On February 28th, 2024, the Ghanaian parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Act, a bill intended to criminalize a wide array of LGBT activities. Even for a country with a poor record on LGBT rights, the bill is repressive: same-sex relations, heretofore vaguely defined as “unnatural carnal knowledge” by the law, are explicitly criminalized. Nevertheless, the bill is not yet law. While it has passed parliament, it does not go into effect until signed by the president of Ghana, which President Nana Akufo-Addo has not done. Why not?

On May 29th, 2024, nearly 16 million South Africans went to the polls and cast their votes in the general election. The results were clear: for the first time in nearly thirty years, the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in the National Assembly. With the nation and party facing mounting challenges, including economic hardship, a severe energy crisis, and waning public trust, the ANC was forced to confront a hard reality: it would now have to form a coalition government to remain in power. This election not only reflected deep-seated frustration with the ANC’s governance over the past three decades, but also demonstrated a rising demand for accountability and broader representation in the South African federal government.

Africa before the era of colonization was a dynamic region with extensive trade routes that connected diverse cultures and economies. When European colonizers arrived, they upended these trade networks, establishing colonial regions whose sole purpose was to export raw materials to Europe for manufacture. These extractive policies rendered African economies woefully underdeveloped when they gained their independence in the mid-20th century. In the 21st century, despite the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, tariffs and trade barriers are still stifling growth.

Senegal has served as a shining example of a successful West African democracy, as the country is the only West African nation never to suffer a coup d'etat since gaining independence in 1960 and one of the few to have peaceful transitions of power since the early 1990s. However, during this past election cycle, that tradition came dangerously close to being broken by outgoing incumbent President Macky Sall of the Alliance for the Republic Party (APR). How did this happen and how has the new administration fared?

As the Global South receives greater attention for its rising geopolitical stature, many countries are seeking to gain ground toward that bloc. One of these countries is France; however, its appeal in the Global South varies depending on the region. As a result, some view France as a partner against American hegemony, while others see it as a neo-colonial and imperialistic power. Ever since the Russians invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the word “Global South” seems to have made a resurgence within public discourse, with France being one of them. Aside from these rhetorical statements, does France have an effective policy that appeals to the Global South? The answer is it’s complicated, depending on the issue. 

On January 1st, 2024, Ethiopia officially joined BRICS, after being invited in August 2023. BRICS (named after its founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is an intergovernmental organization that can be broadly understood as a political and economic counterweight to Western-dominated organizations like the OECD, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. What does this mean for Ethiopia and how will this benefit the BRICS nations?

Meloni, hosting this year’s G7, wanted attending nations to turn south towards Africa. Meloni cleverly leveraged her role as host to sweeten Western economies’ taste of her grand strategy for Africa: The Mattei plan.

As the US and EU focus elsewhere, Italy and Turkey have increased cooperation in the Mediterranean. Despite differing foreign policy objectives, they share common interests in stabilizing Libya and playing a more active role in the Mediterranean’s security.

In 2024, the global political landscape is marked by pivotal elections, including the anticipated rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the United Kingdom's general election, and India's general election. Africa is also hosting a number of elections this year, which will likely play a seminal role in shaping regional and international politics. Let’s take a closer look at three of the most important elections happening this year on the continent: Elections in Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa.

2023 saw the near-total collapse of France's military presence in West Africa. A string of high-profile coups in the Sahel, the region straddling the transition zone between the Sahara and the Sudanian savanna, have chased the French out of their former colonial holdings. Coupled with the disastrous end of the eight year-long counterterrorism mission Operation Barkhane in November of 2022, France has departed the Sahel just as violence and instability are reaching heretofore unseen levels. The following will examine the breakdown of the French War on Terror, and what France’s departure from the region means for the future of the Sahel.

On the second leg of a tour of Africa aimed at promoting American regional investment, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized the importance of addressing Zambia’s heavy debt burden with China. Zambia became Africa’s first pandemic-era sovereign nation to default when it failed to make a $42.5 million bond payment in November 2020. Negotiations over how to deal with the debt load have been ongoing.