Vol 65 No 17 | NIGERIA Dangote and Tinubu wrestle over the future of oil 22nd August 2024 The vested interests of the political class are driving the public fight over a US$20 billion refinery and may determine its fate The threat of more mass protests and the spiralling cost of petrol, over 1,000 naira (62 US cents) a litre in parts of Nigeria, have played to Aliko Dangote’s advantage in hi...
Vol 65 No 17 | SENEGAL Faye mulls a snap parliamentary poll 22nd August 2024 Differences between the president’s measured style and that of his fiery prime minister may complicate national politics and regional diplomacy Dakar political life is slowing down in August giving President Bassirou Diomaye Faye some time to weigh up whether to dissolve the National Assembly in September and call early le...
Vol 65 No 17 | NIGERIASIERRA LEONESPECIAL REPORT Freetown’s business school buys $4.5m hole in the bush 22nd August 2024 Sierra Leone University lost US$4.5m of public money to a Nigerian company after red flags were ignored and safeguards overridden. Then, they kept it secret An Africa Confidential Special ReportBy Josef Skrdlik and Andrew WeirRead this Special Report here: READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 17 | NIGERIA As the protests rage, Tinubu risks losing the north 9th August 2024 A week of mobilisation on the streets is changing the political landscape For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of the most threatening elements of the ‘Days of Rage’ protests against his government is their national spread stretching from the...
Vol 65 No 16 | NIGERIA Days of rage protests test Tinubu’s economic plans 1st August 2024 With handouts, political co-option and force of arms, the government aims to face down mounting public anger A month after Kenyan activists forced President William Ruto to drop plans for sweeping tax hikes, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has organised a comprehensive pre-... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 16 | MALI Farewell to the kora master 1st August 2024 Toumani Diabaté, one of Mali’s greatest kora players, died on 19 July ending a career spanning 45 years. He was 58. His global reputation debuted with the release of K...
Vol 65 No 16 | NIGERIA Central bank fights to slow inflation and protect its independence 26th July 2024 Within a year bank governor Yemi Cardoso has won a reputation for competence – despite the government’s mounting economic woes and dislike of accountability As spiralling prices hit a 30-year high and the weakening naira triggers another round of protests and strikes due to start on 1 August, the Central Bank of Nigeria has raised its ...
Vol 65 No 15 | NIGERIA Coming soon – a month of rage 18th July 2024 The government announces a $1 billion anti-poverty programme and monitors activists as its tries to pre-empt Kenya-style protests Sitting atop a 120-foot telecommunications mast in Abuja and threatening to jump, unemployed labourer Shuaibu Yushau refused to come down until the government addressed the economi...
Vol 65 No 15 | BURKINA FASO A hunter in aviation 18th July 2024 Burkina Faso’s national airline, Air Burkina, has struggled for more than a decade. But instead of saving West Africa’s oldest airline, the junta of Captain Ibrahim Tra...
Vol 65 No 14 | BURKINA FASOMALINIGER The juntas dig in as instability worsens 4th July 2024 Burkina’s leader Captain Traoré wants five more years in power but his army is losing badly against the jihadis The standing of Burkina Faso’s transitional leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in September, has hit a new low. But public opinion is the least of his woe...