Africa - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

Nigeria’s cities are growing fast: family planning must be part of urban development plans

15Mar

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, and Immunizations

Nigeria’s cities are growing fast: family planning must be part of urban development plans

Nigeria is rapidly urbanising, with more people living in urban areas than in rural communities. A recent World Bank estimate shows that 53% of the 213 million Nigerians live in urban areas. That’s projected to rise above 70% by 2050. Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, already has over 15.9 million people. The country’s urban growth rate is 6% and the general population growth rate is about 2.4%. Although urban areas are hubs for socioeconomic development, many large cities are unsafe and unhealthy. Unfortunately, infrastructure development and service delivery aren’t keeping pace with urban population growth in Nigeria. Millions of urban residents face enormous challenges like housing deficits, overcrowding and limited economic opportunities. Poverty, air and noise pollution, insecurity, h...

How Chinese Development Loans ‘Captured’ Angola

10Feb

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa

How Chinese Development Loans ‘Captured’ Angola

By Douglas Burton * For years The Republic of Angola has been called Africa’s “richest poor country,” chock full of oil and diamonds, but wasted by 40 years of proxy wars and looted by native kleptocrats. After a bloody civil war ended in 2002, the government looked for international investors, and in two years bankers from the Chinese regime arrived in Luanda with the message, “We’re from Beijing, and we’re here to help.” Yet, nearly 20 years of Chinese state-backed projects later, Angola is on the hook for $21 billion owed to China despite the fact that Angola has negative growth, and more than 50 percent of its population is desperately poor. That’s the case presented by a panel of subject experts assessing Angola’s predicament at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Feb. 7. ...

Understanding the U.S.-Africa strategy under President Biden

3Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Americas

Understanding the U.S.-Africa strategy under President Biden

The last time a U.S. president met with African leaders at the White House was in 2014 By JOEL MATHIS The U.S. wants better relations with Africa. As a step toward that goal, President Biden is hosting a summit with nearly 50 African leaders this week, a meeting designed to show America's "renewed commitment" to the continent, the Los Angeles Times reports. The United States wants to counter China's influence over Africa, while African leaders want to see more business and trade with the United States. What is Biden's strategy for Africa? Here's everything you need to know: Why is Biden hosting an Africa summit now? America's rivalry with China requires it. The meeting comes at a moment when "Africa's ties with China, and increasingly Russia, have attracted scrutiny," NP...

Processes and Trends of Global Jihad on the African Continent

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Processes and Trends of Global Jihad on the African Continent

On May 11th, 2022, the anti-IS international coalition addressed the jihadi organizations’ expanding footprint in Africa as a growing threat to world security. As a rule, the presence of jihad on the African continent has been on the rise since the early 2000s. It grew thanks to basic African characteristics such as lack of governability, problematic political culture, corruption, and weak socio-economic position. The strategy employed by global jihadi organizations in Africa includes Dawah activity alongside enforcement of Sharia law on the local population in regions that lack state security forces presence and therefore are at the mercy of the terrorist organizations. With this state of affairs, the territorial and ideologic spread of the terrorist organizations without a massive counte...

Pakistan and East Africa’s emerging giant

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Asia

Pakistan and East Africa’s emerging giant

ETHIOPIA, Africa’s second most populous country, situated at a strategic location in the “Horn of Africa” near the Gulf of Aden-Red Sea, has now become the region’s fastest-growing economy. Since the early 2000s, Ethiopia’s annual GDP growth has averaged above 10%, making it one of the world’s highest rates. The government’s strong and ambitious economic development strategy proved to be the primary driver of this unprecedented rate of growth. In recent years, owing to its rapid economic expansion and rising strategic importance in the region, Ethiopia has become East Africa’s emerging giant. With the newly initiated “10-Year Development Plan 2021-2030”, based on the 2019 “Home-Grown Economic Reform Agenda”, the Ethiopian Government has set its goals to maintain tremendous economic g...

Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China

26Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Europe

Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China

Germany intends to replace 'Marshall Plan with Africa' with new strategy to keep Germany in race for Africa against China. BERLIN With a new strategy for the African continent, Germany is preparing to compete against China in search of energy, raw materials, and new markets. In the "Dark Continent," which is remembered for its poverty, the capital problem, drought, and never-ending domestic turmoil make Africa's struggle for industrialization difficult, but the rich mineral deposits and young population continue to attract the attention of developed countries. This increased interest in the continent also leads to an increase in competition between countries. It is noteworthy that Chinese, Turkish, Italian and Indian investments in African countries have increased in recent years, on...