Vol 53 No 4 | GAMBIA No freedom of the press 17th February 2012 Although the President has consolidated his power, there is no let up in pressure on the media The announcement by United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on 9 February that Gambia’s putschist President Yahya Jammeh had requested UN assistance in the case of...
Vol 53 No 4 | SENEGAL Wade rallies 17th February 2012 After looking distinctly lacklustre in recent weeks, President Abdoulaye Wade’s prospects for re-election have brightened considerably while the opposition looks divided and riot police keep the streets on...
Vol 53 No 4 | LIBERIA Ellen's green cred 17th February 2012 President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is taking action on her green credentials after featuring in a New York Times piece headlined ‘A Nobel Laureate’s Problem at Home’. The op-ed accused...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 4 | GHANACHINASOUTH KOREABRIEFING The emperor's new house 10th February 2012 A bruising election year in Ghana kicked off with President John Atta Mills’s 9 January announcement of the death of South Korean company STX Corporation’s US$10 billion housing...
Vol 53 No 3 | CÔTE D'IVOIRE Oil is the new cocoa 3rd February 2012 Ouattara puts mining and oil at the top of a campaign to diversify the economy but not without stumbles President Alassane Dramane Ouattara is trying to move the economy away from an over-reliance on agriculture, which accounts for 40% of gross domestic product, and into mining and...
Vol 53 No 3 | CÔTE D'IVOIRE Who’s who in mines 3rd February 2012 Mines, Petroleum and Energy Minister Adama Toungara has the President’s ear, so he is likely to keep his position in the cabinet reshuffle many believe to be imminent.
Vol 53 No 3 | NIGERIA How terror came to Kano 3rd February 2012 Boko Haram’s latest massacre raised more questions about the government’s security policy and the responsibility of northern leaders Since the killing of more than 185 people in Kano on 20 January, southern Nigerian politicians have been railing at Northern and Muslim leaders for their failure to...
Vol 53 No 3 | NIGERIA The shape of the deadly sect 3rd February 2012 Boko Haram has a supreme leader and a consultative body, the Shura. The leader, Abubakar Shekau, was second-in-command until Mohammed Yusuf was killed in police custody in July...
Vol 53 No 3 | SENEGAL Wade digs his heels in 3rd February 2012 The President shows a steely determination to get himself re-elected, leaving electors asking if the opposition can match him The prospects for massively increased violence in Dakar are strong after several people died in the last days of January during opposition rallies against President Abdoulaye Wade. This...
Vol 53 No 3 | LIBERIA A low-key second term 3rd February 2012 The President promises an inclusive government to foster national unity and prevent unrest President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has lowered the political temperature, preaching political reconciliation and pledging strong commitment to the nation’s youth after a worthy but uninspiring inauguration ceremony and...