Pensioner claims cryptocurrency trader could have stopped fraud

A High Court hears details of an elaborate fraud in which scammers cleaned out a bank account and bought cryptocurrency from a part-time trader.

Ibrahim Index indicates cause for concern, not panic

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), released on Monday, October 5, found that governance in Africa overall had made little or no progress since 2011. It is a wake-up call, but also […]

SA consumer confidence ticks up while supply-side outlook still gloomy

The First National Bank (FNB)/Bureau for Economic Research (BER) consumer confidence index (CCI) rebounded by 10 points from its lowest level in almost 15 years to a reading of -5 during Q3. While […]

President Lungu’s State of the Nation address

President Edgar Lungu delivered the state of the nation address on Friday, September 18. The president stressed the need for economic diversification and to alleviate power capacity constraints via focused government infrastructural spending […]

A Coup in Burkina Faso

The situation in Burkina Faso has turned into a coup d’état, as we thought was likely. On the morning of Thursday, September 17, a military official announced on television that the army, acting […]

JPMorgan boots Nigeria from influential bond index

Bloomberg reported late on Tuesday, September 8 that JPMorgan has decided to eject Nigeria from its Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM). Justifying its decision, the investment bank stated: “Investors who track the GBI-EM […]

ICC developments and future risks for Kenya

Wednesday, August 19, was a busy day at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The ICC’s judges made two calls that could potentially have an impact on political risk in Kenya. […]

New Suez Canal opening highlights conformity, rights restrictions in Egypt

The Suez Canal’s new extension was inaugurated on Thursday, August 6, in a ceremony that burst with nationalist pride. The extension involved dredging a 37 km waterway that runs parallel to the existing […]

Obama jets into Kenya

US President Barack Obama spent 48 hours in Kenya last weekend, in a visit that caused great excitement and comment. Kenyans feel a special affinity for the American leader, whose late father was […]

Nigeria – Reasons to expect some policy liberalisation

Structural factors, recent news and upcoming events give reason to believe that Nigeria is about to take a liberal turn on policy. The most important structural factors are the catastrophic state of public […]

Delay in Burundi’s presidential elections, Rwandan parliament wants referendum on Kagame’s third term

Burundi’s presidential election has been postponed by five days, and the first round will now be held on Tuesday, July 21. Authorities thus want to look as though they are meeting international diplomats […]

Ghardaia violence is a particular worry for Algeria right now

Violence in Ghardaia is a symptom of Algeria’s stagnant polity, but also shows up a dangerous, exploitable fault line. The most recent violence between Mozabite (Berber) and Arab communities, who belong to different […]

Assassination and terror attack in Egypt

Prosecutor-General Hesham Barakat was assassinated in a roadside bombing on Monday, June 29. The bomb was planted on a road near Mr Barakat’s home and detonated as he was on his way to […]

New capital controls in Nigeria and Angola

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced additional capital controls on June 24. CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele listed up to 40 items that would henceforth not be eligible for the purpose of purchasing […]

South Africa flouts rule of law with Al-Bashir incident

At some point before or during the 25th African Union (AU) summit held in Gauteng during June 7-15, the South African government crossed an extremely dangerous line. The executive took a decision to […]

Lofty free trade goals announced at WEF on Africa

The 25th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa was held in Cape Town during June 3-5. The organisation promoted the event as including “[o]ver a thousand of the world’s top government and business […]

Diezani cartel's last cash-out in Nigeria

Four days before a change of government, oil marketers negotiated an $800m payout from the federal government. In the afternoon of Monday, May 25, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria agreed to […]