Africa

On the 24th of May 2019, Kenya's High Court will decide whether the sections of the Kenyan penal code that proscribe homosexual activity are unconstitutional. The Kenyan National Gay and Lesbian Commission (NGLHRC) has for years been fighting to repeal these laws.

On July 30, 2018, Zimbabwe will have its first post-Mugabe harmonised election. This article provides an overview of how the two leading contenders for the Presidency, E.D. Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa, have gone about winning the hearts and minds of Zimbabweans in the 2018 electoral race.

The 2018 Zimbabwe elections are characterised by continuities and discontinuities. While many chiefs continue to support Zanu-PF, a growing number has stood their ground and refused to partake in the repression of their people.

The Abuja office works with activists, thinkers and networkers in civil society, business and politics to stimulate public debate and action for a socially just and sustainable Nigeria.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation has been active in Southern Africa since 1989 and for many years has focused on supporting civil society actors in the region. Since 2007, the Foundation has acted more at the interface between civil society and parliaments.

The Dakar office is active in green urban development, youth, gender democracy and migration. Through the support of partner organizations as well as through its own events, the Office is committed to networking civil society groups and integrating social issues in Senegal.

The Regional Office for East Africa manages the regional program with the components "Environment", "Gender" and "Peacebuilding". In particular, it supports the networking of civil society organizations in the region in the fields of environmental policy, peace work and women's rights.

The power shift in Zimbabwe was a military coup, says Brain Raftopoulos. To prevent the consolidation of a new authoritarian state, the international community has to be careful not to prioritise stability over democratisation.

Both the Mugabe’s succession plan and Mnangagwa’s long held Presidential ambitions have been in play for some time. While they have coincided in their strategic intent, at some point the final confrontation between the two was always on the cards.

Shortly before the coup, the offices of HBF partner Magamba Network were raided and a team member arrested. Magamba's Tongai Makawa provides an update and reflects on the implications of the military takeover.

The Zimbabwean military has apparently ended President Mugabes longlasting regime. Although unparalleled, the coup appears to pre-empt imminent threats to military interests, says political analyst and researcher McDonald Lewanika.

Industry says it can feed the world. But total food production is not the issue; access to food is. The key solution is to fight poverty.

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Across the US, progressive Americans are looking for ways to engage in civil resistance and defend progressive legislation. The Victory Institute and its associated Fund identify, train and support members of the LGBTQ community to run for office. We spoke with Ruben Gonzales, Vice President of the Leadership Initiatives at the Victory Institute.

More than 640 million Africans live without electricity. This has negative impacts not only on the population’s health and education outcomes it also limits the development the economy.

The current discourse on renewable energy tends to centre on the positive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy security, while the risks of social and environmental injustice are largely ignored.

African governments need to put policies in place that recognise that their economic vibrancy is shifting to internal consumption and manufacturing and services, away from commodities alone. And they must tax accordingly.

Three months after the ground-breaking ceremony for a superhighway in Nigeria’s Cross River State the opposition grew. People were wary of not being compensated for losing their land.

China's interests in Zambia are very much dependent on the infrastructure of the country: The G20 summit in Seoul placed infrastructure development squarely on the international agenda.

Sexual and gender minorities remain dangerously vulnerable to human rights abuses across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite immense legal and cultural barriers, civil society activists around the continent are rising up to improve the lives of LGBTI people. Brian Pellot spoke with two leading activists in Uganda and Botswana.