Africa at LSE

Africa’s grassroots activism involves campaigns, demonstrations, and educational endeavours that raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and the urgency for adaptation and mitigation. Campaigns like the...

Recent news reports on energy policies in Europe and Asia indicate a new phase in the clean energy transition. During the summer, gas shortages arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine compelled Germany to ramp up the ge...

This issue of “nations and nationalities” was one of the most contentious issues during the Ethiopian student movement of the 1960s. The late Marxist student leader Walleligne Mekonnen argued that th...

The digital era offers the potential for growth in employment, productivity, and innovation. But has also evoked fears of job losses, exacerbated social inequalities, and challenges in adapting to rapid technological change&...

In his inaugural speech , Abiy promised to end authoritarianism, ethnic politics and any forms of maladministration. He swore that his administration would treat Ethiopians of all ethnicities equally, free political priso...

Music has the power to move us and stir up emotions. It’s incredible how a simple melody or beat can make us feel alive and energised or bring tears to our eyes.   This power can be used to make singers massive stars...

The question of how you turn a colonial army into a national military was not seriously asked by British colonial officials in Kenya until the end of the 1950s. The Kenyan colonial military, the King’s African Rifles,...

Infrastructure development, Chinese, and Eurobond borrowing have played substantial roles in African debt. African nations often borrow heavily for large-scale projects like roads and power plants which are vital for economi...

World leaders from over 140 countries, including a delegation from Ghana, gathered in Beijing on 17 October for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation which marked the 10th anniversary of the Belt an...

Since independence, cycles of violence have repeatedly taken place between Hutu and Tutsi in Burundi. These two social groups, called amoko (singular ubwoko) in Kirundi, the main language spoken in the country, were the targ...

The world we live in is engulfed in turmoil. The conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan have claimed thousands of lives and left many more homeless and dealing with trauma, while natural disasters have wreaked havoc after...

Given how well the global community has responded to challenges like Covid-19, natural disasters and other serious threats to the well-being of large numbers of people, it is strange how ineffective the global response to cl...

Ordering and regulating our relations is part of our social contracts. Doing so requires thinking, feeling, and doing. These phenomena are backed by experience, both personal and collective. This is in part guides by two his...

In the wake of the post-election violence in 2008 when 1400 people were killed , there was a rush by policymakers, academics and the media to make sense of what went wrong and how to fix it. Policymakers worked on swe...

Technology is often discussed, and its funding rationalised, using techno-optimistic narratives about leapfrogging and global digital workplaces. But such ideas ignore the fact that people in the West, and in Africa, adopt n...

On 13 October, Ursula von der Leyen visited Israel and spoke in support of Israel’s right to defend itself. The President of the European Commission’s refusal to condemn the cutting off of water and electr...

Across the world, student political leadership acts as liaison between the student body and the administration of institutions. This means student leadership plays an essential role in the running of any university or colleg...

[The blue-coloured areas are ethnic homelands that either had large chiefdoms or were part of a large state. The white areas are ethnic homelands that lacked any political organisation beyond the local level.].

If Joseph Boakai wins Liberia’s high-stakes presidential run-off on 14 November, he will be following in the footsteps of US President Joe Biden.   The two men share similar personal and professional profiles. Their f...

International election observation holds countries accountable to international and domestic democratic principles and norms. However, it is not without its challenges and has faced criticism since its inception. Election ob...

Economically empowering women across Africa will require both legal reforms and a shift in societal awareness regarding property rights. This will be a formidable challenge that will involve navigating the intricate intersec...

The 46-page document is intended to serve as a guideline for the government when negotiating and implementing bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements. Such a document should have been adopted before Ethiopia applied to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2003 and before joining the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2019.

Carbon taxes are normally applied to emissions released in the act of producing goods and services. Pollution is considered a negative effect on a third party not directly involved in a transaction and thus is a market failu...

High Atlas region is part of the so-called ‘forgotten Morocco’ The expression refers to parts of the country where social services are lacking or non-existent. Houses in the region were not built to seismic codes, often using mud brick and other rudimentary materials meant to resist adverse temperatures but not tremors.

Sierra Leone’s oldest city, Freetown, has been a centre of intellectual success since 1787. Recent infections, landslides, and floods have highlighted the need for action to address environmental and public hazards in this low-income city. The Transform Freettown initiative specifically focuses on resilience, human development, healthy cities, and urban mobility.