Author: NLM Correspondent

By Joseph Siegle Russia has been aggressively pursuing its strategic objectives in Africa in recent years—securing a foothold in the eastern Mediterranean, gaining naval port access in the Red Sea, expanding natural resource extraction opportunities, displacing Western influence, and promoting alternatives to democracy as a regional norm. Africa, thus, is a “theatre” for Russia’s geostrategic interests rather than a destination itself—a perspective reflected in the means that Russia employs. Unlike most major external partners, Russia is not investing significantly in conventional statecraft in Africa—e.g., economic investment, trade, and security assistance. Rather, Russia relies on a series of asymmetric (and often…

“Even in today’s world of digital communications, radio reaches more people than any other media platform” – Antonio Gutteres, Secretary-General of the United Nations By Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard Radio has always been an integral part of the African mass media. While digital media continues to find new consumers all over the world, in many parts of the African continent, radio still dominates. It is certainly Africa’s most accessible source of news, particularly for those living in remote areas. According to an Afrobarometer survey of 34 African countries published in 2019, radio is ahead of television, print media and the internet as…

By Peter Wanyonyi Vladimir Putin, formerly a KGB spy, has never been one to keep his adversaries guessing. In July 2021, Russia’s president laid out what was to become his rationale for dismembering Ukraine this past February. At times sounding like a history professor lecturing naughty schoolkids, Putin referred to centuries of Russian history, pointing out that the polity known as “Ukraine” did not exist as an independent country until 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up. “Ukraine’s sovereignty”, Putin stated, “is only in partnership with Russia.” Translation: Ukraine is an imaginary country, a historical part of Russia that the…

Visionary leadership and strong institutions are Africa’s surest route to achieving economic growth and sustainable development. By Enoch Randy Aikins Until 1989, Africa was characterised by many authoritarian governments. After that, democracy took root as countries abolished military dictatorships, undertook constitutional reviews and embraced multiparty politics and elections. This promoted stability, legitimacy and acceptance in African political spheres. The general expectation was that multiparty democracy would eventually lead to economic growth and development. But almost three decades after the third wave of democratisation, it’s not clear that the development dividend has been attained. Despite Africa’s vast natural resources, it remains…

Surveys indicate that Africans have become skeptical of the condition of democracy in their respective countries By Prof John Harbeson This year’s national elections in Kenya will mark the thirtieth anniversary of Kenya’s first multi-party elections in the country’s and sub-Saharan Africa’s post-Cold War democratic era. As Kenya prepares for national elections scheduled for August 2022, a publication written by Kenya’s Institute for Development Studies (IDS) has summarized the results for Kenya of Afrobarometer’s eighth-round interviews with citizens about their experience of democracy in well over 30 countries between 2019 and 2021. This year also marks the 50th year of…

When growing up, Phyllis Wakiaga saw herself working in the corporate sector, ‘making important decisions’. She is doing that today as CEO of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). A trained lawyer, Phyllis started her career at KQ in 2007 where she learned business management and bilateral negotiation. In 2013, she joined KAM as Head of Policy, Research and Advocacy, ultimately becoming CEO in 2015. She describes her operating system as ‘tenacity’ and none other. She spoke with NLM’s Kevin Motaroki about her journey, what excites her and what keeps her up at night, and makes her proudest as a…

firm is moving towards more use of renewable energy as part of its sustainability plans Bamburi Cement has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an Independent Power Producer, Momnai Energy Limited, to set up solar power systems with a total capacity of 14.5 megawatts and 5 megawatts for the firm’s Mombasa plant and Nairobi grinding plant respectively. This will account for up to approximately 40% of the company’s total power supply. In addition, the project is expected to help the firm achieve recurrent savings of up to 10% annually as well as contribute to Net Zero carbon emissions by switching to…

By Jennigay Coetzer The biggest hurdle to the development of the rule of law in Africa is corruption, according to a new report by LexisNexis says. 52 percent of survey respondents said corruption was the number one impediment to advancing the rule of law. This was followed by government inefficiency, lack of transparency and accountability, lack of awareness, and a lack of motivation to change. Respondents in Nigeria said the lack of access to reliable legal information was their third biggest problem, as did respondents from organisations with more than 5000 employees, in-house counsel and trainee lawyers. Meanwhile, respondents from the judiciary…

Millions of dollars of public funds stolen by two of Kenya’s richest men are being returned to the country to buy life-saving Covid-19 equipment following a landmark agreement. The deal with Jersey, a self-governing island in the English Channel, has been hailed as “a victory for Kenya”. The entangled web of connections that eventually ended in this deal first emerged following a divorce case. Back in 2006, Samuel Gichuru, the wealthy boss of Kenya’s power company, and his wife Salome Njeri were divorced. When it came to splitting up their assets, Ms Njeri felt she was not getting her fair…

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ethiopian civil war, entering its second year, have been replete with calls for national dialogue to end the conflict. As of early January 2022, the best efforts of former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, High Representative of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, and others have yet to yield any visible progress, let alone agreement on a national dialogue process charged with establishing appropriate measures to secure the peace. This is the state of affairs notwithstanding that, currently, some of the most favorable circumstances for making the conflict ripe for resolution have emerged: neither…