· October, 2012

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from October, 2012

Kenya: The Influence of Technology in Governance

  30 October 2012

Will Mutua writes about a report investigating the use of Twitter by various presidential candidates ahead of the 2013 national elections: This first report (a mini-report really) investigates Martha Karua’s engagement on Twitter: mentions, hashtags, sentiment analysis, key words used in tweets by her or about her and other such...

Africa: The Challenges of Building African Platforms

  30 October 2012

John Karanja discusses the challenges of building African platforms: What is an African platform? What does it look like? and perhaps more importantly what does it do? Will it address a Need or a Want? What exactly will make it African? Will it work elsewhere in the World?

Chad: President's Plane Botched Landing in Kalait

  29 October 2012

Blogger Malaika reports [fr] that the plane carrying Chad president Idriss Deby botched its landing in the Kalait region. No one was hurt in the accident. The president was to take part in a forum on development and peace in the region.

Madagascar: How Much Does a Political Crisis Cost?

  29 October 2012

Since 2009, an additional 4 millions people now earn less than $1.25/day, 500,000 more children have dropped out of school and 336,000 jobs were lost because of the prolonged political crisis. Blogger Razoky summarizes [fr] the latest economic report on Madagascar.

Entrepreneurship, Culture and Solidarity in Africa

  28 October 2012

Despite strong economic growth, the African continent is still struggling to develop a class of local entrepreneurs to manage strategic industries. Many African scholars and researchers try to better understand the influence of cultural habits on entrepreneurship on the continent.

Gambia: Dramatic Increase in Executions

  28 October 2012

Nine prisoners were put to death on one day in August 2012. The sudden increase in capital punishment over the last few months as well as confusing declarations from President Jammeh have worried citizens of Gambia as well as those in neighbouring countries. The death penalty was abolished in 1993 but reinstated by Yahya Jammeh one year after the coup of July 1994.

Ghana: Meet Agnes Chigabatia – Ghanaian Female Politician

  26 October 2012

There have been considerable efforts by women to have chance in Ghanaian politics. Agnes Chigabatia, a parliamentary candidate and a former member of parliament, is one of them. Ghana Decides, a non-partisan project which aims to foster a better-informed electorate for free, fair and safe 2012 elections using social media tools took a personality profile look on her. She is

Senegal: Casamance Region Hopes for Peace Through Deal in Rome

  25 October 2012

On October 13 and 14, preliminary talks took place in Rome between representatives of the Senegalese government and of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (Mfdc). Casamance is a region in the south west of Senegal, which has been the scene of violent conflict between government forces and those fighting for independence since the beginning of the 1980s.

Madagascar: A Case Study for Small Scale Mining

  25 October 2012

The Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) in Protected Areas and critical ecosystems (“PACE”) programme (ASM-PACE) has released a case study on how Madagascar can “ensure continued socioeconomic development without undermining ecological resiliency”. The report focuses on successful and failed methods to cope with mineral rushes.

On the Challenges of Discussing Precarity in Africa

  24 October 2012

Despite robust signs of growth in Africa in 2012, precarity remains an ever-present problem right now for the majority of people living there. Inequalities are undoubtedly broadening but the very concept of precarity in Africa is also rapidly evolving.

Madagascar: Preserving National Heritage with Video Archiving

  23 October 2012

A Civil Society Initiative has been set up to preserve the 'collective memory' of Madagascar by digitally archiving videos detailing its, often controversial, history. The Fl@H Association was set up to preserve Madagascar’s audiovideo heritage and aims to be a force for the preservation of the country’s history. Members can already point to several achievements.

Nigeria: ‘Okada’ Motorbike Taxi Ban Despite Lack of Public Transport

  23 October 2012

Okada is a local parlance for commercial motorcycle taxis in Nigeria, where public transportation is non-existent, traffic snarls up most cities and potholes mark most roads. However, the Lagos State Government has restricted the operation of these commercial bikes to certain roads - to the riders' dismay.

Benin: Organizing Volunteer Holidays to Share Specific Expertise

  23 October 2012

Youphil writes [fr] about a project driven by Espace Volontariats du Bénin and supported by France Volontaires that promotes volunteer holidays in Porto Novo and Sô-Ava. The project will help experts share their knowledge in fields such as accounting, communication, ICT & project management with local NGOs.

Cameroon: Students and Researchers Evaluate the Welfare System

  22 October 2012

Welfare Systems are rapidly evolving in Sub-Saharan Africa, with some countries having implemented systems allowing evaluation of measures taken several decades ago. Students and researchers from Cameroon have closely examined social public policies and private sector initiatives in their country.

Uganda: Getting Ready for the Second Coming of #Kony2012

  22 October 2012

“I didn’t pay much mind to the #Kony2012 kerfuffle when it first surfaced back in March. I couldn’t be bothered to watch the film and was a bit blasé about the re-emergence (as it seemed to me) of the Lord’s Resistance Army as a topic of wide international interest. But...

About our Sub-Saharan Africa coverage

Zita Zage
Zita Zage is the Anglophone Africa Editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Jean Sovon
Jean Sovon is the Francophone Africa. Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Dércio Tsandzana
Dércio Tsandzana is the Lusophone (Portuguese) editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.