Vol 54 No 6 | NIGERIA Taking the hostage road 16th March 2013 Kidnapping is on the increase as Nigeria’s two main Islamist terrorist groups follow different paths Claims are bitterly disputed that seven hostages have been murdered by their jihadist captors in the north after a rescue attempt by Nigerian and British forces. Abuja and...
Vol 54 No 6 | GUINEA Condé’s rainbow fades away 15th March 2013 His election brought expectations of an end to impunity, corruption and poverty but support has leached away and now civil unrest is taking hold Two years after President Alpha Condé came to office, the promise of a new era of accountability and transparency now lies in the ruins of police shootings, arson...
Vol 54 No 6 | GUINEA Shocks and ore bodies 15th March 2013 This year, President Alpha Condé has consistently attempted to reassure investors that major projects, especially in mining, will go ahead as planned. ‘We are doing our best to...
Vol 54 No 6 | SIERRA LEONE Groans about growth 15th March 2013 The increasing flow of ore exports is good for foreign companies and GDP figures but government revenue from mining is low and poorly handled Last year was not the year it was meant to be for Sierra Leone’s economy. The International Monetary Fund initially predicted growth at a staggering 51.4%. As the...
Vol 54 No 6 | SIERRA LEONE Trouble in the hills 15th March 2013 Social tension has twice erupted into violence around African Minerals Limited’s Tonkolili mine. In late 2010, AML caused alarm when it started to build a dam on a...
Vol 54 No 6 | SIERRA LEONE Unhealthy finances 15th March 2013 The Anti-Corruption Commission charged 29 officials, most of them in connection with over US$1 million from the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunisations that went missing in the...
Vol 54 No 6 | BENIN Stay on, moi? 15th March 2013 After he made a host of startling coup plot accusations, some worry that President Thomas Yayi Boni may be displaying signs of paranoia. Since 2006, Benin has...
Vol 54 No 5 | NIGERIA No visible means of support 1st March 2013 Oppositionists unite and governing party dissidents plot against him but the President is fighting back, armed with state and business patronage It doesn’t look good for President Goodluck Jonathan as he prepares his campaign for a second term in the 2015 elections. His close advisors concede that he could...
Vol 54 No 5 | NIGERIA Eko Atlantic arises from the sea bed 1st March 2013 A lavish launch on 21 February for Eko Atlantic City brought the political and business elite into an awkward communion. On reclaimed land adjacent to the upmarket Victoria...
Vol 54 No 5 | GHANA Why are they waiting? 1st March 2013 Neither the governing party nor its opponents seem in a hurry to resolve the complex case in the Supreme Court on last year’s elections The leaders of the main opposition New Patriotic Party are stepping up their campaign to delegitimise December’s presidential election, in which John Dramani Mahama was declared winner with...