29 Nov 2024

African Think Tank

Association For Strategic Culture and Research Foundation

African Think Tank

Why South Africa Should Embrace Pakistan’s “Look Africa” Policy

In March 2021, the Pakistan’s leaders unveiled country’s comprehensive security vision at the first Islamabad Security Dialogue – the first of its kind National Security Dialogue held in Islamabad. Aimed at broadening the concept of National Security, encouraging strategic communication, and presenting the South Asian emerging power as a centre of regional connectivity and global development

By Lungile Cabangani II

5 April, 2021

Global Trends 2040

Every four years, US intelligence community analysts try to predict what is going to happen in the next 20 years. Although events regularly take place that show how difficult it is to make predictions for even the next five years (I’m talking about predictions, not plans), the US intelligence community continues putting together these reports using a set template.

By Leonid Savin

3 May, 2021

Struggle for influence in Africa

Africa is of natural interest to the leading political forces operating on the world stage. It has a huge territory, more than a billion people and natural resources, which, according to various estimates, make up 30-40% of all mineral reserves of the planet. At the same time, the level of development of the continent itself, at least in the last five hundred years, is significantly lower than the level of development of the surrounding European and Asian countries.

By V.M. Sergeev, VIPerson

27 May, 2021

SADC: Dr. Lawrence Stergomena Tax Says Goodbye, and Calls for Scaling Up Sustainable Development in Southern Africa.

Exclusive Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

2 August, 2021

African Leaders Must Prioritise Climate Risks – Verkooijen

In this insightful and wide-ranging interview, Professor Patrick Verkooijen, Chief Executive Officer of Global Center on Adaptation discusses the organization’s establishment, its main objectives, challenges and plans for the future.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

19 August, 2021

Economic Forum to Boost Far East Regional Development

With a focus to gather corporate business directors and investors especially from the Asian-Pacific region, the Far East federal district administration is speedily preparing to host the 6th edition of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on September 2-4 in Vladivostok.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

27 August, 2021

AUKUS Is a Criminal War Footing Towards China

The objective is to subordinate Australia and Britain more tightly under Washington’s command for its war plan against China. Cutting the French out of the mix makes the line of command more direct for Washington.

By Finian Cunningham

28 September, 2021

Treasuring Africa’s Seas and Oceans

As an island nation state totally surrounded by the ocean, Seychelles considers water bodies worthy of special status and recognises them to be among Africa’s most prized natural assets.

By H.E. Wavel Ramkalawan

30 September, 2021

What Does An EU Indo-Pacific Strategy Entail?

The EU strategy currently appears to be pointed more towards building on established partnerships and developing new ones with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific to ensure its role and growing presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

By Premesha Saha

4 October, 2021

Global Energy: Transformation for Development

Vladimir Putin is the President of the Russian Federation. He took part in the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week International Forum held on October 13-15, in Moscow.

By H.E. Vladimir Putin

16 October, 2021

Q&A: African Development Bank Chief Says Continent Ripe for Investment

VOA’s Peter Clottey spoke with Akinwumi Adesina, Nigerian economist, to discuss why he thinks the continent is ripe for foreign investment – especially from the United States. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

By Peter Clottey, Voice of America (VOA)

17 October, 2021

Interpreting the Biden Doctrine: The View From Moscow

It is the success or failure of remaking America, not Afghanistan, that will determine not just the legacy of the Biden administration, but the future of the United States itself.

By Dmitri Trenin

25 October, 2021

The Post-Pandemic World and US-China Rivalry

The post-pandemic world will not be determined by the outcome of the confrontation between the US and China, or by splitting the world into two competing camps, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies, speaker at the Special Session of the 18th Annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

By Wong Nelson

1 November, 2021

The Impact of Climate Change on Africa’s Economies

The ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) should specifically address the climate change impact on Africa or failing that the African Union (AU) should call for an Africa-specific conference to address this issue.

By Charles A. Ray

4 November, 2021

France and Africa: Towards a New Model of Relations?

In recent decades, French foreign policy in Africa has been preoccupied with a jump-start of relations with the African nations, marked by a gradual curtailment of the Françafrique, a concept that provided for a direct military and political intervention in affairs of the French-speaking nations on the continent. France is now in search for a more balanced framework for interaction with the countries in the region.

By Alexei Chikhachev

9 November, 2021

US Investors to Explore Opportunities in AfCFTA

United States investors are looking forward to exploring several opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a policy signed by African countries to make the continent a single market.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

17 November, 2021

COP26 Summit Fails to Take Decisive Action on Climate Change

Another annual international conference on the climate crisis ended on November 13 in Glasgow, Scotland where a contentious debate over the final document revealed fundamental differences on key issues.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

18 November, 2021

The United States and Africa: Building a 21st Century Partnership

We welcome the African Continental Free Trade Area, because we want to see Africa’s economic power in the world grow. More consumers should gain access to African goods and services. More jobs must be created for Africa’s young people – the global workforce of the future.

By Antony J. Blinken

25 November, 2021

Egypt Moves Center Stage

COP27 is to be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on the south-eastern edge of the Sinai peninsula. Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in making his bid to host it, said that Egypt would work to make it “a radical turning point in international climate efforts in coordination with all parties, for the benefit of Africa and the entire world.”

