Vol 65 No 22 | ZIMBABWECOMMONWEALTH Outgoing Commonwealth chief is pushing for Zimbabwe’s readmission 30th October 2024 Top Commonwealth officials and senior British diplomats favour bringing Harare back into the fold – despite a damning report on last year’s elections The Commonwealth Secretariat is working to support Zimbabwe’s application to be readmitted to the mainly Anglophone, ex-British colonial group of nations, Africa Confidential has learned. The outgoing Secretary-General,... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 22 | COMMONWEALTHBRITAIN Race tightens as African contenders vie for top post 25th October 2024 Questions about accountability have surfaced in a lacklustre campaign to run the Commonwealth Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Botchwey, Lesotho’s former Trade and Finance Minister Joshua Setipa, and Gambia’s former former Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara are the top three candidates in the...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 14 | COMMONWEALTHBRITAIN Scotland wins leadership battle despite Whitehall opposition 30th June 2022 Battle for control of the organisation raises questions about its future and relevance in changing geopolitics Baroness Patricia Scotland won re-election as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth in a tight contest and bad-tempered finale to its summit in Kigali between 20 and 26... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 13 | AFRICACOMMONWEALTH Political intrigue and economic recession haunt Kigali summit 21st June 2022 After a four-year gap Commonwealth leaders meet in Rwanda amid fresh questions about the organisation's purpose and legitimacy Every Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) prompts its own soul-searching, together with confident predictions that its 54 members will agree that this colonial-based organisation has outlived its... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 4 | KENYAAFRICACOMMONWEALTH June for Juma 17th February 2022 President Uhuru Kenyatta's government is trying again to secure the Commonwealth Secretary-General post, running an energetic campaign on behalf of its candidate, Monica Juma. Cabinet Secretary for Energy,...
Vol 61 No 6 | AFRICACOMMONWEALTH Scotland under siege 19th March 2020 In a last-ditch bid to remain secretary-general of the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat, Dominica-born British national Baroness Patricia Scotland of Asthal claims she is being unfairly treated because of...
Vol 52 No 23 | AFRICACOMMONWEALTH Perth pangs 18th November 2011 The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Western Australia, at the end of October attracted 1,500 delegates, 80 of them from China. British Prime Minister David...
Vol 50 No 24 | COMMONWEALTH Progress in Port of Spain 4th December 2009 Rwanda and India emerged as the winners from an unexpectedly productive Commonwealth summit in Trinidad on 27-29 November The Secretary General, Indian veteran diplomat Kamalesh Sharma, skillfully orchestrated the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting into a cheerleading conference for the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this...
Vol 50 No 24 | COMMONWEALTH Africa dons its Commonwealth cap 4th December 2009 Africa has played a critical role in the Commonwealth since its Secretariat was launched in 1965 at Marlborough House, a royal palace provided rent-free by Britain's Queen Elizabeth...
Vol 48 No 24 | COMMONWEALTHANALYSIS Friendly in Kampala 30th November 2007 The form and content of the Commonwealth are changing. The growing interest in the economic role of an organisation whose members include some of the most dynamic economies in Asia and Africa coincides with the election of a Secretary General from Asia's second biggest economy, India. Commonwealth ties will be important next year when India organises its 'Year of Africa'. The Commonwealth, as always, tried to present a new face at its Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala on 23-25 November, hosted by Uganda's President Yoweri...