IN THE ANALYSIS

Africa Watch – Is China retreating?

Chinese sovereign lending to Africa fell below $1 billion last year—the lowest level in nearly two decades, data showed on Tuesday, 19 September. The drop in lending is reflected in data from Boston University’s Global China Initiative. Africa has been a focus of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013 to recreate the ancient Silk Road and extend China’s geopolitical and economic influence through a global infrastructure development push. Boston University’s Chinese Loans to Africa Database estimates that Chinese lenders provided $170 billion to Africa from 2000 to 2022. But lending has declined sharply since a 2016 peak. China's internal politics have led to a reassessment of the Belt and Road Initiative investments, with higher benchmarks set for loan approval. African countries have struggled to meet these new requirements. Many African governments have been unable to muster the discipline required to develop and pursue projects that are viable. Instead, political considerations and grandiose pretensions remain a prime driver of project developments. As the global geopolitical climate continues to churn under the weight of significant realignments, Africa is again failing to position itself to be a net positive gainer. Furthermore, many analysts fail to see the ...
/ Analysis

ANALYSIS

Africa Watch – Paris stares at the backbench

French President, Emmanuel Macron, reiterated that Paris has no intention ...
/ Analysis

The week ahead – A little while longer

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the governorship ...
/ Analysis

Chart of the week: The cost of a postponed election

INEC just postponed the governorship elections in by a week ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports, Research

Election postponements cost Nigeria dearly

Despite insisting that it would not shift any aspect of ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

2023 election security brief, 6 March

The first leg of the 2023 general elections came on ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Africa Watch – Between East and West

Russia's deputy foreign minister said that the United States is ...
/ Analysis

The week ahead – The morning after

After Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of Nigeria’s presidential ...
/ Analysis

The EiE-SBM 2023 Election forecast: Diminished interest in state elections will make for poor outcomes

Nigeria's federal system of government requires the concurrent functioning of ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports, Research

The courts take centre stage

On Saturday, 25 February 2023, Nigerians flocked to the polls ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports

Nigeria’s presidential election; A first post-mortem

Nigeria had a dramatic buildup to the presidential election, but ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

#NigeriaDecides 2023: Second snapshot

By 1500 hours, we have documented incidents of violence in ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

#NigeriaDecides 2023: First snapshot

SBM deployed 185 researchers across all 37 states and Abuja ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Wazobia Max #NigeriaDecides2023 coverage

SBM Intelligence has teamed up with Nigeria Info (radio) and ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports

The SBM election series: Nigeria goes to vote

Since 2022, SBM Intelligence has carried out an election series ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports

No polling unit, no vote

On 25 February and 11 March 2023, voters will head ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Making Election Day PWD-inclusive

The ability to vote is a fundamental human right that ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The PDP’s vice grip on Akwa Ibom politics

In January, Ibom Power, a government-owned company, received an Independent ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The High Court, Nnamani and a tight Senate race

Judicial decisions are influential in validating and invalidating political aspirants, ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

2023 election security brief, 21 February

With less than seven days to the highly anticipated 2023 ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Africa Watch – Health and hollow systems

A cholera outbreak in Malawi has killed at least 1,210 ...
/ Analysis