By Neville Teller

30 November, 2021

China and Africa Move into New Era of Cooperation

Africa is experiencing a flowing tide of solidarity and self-strengthening, and the continent’s influence in international affairs continues to grow. It is now forging ahead with the development of free trade zones, accelerating industrialization and modernization, and heading towards the bright future envisioned in the AU’s Agenda 2063.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

30 November, 2021

Why APEC Still Matters More Than Ever

The United States and China both have skin in the APEC game. The setting in which they must deal is multilateral, and their dealings are on full display to all other 19 members. APEC is not a negotiating forum that delivers formal inter-state agreements or has legal supra-national authority. It gives equal voice to, and requires consensus among, all its members, large, small and middling. It is no accident that the Biden-Xi summit follows hard on the heels of APEC.

By Peter Drysdale

2 December, 2021

Building China-Africa Community With Shared Future

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries. Over the past 65 years, China and Africa have forged unbreakable fraternity in our struggle against imperialism and colonialism, and embarked on a distinct path of cooperation in our journey toward development and revitalization. Together, we have written a splendid chapter of mutual assistance amidst complex changes, and set a shining example for building a new type of international relations.

By H.E. Xi Jinping

2 December, 2021

Burning Ambition: Egypt’s Return To Regional Leadership And How Europe Should Respond

Egyptian foreign ministry officials interviewed for this paper describe the last decade of Egypt’s regional positioning as “defensive” in nature as the country contended with domestic issues.

By Hafsa Halawa

11 December, 2021

China And Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport: Reading Between The Lines

In the aftermath of this development, Ugandan authorities have been consistently insisting on three issues: The grace period is yet to expire and that the Ugandan government is confident of not defaulting on any obligations on repayment; that the terms of the loans are semi-concessional in nature and in line with Uganda’s infrastructure financing programme; and in the interest of transparency, the government has made the loan agreement available to the members of the Parliament.

By Abhishek Mishra

11 December, 2021

Africa-China Relations Could Serve as Bulwark against Imperialist Hegemony

Note: These remarks were prepared and delivered in part for a webinar held on Sunday December 12 entitled “China/Africa Relations: Challenges of Cooperation and Development.” The event was sponsored by the International Manifesto Group and the Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA).

By Abayomi Azikiwe

14 December, 2021

Africa in Review 2021 (Part III) : Unification is Essential to Progress and Development

Of course, Dr. Nkrumah during the years between 1945-1972, wrote extensively on the necessity of African unification. The union of African governments and people would encompass the national economies, the trade unions, youth, women, military institutions and the establishment of a continental market based in socialist planning.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

1 January, 2022

US-China Sustainable Infrastructure Collaborative Opportunities: Green Partnerships Must Begin In Africa

The United States has an opportunity to work closely with African nations and China to implement new infrastructure projects sustainably. The US must take advantage of China’s rhetoric on adherence to new environmentally friendly practices. The ‘green’ way must become the only way to conduct infrastructure projects.

By Hannah Bases

13 January, 2022

The State and Future of Africa

The creation of $650 billion in new Special Drawing Rights last year was a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to enable African and other developing countries to access the SDRs that are not needed or being used by developed or emerging economies. It is also clear that public debt vulnerabilities will dominate macro-economic policy management in Africa over the next few years.

By His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

27 January, 2022

The slow construction of Africa’s Great Green Wall

The Great Green Wall is “an African-led movement with an epic ambition to grow an 8,000km natural wonder of the world.” Emerging in 2007 from a joint effort conceived by the African Union, the Great Green Wall is a pan-African movement focused on the rehabilitation and revitalization of the once lush and productive stretch of land. The project was announced with much fanfare and was portrayed as a renewed lease on life and a biologically-centered plan to combat severe desertification. Designed to run from Senegal to Djibouti, this wall was intended to halt the cycles of environmental degradation, poverty, and violence now running rampant across the continent

By Leah Garden

30 January, 2022

European Union targeting Comprehensive Partnership with Africa

Long before this summit, European Union members and business investors have been making consistent efforts at capitalizing on and exploring several emerging opportunities offered by the newly introduced African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides a unique and valuable access to an integrated African market of 1.3 billion people. In practical reality, it aims at creating a continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business people and investments in Africa.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

13 February, 2022

African Students Further Expose the Racist Character of the Ukrainian State

As western media outlets seek to build sympathy for the NATO-backed regime in Kiev, Africans and others oppressed groups are facing targeted discrimination and violence.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

3 March, 2022

Climate Change Impacting Southern Africa from Malawi to Madagascar

The countries of Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar contribute almost nothing to the advent of climate disasters. These states should be assisted with relief efforts and the building of infrastructure designed to minimize the impact of cyclones and other serious weather disturbances.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

24 March, 2022

South African KwaZulu-Natal Province Imperiled by Flooding

These living arrangements are part and parcel of the continuing legacy of the former racist apartheid system which was rooted in segregation to facilitate the super-exploitation of African labor. Africans and other people of color communities were placed in areas of the country which were away from the central cities.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

28 April, 2022

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