Reactive counter-terrorism posture risks entrenching armed groups in a new corridor linking northwest to southwest Nigeria. Mass killings, abductions and roadside bombs in recent weeks point to a dangerous escalation of violent extremism in the Borgu-Kainji axis along Nigeria’s western borders with Benin and Niger. These are not isolated events. Continuing to respond narrowly and…
Kigali’s threat to remove its security forces exposes the limits of Mozambique’s fragile, natural resource-driven security strategy. Senior Rwandan government figures have threatened to withdraw their troops from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province if sustainable international funding for the mission is not found. Kigali’s 14 March threat coincided with Mozambican President Daniel Chapo’s visit to Brussels…
Africa faces a major rural road access challenge, with nearly 60 per cent of its population unable to reach all-weather roads, a gap that continues to limit economic opportunities and access to essential services. Experts say Rwanda’s experience in expanding rural connectivity offers practical lessons that could help narrow the continent’s rural road deficit. This…
Had Maduro enjoyed undisputed electoral legitimacy, his capture by a foreign power would have been far more costly. America’s military removal of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro sent shockwaves far beyond Latin America. In Africa, it was met with indignation and unease. For many African governments, the event revived long-standing anxieties about sovereignty, external intervention and…
Behind the Facts 2025: Lessons of resilience and innovation from the frontlines of fact-checking The year has been particularly turbulent for those working to uphold information integrity, as powerful voices have sought to undermine accuracy and trust. At the same time, the funding environment has shifted in ways that directly affect the scale of work…
As I step into 2026, my task is to continue building the layers that will create a future where African states can turn their climate commitments into real achievements, and I look forward to that with excitement. When I reflect on the year, I do not see isolated trips or separate assignments, but a long…
“It was a nice and hot day, there was this breeze. But for me, it was a cold front. That’s how bad it was. And already I was now experiencing AIDS symptoms,” Nombuyiselo Mapongwana (58) recalls from the living room of her Soweto home. In 2002, five years after she was diagnosed with HIV Nombuyiselo…
DOHA, Qatar – During the Second World Summit for Social Development, Spotlight Initiative hosted a Solutions Studio conversation to highlight strategies for addressing gender-based violence and to share best practices for driving collaboration on protecting the rights of women and girls. Spotlight Initiative Global Coordinator Erin Kenny introduced the session, which explored how to bring…
Debating Ideas reflects the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It offers debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books. It is edited and managed by the…
As Malawi prepares for national elections this September, women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health has taken center stage in political dialogue. In a two-day engagement organized by Amref Health Africa in Malawi under the Collaborative Advocacy Action Plan (CAAP), more than 20 civil society organizations met with the country’s four major political parties—MCP, UTM, UDF, and…
