Insights
- How Djibouti’s Limited Water Supply Is Straining Its Naval Base EconomyDjibouti sits beside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Its location has…
- Eritrea’s Compulsory Service And Its Economic CostEritrea’s national service system is often discussed through the language of security, conscription and human rights. Its economic effects are just as…
- Why Cameroon’s Separatists Are Taking the Conflict Into CitiesCameroon’s armed separatist conflict began in the country’s English-speaking North-West and South-West regions, where many residents complained of political…
- Tanzania’s Quiet Retreat From Press FreedomTanzania’s political reforms have often been presented as a cautious return to openness. Since Samia Suluhu Hassan became president in 2021, the government has…
- Phosphate, borders and pressure on global supplyA bag of phosphate fertiliser carries a hidden geography. Its raw material may be mined in northern Morocco, converted into phosphoric acid or a finished grade…
- Why Nigeria’s southeast secessionists are gaining tractionWhy Nigeria’s secessionist movement in the southeast is gaining new traction does not mean most residents of the five southeastern states support independence.…
- How Zimbabwe’s Diaspora Keeps the Economy MovingZimbabwe’s economy is sustained by a stream of money that crosses borders long before it appears in a government budget or a bank’s quarterly report. Nurses in…
- Uganda’s oil fields become a geopolitical prize for China and RussiaUganda’s oil is concentrated in the west, around Lake Albert and the Tilenga development near the Democratic Republic of Congo border. After years of seismic…
- Why Sahel Herders Are Moving South And Fueling Farmer-Herder ConflictsAcross the Sahel, livestock keepers are travelling farther and staying longer in places where farming communities once expected seasonal visitors. Cattle,…
- The cost of Lamu port for fishing and land rightsKenya’s ambition to use Lamu as a trade gateway for Ethiopia and South Sudan is often told through ships, roads and industrial parks. The case for it is…