In On Africa IOA
Drug trafficking in West Africa: Threatening regional peace, stability and security
20th May 2013 This paper discusses how drug trafficking in West Africa causes severe economic, social, political and public health problems across the whole... →
Sustainable urbanisation – challenges in the 21st century
17th May 2013 The proportion of the world’s urban population is expected to increase from 47% in 2000, to about 57% by 2050. Furthermore, more than 90% of future... →
Prospecting for solutions: The challenges of South Africa’s mining industry
16th May 2013 In 1994, South Africa completed the monumental shift out of the oppressive apartheid system and towards democracy in an attempt to tilt the scales... →
The balancing act in low income countries: Financial stability vs. growth
15th May 2013 Over the past decades Africa has increasingly opened up its economy to international trade and finance. This change has often been at the bequest... →
The informal sector in South Africa: Women street traders in Durban – Part 2
14th May 2013 The informal sector of South Africa is over represented by women who come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and, as outlined in Part 1,... →
The informal sector in South Africa: Women street traders in Durban – Part 1
13th May 2013 The informal sector is a versatile and dynamic sector which includes a variety of economic activities. Durban is credited as being the first city... →
African firms investing in Asia: Possibilities and challenges
10th May 2013 Trade and investment relations between two of the fastest growing regions currently, namely Asia and Africa, are growing in importance. Asia, in... →
The happiest or saddest day of her life: Child marriage in South Sudan
8th May 2013 South Sudan is one of Africa’s most problematic countries when it comes to child marriage. Most girls get married in South Sudan between the ages... →
A new voice: The role of Africa’s youth in electoral democracies
7th May 2013 Africa has had a long, faltered journey with regard to establishing democracies, as many nations have suffered through decades of autocratic... →
The minibus taxi industry in South Africa: A servant for the urban poor?
6th May 2013 Today, the South African minibus taxi industry remains the critical pillar of the country’s public transport sector. Not only is it the most... →
Maternal and newborn mortality in Africa: The social and economic case for investing
3rd May 2013 Maternal and newborn complications are among the leading causes of death and disability in the developing world. Worldwide, an estimated 287,000... →
African soil – when the going gets tough, privatisation gets going
2nd May 2013 Privatisation in today’s world is a common word, but its impact, especially in regions like Africa, is less known. With increasing globalisation,... →
The treatment of minorities in Africa: A case study of Pygmies in Central Africa
30th April 2013 “The aim of a democracy is to safeguard the rights of the minority and avoid the tyranny of the majority.”(2) This quote, from the American... →
Piecing it together: The status of health systems in post-conflict African countries
29th April 2013 Africa has been plagued by conflicts since the colonial era, and long thereafter. In the period between the 1960s and the 1990s, 48 African... →
Premature deaths and avoidable trauma: A snapshot analysis of congenital infections in Sub-Saharan Africa
26th April 2013 The loss of a child is a traumatising experience for the parents, who go through devastating emotional pain, at times undergoing the grieving... →
Ethiopia's answer to aid dependency: The flower export industry
25th April 2013 The concept of economic development has been, and remains, highly debated on a global scale. Development economics aims to incorporate all social,... →
‘Foreignising’ Ethiopia: Exotic and alien business branding
24th April 2013 At the beginning of the 1990s, the wind of liberalisation started to blow over Africa, and subsequently many have tried their best to attract... →
Election reflection: The making and unmaking of Kenya’s 2013 election drama
23rd April 2013 On Saturday afternoon, 9 March 2013, five days after the Kenyan general election, Isaak Hassan, Chairman of the Independent Electoral and... →
Sudan, South Sudan and the resource curse
22nd April 2013 In January 2012, South Sudan stopped oil production after it failed to reach an agreement with Sudan on transit fees.(2) The dispute crippled the... →
Failure to protect: Peacekeepers and the protection of civilians
18th April 2013 Nearly a month after launching its military intervention in Mali, France informed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that it would seek a... →
The clash of two tigers: Understanding Sino-Indian competition in Africa
