Opinion
Articles that reflect opinion
Extreme weather leaves Congo capital residents underwater
- Details
- Published on Monday, 13 January 2020 10:43
- Written by editor
Paulin Bolumbu thought his family lived a safe distance from the Congo River, but in November the water overran its banks by more than half a kilometre, inundating his corrugated iron house.
“The river often bursts its banks but it never came up to this level,” said Bolumbu, clambering across wooden planks he had installed to create a makeshift…
Ethiopia's Sidama vote on autonomy in test of nationalist passions
- Details
- Published on Friday, 22 November 2019 08:55
- Written by editor
Members of Ethiopia’s Sidama minority lined up before dawn to vote in a self-determination referendum on Wednesday, a test of Ethiopia’s ability to peacefully manage ethnic demands and political change after more than a year of sweeping reform.
African countries are behind on progress towards poverty reduction goals
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 30 October 2019 08:27
- Written by editor
In their annual meeting at the United Nations in 2005, world leaders agreed on a common economic agenda. This was to halve – between 1990 and 2015 – the proportion of the world’s population living on less than one dollar a day. It’s been nearly 15 years since this resolution.
The world has certainly seen economic progress but it is not even. And…
Debt relief a double-edged sword for South Africans living on loans
- Details
- Published on Monday, 04 November 2019 10:26
- Written by editor
Solani Rivele, a single mother of four, earns about 800 rand ($55) a week but owes 100 times that amount in loans. Millions of South Africans like her rely on credit to feed their families.
Botswana faces first close election contest since independence
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 22 October 2019 10:59
- Written by editor
For the first time since it won independence from Britain in 1966, Botswana faces a genuine electoral contest on Wednesday, as a feud between its current and a former president throws one of Africa’s most stable nations into uncertainty.