever they say it is. This, without any need to offer evidence which can be evaluated against objective criteria through reasoned argument. Former South African president Jacob Zuma adopted this approach when he recently demanded that Deputy Chief Justice Ray Zondo, the head of the state capture inquiry investigating grand…