Africa
Africa
Fair Observer provides insightful and informed analysis of important issues, events and trends on the African continent.
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360° Analysis / African spring / Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb / Algeria / AQIM / Arab Spring / Arab Uprisings / Boko Haram / Dr. Jonathan Hill / Hegel / Libya / Mali / Nigeria / North Africa / Politics / Prague Spring / Middle East / AfricaDr. Jonathan Hill looks at the coining of phrases surrounding "Spring Revolutions" and how Africa follows its own path. "At this point we leave Africa, not to mention it again. For it has no historical part in the world; …Historical movements in it – that is in its northern part – belong to the Asiatic or European World." Few would now agree with the Hegel’s sweeping dismissal of the greater part of the African continent. Africa is not, as he said, ahistorical. Yet, it would be equally wrong to assume that Africa is fully mistress of her history. History is still something that seems to happen to Africa that is imported from abroad and...
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North and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing a demographic youth bulge. However, there is a severe mismatch between the skills possessed by young workers and those demanded by employers. The education system needs to be restructured to build the skills needed to compete globally. Over the last decade, six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies were in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, there are troubling indicators that this exponential growth has not resulted in robust growth of “good” jobs. In other words, those offering higher wages and better working conditions – especially for the young. Youth Bulge Exacerbated by a delayed demographic transition, the share of...
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Arab Spring / Business / Cross-Cultural Communication / Employment / FDI / Global Dexterity / Impact Investing / Jean AbiNader / Social Contract / Workforce Development / Finance & Economics / Focus Article / Middle East / Business & Entrepreneurship / AfricaThe role of workforce development in crafting solutions should not be overlooked or minimized as simply giving people jobs. Jean AbiNader analyzes the importance of job skills training in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), global dexterity, the renegotiation of the social contract, and impact investing in a post-Arab Uprisings environment. At a recent corporate presentation in the Maghreb on the potential transformational effect of foreign direct investment (FDI), I focused on two points: the notion of impact investing and the corollary dynamic of how FDI impacts human development beyond the benefits of economic growth. The participants were company leaders and employees discussing...
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360° Analysis / Annika Schall / Judith Vorrath / Kenya / MDC / Morgan Tsvangirai / Mwai Kibaki / Politics / Power Sharing / Raila Odinga / Rift Valley / Robert Mugabe / Uhuru Kenyatta / ZANU-PF / Zimbabwe / AfricaAfter a period of power sharing, elections in Kenya have been successful. However, a similar success cannot be expected in Zimbabwe. Judith Vorrath argues that power sharing is not a guarantee for change. With the inauguration of Uhuru Kenyatta, the winner of the Kenyan elections, a phase of transition has ended for the country. During the last elections in 2007, there were significant irregularities and devastating outbreaks of violence. Compared to this, the most recent vote can be considered an overall success, despite the challenges that remain. The power sharing government set up by the main opponents during the crisis in 2008, was a good foundation for this success. Although...
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360° Analysis / Ahmed Ben Bella / Algeria / Ali Kafi / Bouteflika / Chadli Benjedid / James Dorsey / Jeunesse Sportive de la Saoura / NATO / Politics / Protest / Soccer / Union Sportive de la Médina d'El Harrach / Middle East / AfricaWith President Bouteflika recovering from a stroke in a French hospital, Algeria's rising tension among soccer fans could lead the country towards an uprising, argues James M. Dorsey. Algeria is competing to be the next Arab nation to witness a popular revolt. That is assuming soccer is a barometer of rising discontent in a region experiencing a wave of mass protests that have already toppled the leaders of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen, and sparked civil war in Syria. In fact, there is increasingly little doubt that soccer, a historic nucleus of protest in Algeria, is signaling that popular discontent could again spill into the streets of Algiers and other major cities. Two...
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African / African Progress Panel / African Progress Report 2013 / Extractive Industries / Kofi Annan / Solomon Appiah / United Nations / Universal Declaration of Human Rights / Focus Article / Global Change / AfricaThe recently launched African Progress Report 2013 addresses the important topic of equality in extractives, and recieved a lot of media attention. A Little History There are critical junctures in human history where a clarion call is issued against an injustice so great but tolerated in one or more parts of the world. The succeeding decades following this call are greatly shaped by how the global family responded to such cries. One such call was the demand to end slavery in the USA. Some headed the call, while others chose not to thus triggering a war between those on either side of the call. What would the world look like today if the south had won the...
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360° Analysis / Algerian War / Colonialism / Extremism / France / Informed Comment / Islam / Juan Cole / Muslims / Russia / Stalin / terrorism / Tsar / United States / World War 1 / World War 2 / Europe / Middle East / Africa / Global Security / AsiaBy Juan ColeTerrorism is a tactic of extremists within each religion, and within secular religions of Marxism or nationalism. No religion, including Islam, preaches indiscriminate violence against innocents, argues Juan Cole. Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill Maher, Muslims are not more violent than people of other religions. Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States. As for political violence, people of Christian heritage in the 20th Century polished off tens of millions of people in the two world wars and colonial repression. This massive carnage did not occur because European Christians are worse than or different from other human beings, but...
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Ban Ki Moon / carbon dioxide / Carbon Emissions / climate change / Cristina Simonetti / greenhouse gases / United States / Europe / 360° Context / Global Change / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Environment & SustainabilityAs the last significant climate change conference took place six months ago, it is essential to observe developments and create awareness about the issue. Background It was not until after the efforts of a few highly committed scientists in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Hubert Lamb in England and J. Murray Mitchell in the US, that climate change was accepted as a scientific concept. Today, however, the issue is no longer about finding proof, but solutions. At the simplest level, we can define weather as what is happening to the atmosphere at any given time, while climate is what would be expected to occur at any given time of the year based on statistics built up over a long period of time....
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Economic Development / Ethiopia / India / Indonesia / Lee-Roy Chetty / Mobile Technology / Nigeria / Social Development / Wireless Technology / Focus Article / Global Change / Africa / Asia / Science & TechnologyMobile technology offers extensive help on various forms of social and economic development. Lee-Roy Chetty explores why such initiatives can have a positive impact in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and beyond. Technological innovation and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) represent a way for developing world nations to foster economic development, improve levels of education and training, as well as address gender issues within society. Entrepreneurship is crucial for economic development around the world. In countries such as Nigeria, Egypt and Indonesia, micro-entrepreneurs generate 38% of the gross domestic product. Analysis from the World Bank in 2011 indicates that small...