Vol 52 No 1 | LIBERIA Johnson Sirleaf stands on her record 7th January 2011 Voters are likely to favour the President but ex-football star George Weah could push the election to a second round Strategy for the presidential and parliamentary elections on 11 October will dominate political life, with incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf tipped to win. Yet a strong pus...
Vol 51 No 23 | LIBERIA Musical chairs in Monrovia 19th November 2010 Some presidential friends are taken aback to discover they have lost their jobs in a sweeping pre-election reshuffle President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s decision to send all but one of her cabinet on ‘administrative leave’ was heavily influenced by her son Robert A. Sirleaf, say Monrovia insiders. ...
Vol 51 No 23 | LIBERIA Challenging Madam President 19th November 2010 Opposition parties in Liberia are gearing up to challenge Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the presidential election. The most significant alliance is between the Congress for Democratic C...
Vol 51 No 19 | LIBERIA Critics, crooks and credibility 24th September 2010 The opposition girds itself to challenge President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the international darling, in next year’s elections The enthusiastic reception accorded to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the United Nations summit this week must come as a welcome relief from the political roughhouse in Monrovi...
Vol 51 No 19 | LIBERIA Less debt, more deals 24th September 2010 Buoyed by debt deals and new investors, Liberia’s economy is strengthening. It won debt relief of US$4.6 billion under the World Bank’s Heavily Indebted Poor Countries scheme on 29...
Vol 51 No 10 | LIBERIA A second term for Sirleaf 14th May 2010 Old alliances and enmities are re-emerging as the leading candidates launch their campaigns for next year’s national elections Burnishing a stellar international reputation, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is steeling herself for a tough campaign for a second presidential term in elections next y...
Vol 51 No 10 | GUINEALIBERIA Beny’s railway coup 14th May 2010 The colourful Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz has finalised two remarkable deals this year: he has sold 51% of his iron ore mining operations in Guinea to Brazil’s Vale for US$2...
Vol 3 (AAC) No 7 | LIBERIASENEGALTAIWAN The long shadow of dollar diplomacy 20th May 2010 Five years after Senegal’s break in diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the island state which only has 23 diplomatic allies continues to haunt political life. At the heart of the ...
Vol 3 (AAC) No 4 | LIBERIACHINABRIEFING China Union’s clouds have iron linings 12th February 2010 More than a year and two amendments later, progress is finally being made on little-known China Union’s US$2.68 billion deal to redevelop Liberia’s Bong Mines. In her apologetic ...
Vol 3 (AAC) No 2 | LIBERIACHINA Beijing's bankroll for Bong's ore 15th December 2009 The China Development Bank promises to save China Union's US$2.68 Bong Mine project but will take an 85% stake to provide the finance and pay Monrovia The US$2.68 billion China Union plan to revitalise Liberia's Bong Mines has not taken off, almost a year after it was first signed. Initial concerns about the little-known Chines...