2023–01–16 Applying the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement has always been described as a marathon, not a sprint. This has proven true as no commercially significant trade has occurred under the deal since its launch on 1 January 2021 due to negotiation delays. However, significant progress has been…

Engaging African publics can be key to protecting African regional projects from fluctuating political will The African Union has developed and launched many plans and charters aimed at solving some of the perennial problems facing the continent’s development. Some of these plans have however experienced limited implementation success, partly due…

The AfCFTA is gradually entering full implementation, but supply chain configurations between African countries remain unsustainable for intra-African trade. Supply chains are not only affected by poor infrastructure and high costs, but also by insecurity. Adebayo Adeleke and Teniola Tayo suggest a number of policy options to aid stakeholders to manoeuvre these challenges as they implement the AfCFTA trade bloc

2022–09–05 Protracted conflicts cause far-reaching damage to the social, economic and political affairs of affected areas. They create a negative reinforcing loop because they make it difficult to deal with the underlying causes of the problem. Violence in the Lake Chad Basin has been fed by the relative deprivation of…

2022–08–25 Nigeria now spends more than it earns just to service its debt — a crisis that raises serious concerns about the government’s ability to finance public infrastructure, civil service salaries, education and healthcare. It also has dire implications for the protracted war against the Boko Haram insurgency. The Finance…

2022–07–14 Nigerians regard just four of their 16 presidential candidates as serious contenders in the 2023 general elections. …

2022–06–20 Nigeria’s government has said it will re-evaluate its position on petrol subsidies this month. Global economic developments and domestic challenges such as oil theft have led to a revenue crisis that makes the subsidies debilitating for the country. …

Rebuilding local economies can help defeat Boko Haram 2022–03–30 The devastation caused by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin is not limited to deaths and displacements. It includes severe disruptions to economic activities. …

Poor electoral outcomes would hurt democratic transitions in a region suffering a spate of coups. On 25 February, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Electoral Bill into law, paving the way for federal and state elections on 25 February and 11 March 2023. …