African Political Analysis Think-Tank Vignettes

INTRODUCTION:  Africa has the capacity to develop the necessary wherewithal to become as developed, if not more than China, Russia and USA combined. We bring you short articles on who and what will make this possible. In the articles we develop contexts and interpret them as powerful stories to shine a light on the usefulness of continued peaceful pursuit of freedom, justice, identity, gender and racial equality. In this particular one we have cast Cyril Ramaphosa as a person at the receiving end of the bare blunt blows of Apartheid. It is the rise of a person who epitomized support institutions which provided opportunities and raised an image of dignity for a people deemed as tools of exploitation  under a Westphalian model of state use/misuse of power. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa is a metaphor for Black Consciousness whom  Nelson Mandela once described Ramaphosa as one of the most gifted leaders of the “new generation” of anti-apartheid campaigners....

Case 3: Uganda; The Infrastructure Epidemic Politics: The Economic, legal, cultural and social context   Uganda still relies on development partner funds to support most of its service sector. However, the new  Country Economic Memorandum  (CEM), jointly prepared by the World Bank Group and Government of Uganda shows that proceeds from oil could accelerate growth and reduce poverty. With commercial production in full swing, the Bank postulated that the country, could earn up to $3b ( about Shs7 trillion) in revenues from exports of up to  60,000 barrels of oil per day . These revenues have the potential to propel the economy between 7-10 percent forecast up from the current stagnation of 4 percent. The Memorandum offers a series of recommendations including policy and institutional strengthening, to regulate the sector, and ensure greater transparency as well as accountability. Stimulating manufacturing and industry, as well as private sector bus...

Case 2: Zimbabwe; The Masculinity Epidemic Politics: The Economic, legal, cultural and social context   For Zimbabwe, 86%-90% funds still come from international donors. The National HIV and AIDS strategy is driven by three tiers: organized White community with connections to the Western world through kinship relations; the Central government; and private citizens. The central government promoted adoption of a Combination Prevention Strategy policy, which focused on a number of areas to prevent new infections. This approach includes prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, behaviour change communication, condom programming and STI management. Homosexual acts are illegal in Zimbabwe for  men who have sex with men  (sometimes referred to as MSM), but legal for women who have sex with women. As a consequence of this  punitive law , national statistics are rarely available. Zimbabwe, joined South Africa and Ken...

Republic of South Africa; The Biggest HIV Epidemic Politics: The Economic, legal, cultural and social context   South Africa was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to fully approve PrEP, which is now being made available to people at high risk of infection. It is also a country with many of the non-nationals coming different African countries. There is need to institutionalize efforts to  combat racial  discrimination and ethnic violence. People: Knowing how many are involved in order to engage South Africa has the  biggest HIV epidemic  in the world, with 7.1 million people living with HIV. HIV prevalence is high among the general population at 18.9%. South Africa has made huge improvements in getting people to test for HIV in recent years and is now almost meeting the first of the 90-90-90 targets, with 86% of people aware of their status. Prevention: Making prevention a best-practice The country...

Low cost production of HIV-related care is possible in the world. We can start by cutting down on expenses in the area that I call ornamental. Look into the trips one makes as a manager of an initiative; look into what fuels stigma and discrimination; look into domestic violence cases in your catchment area and other political-cultural-economical-social issues. “The world must increase the amount of resources available for HIV by US$1.5 billion each year between 2016 and 2020, a situation that is looking increasingly unlikely. New HIV infections are falling , but more antiretroviral drugs are needed. The huge mobilisation of resources for the global HIV and AIDS response over the course of the epidemic has been unprecedented in the history of public health. The challenge of funding HIV treatment, prevention and care in middle- and low-income countries has been characterised by vocal advocacy, unique and innovative funding mechanisms, previously unseen levels of bilateral (dir...

People belong to societies or social groups some of which are gender, ethnic, race, skills and status related.  When nations were formed in Africa under a Westphalian model, most African social groups found themselves on different sides of borders.  This division has had political, social and economic policy outcomes in Africa. But what is the background to the Westphalian model? What is good, bad and ugly about it ? Westphalia treaty has its historical roots in the Thirty Years War (1618−1648), that was concluded by the Peace Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. A state is a sovereign according to the Westphalia Treaty of 1684.  Being at war for this long disrupted so much civility, law and order. It ushered in dissatisfaction, rebelliousness, brutality, repression, bitterness, severe hardships, deaths in the millions, famine, desolation, caused indescribable disarray, mayhem and plague. Westphalian Foundations influenced modern International Relations (IR), Gl...