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

Rivers and the politics of backing your enemy

Benjamin Franklin said that only death and taxes are certain ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The EiE-SBM 2023 Election forecast: It all hinges on insecurity and turnout

The first 2023 election survey conducted by SBM Intelligence was ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Reports, Research

What if Peter Obi loses?

It is obvious that Peter Obi’s candidacy is one of ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Nigeria’s declining interest in down-ballot elections

According to data from UNESCO, Nigeria has about 20 million ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023, Research

Will Seyi Makinde return?

The Southwest has been a stronghold of the All Progressives ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Atiku and Adamawa’s back and forth governorship race

Adamawa is a northeastern state with a landmass of 36,917 ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Plateau: A tale of political rivals

It is not strange that presidential campaigns have captured the ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

INEC’s house of commotion

On Saturday, 4 February 2023, three weeks to the 2023 ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

2023 election security brief, 13 February

The first leg of the 2023 general elections takes place ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Africa Watch – Jihad’s heartland

A local official said that armed jihadists stormed a refugee ...
/ Analysis

Cash swap: History repeats itself

Nigerians have been reeling from the bad economy, fuel scarcity, ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The week ahead – Check!

Ghana’s President, Akufo-Addo, announced changes to his cabinet a month ...
/ Analysis

Elections, phoney judgements and rising fears

There is likely to be increased voter turnout in the ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

An elusive independence: Assessing the Supreme Court verdict on Ahmed Lawan

The Supreme Court has not had the rosiest of times ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

BVAS: Ready or not, the elections are here!

When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that the ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Africa Watch – The Sahel bleeds some more

Twenty-eight people have died in new attacks by suspected jihadists ...
/ Analysis

BVAS: The Osun guber verdict and the 2023 elections

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), an INEC-approved piece of ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

2023 election security brief, 6 February

One of the hallmarks of an election season in Nigeria ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

Lagos crackdown: The waters are getting still

It has long been a problem hearing about the Nigerian ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The week ahead – Bite the bullet

A count of media reports by the Nigerian daily Punch ...
/ Analysis

Looking at the Lagos State Assembly

In Nigeria, ‘The police is your friend’ is not an ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

In a battle of self-interests

The Nigerian House of Representatives is the lower chamber of ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023

The Senate and patronising Executive excesses

The Nigerian Senate is the upper house of Nigeria's National ...
/ Analysis, Election 2023