17th April 2013 The rapid economic growth experienced by China and India has resulted in an increase in competition for global resources and investment... →
Preying on the weak: Vulture fund abuse in Africa
16th April 2013 The harsh realities incurred by many African nations following decolonisation in the mid-twentieth century produced violent civil wars, extreme... →
The changing nature of conflict: The growth of Islamic insurgency groups
15th April 2013 The nature of conflicts and security threats across Africa has been changing. In the 1970s and 1980s, interstate conflicts prevailed, and were... →
China’s African media footprint
10th April 2013 On 14 December 2012, China Daily, China’s biggest English-language newspaper, launched its first African edition.(2) This was the latest... →
The changing nature of conflict: The growth of Islamic insurgency groups
9th April 2013 The nature of conflicts and security threats across Africa has been changing. In the 1970s and 1980s, interstate conflicts prevailed, and were... →
A perspective on economic integration in Africa - Part 2
9th April 2013 Part 1 of this discussion paper considered the history, need and rationale of economic integration in Africa as well as the benefits it has in... →
A perspective on economic integration in Africa - Part 1
9th April 2013 Click here to read Part 2 of this discussion paper. Regional integration has received much support from African governments. Many African... →
The right to vote: Where do citizens in the diaspora stand? - Part 2
8th April 2013 Part 1 of this article established that citizens in the diaspora still reserve the right to the franchise of voting. This paper follows on as a... →
France’s intervention in Mali: A decision that couldn’t be avoided
4th April 2013 This paper discusses France’s military intervention in Mali and the factors that led to France taking the lead of the first phase of the... →
The South African non-profit sector: Struggling to survive, needing to thrive
3rd April 2013 At present, South Africa has an extensive and lively non-governmental sector which boasts roughly 100,000 registered non-profit organisations... →
Environmental drones: The newest weapon in the arsenal against poachers
2nd April 2013 Over the past decade, drones (2) have played a large role in the American war on terror.(3) Drones are often discussed in the context of... →
Ethiopia’s hydropower futures: Walking the thin line between energy independence, environmental degradation and conflict
28th March 2013 Energy independence has become a recurring, yet contested, theme in African politics; especially in East Africa where upwards of 90% of the... →
Mali’s July elections: Between democracy and war
27th March 2013 Traditionally, the international community has regarded Mali as a success story and a pillar of democracy in the unstable region of West Africa.... →
Black boxes or new marketing strategies: Malls in Addis Ababa
26th March 2013 According to the World Bank, the Ethiopian economy has been growing at an average of 10.6% for the last 10 years, twofold compared to the... →
Nurturing innovation in African countries: Insights from the Republic of Korea
25th March 2013 The Republic of Korea’s remarkable economic and social growth can be attributed to innovation, with its success most salient in the Information and... →
Tearing souls apart: The destruction of shrines in Timbuktu and the concept of cultural genocide
22nd March 2013 In June 2012, the Islamic group Ansar Dine (a radical group with alleged links to al-Qaeda) took control of Timbuktu in northern Mali. The threat... →
Clash of mandates: Traditional and gender constitutional provisions in South Africa
20th March 2013 With the advent of democracy, South Africa’s Constitution, declared as the “supreme law of the Republic,”(2) was intended to right the inequality... →
Shooting wildlife in the heart of Africa: In some places now only with a camera
19th March 2013 In November 2012, the president of Botswana, Lieutenant General Ian Khama, announced that the country would not issue any more hunting licenses for... →
Health systems research in Africa: Bridging the know-do gap between research and implementation
18th March 2013 A major obstacle to the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been the inability of health systems in many low- and middle-income... →
Wasteful initiatives: The power of upcycling in Africa
13th March 2013 A natural product of any human society is waste.(2) Waste can be classified in many different ways as it is generated through just as many... →
The silent crisis: Mental health in Africa
12th March 2013 Steadily approaching the title of the second highest cause of disability in the world, mental health disorders are an international health concern... →
