Zambia’s civic space has been slowly narrowing. In May, the country’s parliament pushed through a legislative blitz that saw 77 bills passed in record time. Many of those new laws expanded state power and gave state authorities more space to...
This week’s cover image depicts a supporter of Zambian presidentelect Hakainde Hichilema wearing an election poster as a tie in Lusaka on 16 August 2021, after his first victory in his bid for the top job. The president was declared winner...
President Mamadi Doumbouya has dismissed 173 military personnel for “desertion”, including Michel Lamah, an officer who helped him to seize power in a 2021 coup. The shake-up comes months after Doumbouya won a disputed presidential...
South African scientists could face prison for failing to register with a statebacked regulatory body under proposed legislation before Parliament. The bill would make registration with the South African Council for Natural Scientific...
As the continent seeks to reduce borrowing costs and challenge the dominance of Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P Global, an Africa-wide credit ratings agency is set to be launched in October. The African Peer Review Mechanism will launch the agency...
Kidnappers made nearly $6-million from ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026 in Nigeria, according to security consultancy SBM Intelligence. Over 7,800 people were abducted, a 66% jump from the previous year, with more than 1,000...
