Opinion
Articles that reflect opinion
African leaders meet for 'last push' on AU reforms
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- Published on Thursday, 15 November 2018 11:22
- Written by editor
African leaders are set to gather this weekend for a special summit aimed at pushing through long-debated reforms to their pan-continental body.
The changes seek to streamline and empower the African Union - an ambitious call for an organisation often seen as toothless and donor-dependent, and analysts say time for forging a deal is short.
Egypt,…
Nigeria's new minimum wage: too much to ask?
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- Published on Wednesday, 14 November 2018 08:30
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On the campaign trail for re-election in February, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari may have spoken too soon when he backed an initiative to hike his country's minimum wage by a whopping two thirds.
Buhari, who had been advised on the wage by a negotiating committee made up of union representatives, the government and the private sector,…
African cities can raise more money - Lessons from SA and Kenya
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- Published on Monday, 29 October 2018 08:50
- Written by editor
African cities will gain a billion new residents by 2050. But local authorities across the continent don’t have the resources, powers or skills set to meet the growing demand for housing and services.
Africa’s rapid urbanisation is a huge opportunity for national governments.
It’s cheaper to provide all kinds of services to people living in urban…
In Nigeria 'being Shiite is being persecuted'
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- Published on Monday, 05 November 2018 09:40
- Written by editor
The bloody crackdown on Shiite protesters this week in Nigeria has highlighted the oppression of a religious minority that experts say is driven by a Sunni Muslim elite backed by Saudi Arabia.
"Being a Shiite under this current Buhari administration is... being persecuted," said Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) spokesperson Ibrahim Musa to AFP.
"We…
On the frontline against monkeypox in Central African Republic
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- Published on Friday, 26 October 2018 08:32
- Written by editor
In a remote southwestern pocket of the Central African Republic, doctor Patrick Karume and his small team are on the jungle frontline to quarantine a rare outbreak of monkeypox.
From a makeshift base in Zomea Kaka village, they trek 30km across muddy tracks to Bagandou, where a dozen children appear to have developed rashes characteristic of the…