The Kenyan government’s decision to invade Somalia was preceded by an ambiguous encounter that received comparatively little coverage. In mid-October, a supposed member of Al-Qaeda, curiously claiming to be from the USA, was seen to be handing out food, clothing

Read the rest of Who’s backing Al Shabaab? – Al Qaeda, Eritrea? – By Maddy Fry »

Last year London based international maritime organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Maritime Bureau (IMB) began to sound the alarm about the increasing threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, suggesting that the region could,

Read the rest of Gulf of Guinea: Is pirate fishing the cause of piracy and is it becoming the new Somalia? – By Pieter Tesch »

Kenya has sent over 2,000 troops into Somalia to fight the Islamist rebel movement al-Shabaab in the South of the country. The incursion comes as a response to the increasing instability on and within its own borders, most clearly shown

Read the rest of African Arguments Editorial: Kenyan incursion into Somalia risks internationalising the conflict »

There has never been greater interest in African film. A half-century after Africans started making their own films, supplanting the patronising images evident in colonial cinema set in Africa, African Cinema is finally being recognised across the globe. Nollywood, Nigeria’s

Read the rest of Film Africa 2011: Celebrating African Cinema – by Lindiwe Dovey »

Songhai Advisory LLP is a bespoke business intelligence consultancy providing critical insight on market opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The storm that was Côte d’Ivoire’s turbulent post-election crisis- which brought about the death of over three thousand people and the internal

Read the rest of Cote d’Ivoire: construction and transportation opportunities as post election recovery kicks in – By Songhai Advisory LLP »

This is How to Write About Africa Binyavanga Wainaina is most famous for How to write about Africa – an essay published by Granta in 2005 that formed a cynical guide to all the clichés writers generally employ when writing

Read the rest of A Review – One Day I Will Write About This Place – By Binyavanga Wainaina »

The killing of Moammar Gaddafi at the hands of his enemies, with NATO military assistance, on October 20th, marks a major landmark in the country’s ongoing strife. Whether these events lead to peace and stability or persistent violence is a

Read the rest of Libya After Gadaffi: 3 Scenarios – By Edward Kannyo »

All that Glitters …is not gold, they say. In the case of Ghana, it is gold, cocoa, relative institutional strength and newly discovered oil wealth. The country has raced to put in place an adequate legislative framework to guard against

Read the rest of Ghana: oil potential unknown and growing – By Songhai Advisory LLP »

Rising risks of collateral damage to Sirte basin oil assets and contract revisions. On 20 October, media reported that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s former leader, was killed by National Transitional Council (NTC) forces. If confirmed, this would not alter the

Read the rest of Libya: Gadaffi dead but risk of split remains – By Exclusive Analysis Ltd. »

The model for Somalia is Switzerland. Don’t laugh! Political power in Switzerland lies in the cantons – the 26 proud self-governing communities. The state, such as it is, deals with international matters and national law. Who cares – or even

Read the rest of Don’t force statehood on Somalia by Richard Dowden »