Africa's Week In Brief
Week of March 27-31, 2023
Dear Africa Brief,
TD;LR
Global remittances grew by some 5.2% in 2022. In Gambia, Lesotho, and Comoros remittances make up more than 20% of GDP
The World Bank thinks financing for infrastructure projects in low and middle-income countries needs to grow to US$2.4 trillion
China and the IMF met to discuss debt restructuring and forgiveness
Opposition protests in Senegal and Kenya persist into the new week
An ongoing outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea is putting health authorities on alert
US Vice President Harris completes her Africa trip, announcing US$1.1bn in aid on her three country trip
What I am listening to: Rachman Review on the Rise and Fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin and the operations of the Wagner group in Mali and the Central African Republic. The episode is a must listen to understand the corporate interests of the group on the continent.
w/o 27 March - 31 March 2023
Graphic of the Week
*Credit: Africa Growth Initiative by Brookings
In context: at the close of 2022 the World Bank found that global remittances grew by 5% despite tough global economic conditions. Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most exposed to the effects of a slowing global economy, grew an estimated 5.2% to $53 billion in 2022, compared with 16.4% in 2021 (due mainly to strong financial flows to Nigeria and Kenya — countries supplying the US with top tech talent). Remittances in 2023 are projected to soften to 3.9% growth as adverse conditions in the global environment and regional source countries persist. Remittances as a share of GDP are significant in the Gambia (28%), Lesotho (21%), and Comoros (20%). Sending $200 to the region cost 7.8% on average in the second quarter of 2022, down from 8.7% a year ago — in large part thanks to African fintech offerings. Remitting from countries in the least expensive corridors is on average 3.4% compared to 25.2% for the costliest corridors.
Business in Africa
Angola, a major oil producing state on Africa’s west coast, is seeking to be more tax transparent. The goal of recent reforms is to improve its ratings for ease of doing business as well as to curb illicit financial flows. The Mail & Guardian reports that the country recently joined the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes — an initiative that seeks to foster tax transparency.
The World Bank is calling on the private sector for increased investment for financing projects in low- and middle-income countries as annual global funding needs soar to $2.4 trillion (Reuters). Significant infrastructure projects are required in much of Africa to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Also out of the World Bank this week is the warning of a “lost decade” of global growth, which could slow to levels not seen in the post-Cold War era. Developing economies are predicted to see a “steep decline" in growth, from 6% annually over the decade prior to the pandemic to 4% for the remainder of the decade.
China in Africa
China’s Global Times, a not so impartial news source, writes that western media is biased in its coverage of the Belt and Road Initiative in its criticism of the importance of infrastructure projects in Africa. “Whether the US admits it or not, the infrastructure cooperation between China and Africa has laid the economic foundation for the region's long-term development.”
There is no coincidence in the timing of this article as Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director, stressed the urgency of efficient debt restructuring and support from nations in "stronger position" for vulnerable countries, especially those in debt distress (many of which are in Africa, especially Angola, Ghana, and Zambia). China, the largest individual creditor, wants the World Bank and other multilateral lenders included in whatever deal is agreed with countries in distress. The United States has meanwhile accused Beijing of stalling over Zambia’s debt restructuring negotiations under the G-20’s Common Framework agreement.
Democracy in Africa
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has called on his supporters across the country to protest the country's cost-of-living crisis and 2022's ‘stolen’ election. Odinga has advocated for weekly strikes held each Monday — a similar tactic has been deployed in Nigeria by its opposition.
Last week we reported on the protests in Senegal. This week, the Senegalese opposition kept up the pressure on the government calling for fresh protests. Senegal is a bastion of stability and security on Africa’s west coast.
In a cutting university address, South Africa’s Chief Justice Zondo called on whistleblowers to expose corruption. His comments are a pointed rebuke of the ruling African National Congress and widespread corruption within the South African state.
In Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina, the inspiration behind “Hotel Rwanda” (2004), will be released from prison. Mr. Rusesabagina was charged with terrorism in 2020 and sentenced to some 25 years behind bars. The charges are generally thought to be trumped up after he openly criticized President Kagame.
Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Southern Africa,has asked his Ugandan counterpart to promote inclusiveness and ‘care for all God’s people’. The cleric said he read the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill with pain. ‘We are all God’s children regardless of the dignity of our sexual differences.’ Homosexuality is permitted or has been decriminalized in Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, the DRC, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Rwanda SA and the Seychelles( Daily Maverick).
Europe in Africa
Some 600 years later, the Vatican has repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery”, a 15th-century concept used to justify European Christian colonialists’ seizure of Indigenous lands in Africa and the Americas (AlJazeera)
Health in Africa
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the WHO are teaming up to train workers in response to an ongoing outbreak of the Marburg virus disease, an Ebola-like hemorrhagic fever spreading in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon and Gabon are on high alert as a result (Devex). There are no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus disease — though two vaccine candidates have Phase 1 clinical trial data (National Institutes of Health).
Peace and Security in Africa
On Africa’s horn, Somalia's Al-Shabab, an insurgent group affiliated to al-Qaeda, has lost almost a third of its territory to government offensives, according to the American ambassador stationed there. The country is in the grips of one of its worst droughts, with 43,000 left dead in 2023.
*Credit: The Economist
Humanitarian organizations and aid workers meanwhile continue to deliver food into South Sudan, a country suffering acute food shortages as a result of the region's protracted drought (VOA).
Further north in Libya, a U.N. fact-finding mission reports that crimes against humanity have been committed against Libyans and irregular migrants in Libya (PBS).
And finally, to the heart of the continent again, the DRC has agreed to extend the mandate of a East African Community (EAC) force. This force excludes Rwandan troops which the DRC accuses of supporting the M23 — a rebel group operating in the east of the country (The East African). Foreign Policy reports that some 70% of Congolese people think the EAC force is ineffective — this according to a survey by the Congo Research Group at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and its Kinshasa-based research partners.
US in Africa
In her trip to the continent, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris pledged a $100 million bilateral aid package for Ghana and four other West African countries in a bid to secure the region from violent encroachments from the Sahel (Al Jazeera). Then on Wednesday at the end of her trip, VP Harris announced a $1 billion initiative to improve women's economic empowerment.
*Credit: Reuters
Warmly,
Joshua