It is now the 56th anniversary of the birth of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), precursor of the African Union. The advent of the African Union in 2002 marked a significant milestone and important chapter in the history of the continent.  The vision and ?objectives of the African Union focus very much on “people -centered development” and on a transformative agenda. The principal goal of the African Union is to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena.

• Authors: Nejmeddine Lakhal
• July-December 2019
• Africa Trends

It has been a time of great change in the world in the last few years. There is also great change in Africa with greater democratisation, political stability, economic growth and regional integration. There is more movement towards trade and investment and a greater consciousness to use aid with responsibility and not overdo borrowings so that debt management can be well-ordered. A more business-like approach is visible in Africa and among its partners.

• Authors: Gurjit Singh
• July-December 2019
• Africa Trends

As the digital infrastructure backed by China becomes increasingly prevalent in the African continent, it is also important for the latter to have enough oversight to ensure that these tools are not misused. Moreover, it would be more beneficial for Africa to allow other players to thrive in the region.

• Authors: Kritika Roy
• January-June 2019
• Africa Trends

It will be difficult to build a set of genuine national security forces when there is no widespread agreement on what constitutes the Somali ‘nation’ and how it should be governed. The future of Somalia thus hangs in balance.

• Authors: Aarushi Vikram
• January-June 2019
• Africa Trends

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to India provided an opportunity to honour the contribution of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi and reinvigorate India’s relations with South Africa, a strategic partner and a leading economic power in Africa.

• Authors: Ruchita Beri
• January-June 2019
• Africa Trends

The work for the Department of Peace Operations is thus amply clear. It must privilege the substantive side in its thinking as it approaches mandate making. This would ease the work of peacekeepers and contain the thrust in recent years towards a militarisation of peacekeeping under the cover of robust peacekeeping.

• Authors: Ali Ahmed
• January-June 2019
• Africa Trends

In many ways Turkey is reviving its historic relations with Africa with an eye to strengthen economic ties and gain strategic depth, but for some this is a reminder of the bitter past and represents neo-Ottomanism.

• Authors: Md. Muddassir Quamar
• July-December 2018
• Africa Trends

While the political process is delicately poised and is making slow progress, there remain gigantic challenges to surmount. The main issues of contention among the different groups are sharing of political power, fight for control over Libya’s huge petroleum resources, and accommodating the armed groups loyal to different factions into a unified national military force.

• Authors: Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• July-December 2018
• Africa Trends

Aid to, and investment in, strategically located countries in the IOR to establish a strong presence has been the thrust of the Chinese strategy. The steadily growing economic cooperation with Comoros is part of this strategy. For a China with global aspirations and a large economy to bankroll that aspiration, the engagement with Comoros promises to yield significant benefits in return for relatively little.

• Authors: Maitreyee Shilpa Kishor
• July-December 2018
• Africa Trends

Africa has an extensive and strategically located maritime space. This domain is vital for various reasons, including its abundance of economic resources and as a conduit for trade. Unfortunately, the potential of the African maritime space is being undermined by persistent, multifaceted and fluid domestic, regional and international threats and vulnerabilities. To tackle this, littoral African states have entered into various collaborative engagements at international and inter-agency level. The success of these arrangements is in turn greatly hampered by various practical challenges, including mistrust, diversity, ‘silo approach’ and lack of identified common Afro-centric security priorities and protocols. An urgent need for a functional collaborative engagement emerges as vital for a sustainable blue economy in Africa.

• Authors: Njoki Mboce
• July-December 2018
• Africa Trends