Africa in Focus

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Figure of the week: Internet shutdowns in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016

Friday, January 6, 2017

A street trader counts out change for a customer in Durban, September 8, 2015. South Africa's rand firmed more than 1 percent against the dollar, recovering from record lows in the previous session as bets on a rate hike in United States faded due to worries over global growth. The rand rose 1.04 percent to 13.8150 per dollar. REUTERS/Rogan Ward - RTX1RMU4

When social networks become a burden for African traders

Olivier J. Walther, Mathias Kuépié, and Michel Tenikue

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Members of Somalia's federal parliament place their hands on copies of the Koran as they are sworn in to office at the School Policio police training camp in the capital Mogadishu, December 27, 2016. REUTERS/Feisal Omar - RTX2WN3Y

Africa in the news: SEC investigates Mozambique’s bond scandal, Nigeria continues its fight against corruption, and Somalia swears in new parliament

Friday, December 30, 2016

Labourers mix cement at the site of a new port to be built in the oil-producing Angolan exclave of Cabinda, June 11, 2016. Picture taken June 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ed Cropley - RTX2JQ43

Figures of the week: Africa’s 2016 growth rate and 2017 predictions

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

A general view shows the Gibe III hydroelectric dam during its inauguration in Shoma Yero village in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in Ethiopia, December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RTX2VFXL

Africa in the news: DRC sees violence as Kabila’s term expires, WHO warns Africa of increasing risks from noncommunicable diseases, and Ethiopia inaugurates hydroelectric dam

Friday, December 23, 2016

A machine digs a ditch at the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014. The Horn of Africa country - plagued by frequent blackouts - plans to boost generating capacity from 2,000 MW to 10,000 MW within the next three to five years, much of it coming from the 6,000 MW Grand Renaissance Dam under construction on the Nile. Egypt fears the dam will reduce water flows vital for its 84 million people. Picture taken March 16, 2014. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri (ETHIOPIA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT ENERGY POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTR3HIII

Figures of the week: Trends in sub-Saharan African debt and equity flows

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, who is also a presidential candidate for the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC), smiles during a rally in Banjul, Gambia, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon - RTSTXDC

Africa’s mixed political transitions in the 3 Gs: Gabon, the Gambia, and Ghana

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Two workers and their supervisor walk on their first day of work at the site of what is slated to be Senegal's largest solar plant in Santhiou Mekhe, Senegal, July 11, 2016. Picture taken July 11, 2016. REUTERS/Nellie Peyton - RTSL000

Domestic resource mobilization and external financing: When does governance matter?

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

A Gambian man pauses before casting his vote in Serekunda, near the capital Banjul, during presidential elections, September 22, 2006. Voters cast their ballots by dropping a marble onto a bell inside a metal drum coloured according to the candidate. The ringing bell indicates that only one vote has been cast to avoid accusations of fraud. Voters in the tiny West African nation of Gambia went to the polls on Friday in a presidential election widely expected to extend the iron-fisted rule of incumbent Yahya Jammeh for a third elected term. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly (GAMBIA) - RTR1HMDS

Africa in the news: Jammeh withdraws concession, OPEC exempts Nigeria, and Zambia weighs eurobond refinancing

Christina Golubski

Friday, December 16, 2016

Supporters of Ghana's president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) celebrate on a street in Accra, Ghana, December 9, 2016. REUTERS/Luc Gnago - RTX2UD0K

The Ghanaian elections: 2016

John Mukum Mbaku

Thursday, December 15, 2016

FILE PHOTO - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks during German President Joachim Gauck's visit to the State House in Abuja, Nigeria February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo - RTX2QP3Y

Figures of the week: Nigeria’s 2017 budget

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Ghana's president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) speaks during a news conference at his home in Accra, Ghana, December 9, 2016. REUTERS/Luc Gnago - RTX2UD05

Ghana’s new president: Jobs, jobs, jobs

Witney Schneidman

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Polling agents count ballots at a polling station on a street, in Accra, Ghana December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Luc Gnago - RTSV4U0

Africa in the news: Ghana votes, international conferences highlight African agriculture, security, and research, and Nigeria plans 2017 budget and Eurobond sale

Friday, December 9, 2016

People wait to vote at a polling station in Kibi, eastern region of Ghana December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Luc Gnago - RTSV2RD

Figures of the week: Presidential elections in Africa in 2016

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Supporters of president-elect Adama Barrow celebrate Barrow's election victory in Banjul, Gambia, December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon - RTSUDKX

Africa in the news: The Gambia votes, Fitch reviews South Africa and Mozambique’s credit ratings, and Ugandan tribal king attacked

Friday, December 2, 2016