Africa

The South African government has unreservedly endorsed the SDGs, noting that the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality that they address is also the primary focus of the country. This e-paper will show how the SDGs are conceptually aligned to the South Africa’s National Development Plan.

As a country very vulnerable to climate change impacts, Morocco, the host of COP22, has very high climate ambitions and has taken on a global leadership role in committing to a renewable energy future. This study explores what role climate finance has played to allow Morocco to act as a trendsetter and how its climate finance governance can be further improved.

Across the world, activists, social movements and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are facing verbal hostility from politicians, new laws and regulations that curtail their ability to operate, and outright violence. Africa is no exception.

In April 2015 Burundi’s ruling party announced that President Pierre Nkurunziza would be seeking a third term in office. The following day protests against the regime began. Since that day hundreds of civilians, military and security personnel have died. This paper examines the trajectory closely and explains the background of the crisis.

Satire may not necessarily change politics but, as most articles in this edition illustrate, it is a powerful tool to undermine propaganda, expose abuses of power, and ridicule cultural and social taboos.

Despite the formal commitment of many African states to universal human rights, the realisation of those rights remains unfulfilled for a great number of their citizens, especially women. Reflections on sexual and reproductive rights in Africa.

What are the current developments in Foreign Direct Investment by EU countries in the agricultural sectors of Sub-Saharan Africa and India? This study gives detailed background information.

Global economic integration proceeds in regional clusters, and here we encounter paradoxical patterns. Developing countries are drawn into comprehensive trade and investment deals with the industrialised North, while remaining loosely integrated within their own regional economic communities.

The recent establishment of the New (BRICS) Development Bank has raised hopes for new approaches in development finance, while fears emerged that social and environmental standards may being weakened. A new study looks at the experience and past performance of BRICS countries in development financing.

Political discourse and action is coordinated more and more through Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp. This edition of Perspectives Africa capture the complex and plural ways in which Africans are attempting to use new media to democratice democracy on the continent, the challenges they face, and the valuable lessons learned.

With this edition of Perspectives, we give Africa-based commentators and experts from across the continent the opportunity to critically reflect on the “Africa rising” story and the sub-narratives it carries.

While legal entitlements to equality and justice for women have been achieved over the years, a persistent gender-bias in the administration of justice prevents those hard-won successes from becoming a reality. This issue of Perspectives provides insight into some country-specific challenges and controversies.

Women's land rights remain one of the most important sites of contestation in post-colonial Africa. Yet access, control and ownership of land still remain in the possession of the patriarchal structures.

Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with people under the age of 35 constituting about 65 percent of the population. This edition of Perspectives sheds light on youth politics and youth in politics in the continent and asks: Are the youth a political force?

Africa is facing a severe energy crisis and fails to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Renewable Energy Feed-in Tarifs (REFiTs) is one tool that has been successful in increasing the use of renewable technologies worldwide. This comprehensive study comissioned by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the World Future Council shows that REFiTs can unlock renewable energy development in Africa.

The articles in this issue of Perspectives seek to reflect on the extent to which African legislatures have taken steps that mark their shift from being the “weakest link” of government to stronger, independent institutions. In essence, we ask – do African Parliaments really occupy the privileged position accorded to them in representational democracies?

Although there continues to be widespread popular support across the African continent for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its mandate to prosecute high-level individuals accused of perpetrating international crimes, strong anti-ICC sentiments are brewing among parts of Africa’s political elite and state actors. 

Publication Series on Democracy 28: In 2011 Sudan split into two. For much of the time, both sides have been embroiled in conflict. The Heinrich Böll Foundation has brought together a group of authors to reflect on the challenges of the post-separation era. Their contributions lay out new approaches to a new region, providing guidance to understand the complex political realities of the two Sudans, and pointing out areas where constructive international engagement is possible.

The 2007–2008 world food price crisis caused political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. This was only the latest example for a functioning food system being an indispensable pillar of a stable economy and a society capable of reproducing itself. A new study outlines steps how the intergovernmental Committee on World Food Security could be expanded towards a politically relevant international steering committee.

This issue of Perspectives light on the ongoing struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people for equality in Africa. The articles demonstrate that despite the myriad of challenges and hostile environment there is a growing movement towards changing Africa into a continent where LGBTI people enjoy the full range of human rights.