Role In Africa Research Articles

Al-Azhar University and Post-Revolutionary Egypt: What Prospects for Africa?

This paper aims to present an informed vision of the educational and civilizational roles of al-Azhar University as a soft power of Egypt after Mubarak and its future prospects after for Africa. As a result, the study seeks to achieve two main objectives: First: present an overview of al-Azhar educational and religious roles in Africa, second: present a holistic perspective about the role of al-Azhar University in Africa. There is a strong consensus among Egyptians after the 25th of January Revolution of the Arab Spring that al-Azhar must be an independent, respected, and yet supportive of Egypt’s many roles and development and political interests in Africa.

Ian Taylor, China's New Role in Africa

Ian Taylor, China's New Role in Africa

Politics in southern Africa: transition and transformation

The developments of the past seven years are reflected throughout in this thoroughly revised edition of Politics in Southern Africa. Bauer and Taylor systematically examine politics and society in the region. After introducing the themes that guide their analysis, in each of eight country studies they trace the country's historical origins and then analyze state institutions, political parties and civil society, fundamentals of the political economy, and the major challenges faced by state and society. In the final section of the book, they investigate issues that transcend regional borders: women and politics, living with HIV/AIDS, and southern Africa's role on the continent and in the world.

The Role of Africa in the United Nations

Ambassador Hank Cohen, Members of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Distinguished members of the diplomatic community, Friends and colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to...

China and Africa: a Distant Mirror of Latin America

The depth and form of China’s engagement with Africa is well-established in the resource sector and reflected in its trade, investment and diplomacy towards the region. Coupled with the growing diversity of Chinese actors present in the continent - which ranges from state-owned enterprises to small-scale entrepreneurs - the expanding Chinese presence in Africa provides insights into the dynamics that are evident in other resource-rich developing regions such as Latin America. This article examines in detail China’s role in Africa, with particular emphasis on South Africa, and considers how these experiences might reflect emerging trends in Chinese-Latin American relations.

What Role for Africa after 50 Years of Independence: Provider of Natural Resources or a New Global Leader?

A good number of the newly independent African states were at comparable levels of socio-economic development as their East Asian counterparts, for example Ghana had the same per-capita income as South Korea, and Nigeria as Malaysia's (World Bank, 2010b). However, a great divergence developed between the two regions despite a strong run of socioeconomic development in Africa during the first decade of independence. Various explanations have been put forth to explain Africa's stagnation and its diversion from other regions of the World. While providing arguments as to why this divergence happened, we provide evidence against this pessimistic history of Africa's development, and point out to the notable progress and emergence of areas where Africa is exhibiting leadership; making it a force for change and transformation in the coming years.

Expanding women's role in Africa's modern off-grid lighting market: enhancing profitability and improving lives

Women in Africa are both important beneficiaries and key facilitators of the modern off-grid lighting revolution. Affordable products using technologies like micro-solar power and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can replace fuel-based lighting – enabling women and men to save money, reduce indoor pollution, and operate their small enterprises with reliable, clean lighting. This article discusses new research from Lighting Africa, in five sub-Saharan African countries. It analyses women's role as both consumers and entrepreneurs and identifies women-specific opportunities in the expanding market for modern off-grid lighting.

South Africa's role in the Civil War in Russia 1918-1920

South Africa's role in the Civil War in Russia (1917 -1920) has never been fully researched and it is probable that relatively few people are aware that South Africans were among those who fought against the Red Army in 1918-1920. Although it has not been possible to trace a roll of members of the South African Forces who served in Russia between 1918 and 1920, their autobiographies and letters published in The Nongqai have made it possible to compile an interim report on the subject. However, it is important to note that even if the roll of members of the South African Forces who served in Russia could be traced or compiled from the personnel record cards in the SADF Archives, this would not provide a complete picture because a number of the South Africans who served in Russia had served in the British Forces throughout the Great War.

They Live by the Sword

With the lifting of restrictions on information regarding South Africa's role in the Angolan and Namibian conflicts several books on this subject have been published, one of the latest being They Live by the Sword. It is the history of 32 Battalion, from the time of its formation in 1975 until the implementation of UN Resolution 435 and South West Africa's transition to an independent Namibia 14 years later. In the process the roles played by the other participants are revealed. FAPLA (military arm of the MPLA) supported by the Cubans who with SWAPO formed the enemy from the North, whilst the original FNLA, UNITA and South Africa's own SADF constituted the defendents in the South. It was from a FNLA Battalion that the 32 Battallion was formed. Col Jan Breytenbach, a highly experienced South African soldier was the founding commander of 32 Battalion and this is his second book since his retirement from active service in 1987.

THE HISTORY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN FORCES IN FRANCE

With the exception of a few dissertations and theses, the most important works dealing with South Africa's role in the First World War are official histories. In addition to the work now under review - undertaken at the request of General Smuts and described by Buchan's biographer as a 'war debt' which he (Buchan) had to discharge - three other books detailing South Africa's role in various First World War campaigns, have appeared. J.G.W. Leipoldt's history entitled The Union of South Africa and the Great War 1914-1918 appeared anonymously in 1924; while J.J. Collyer's works on the German South West and East African campaigns were published in 1937 and 1939 respectively. All of these were official histories, the last three being published by the General Staff in Pretoria.

The South African military and peacekeeping: Reflections on conditions, capacity-building and prospects

Since the advent of a new dispensation in South Africa, expectations in Africa and elsewhere have steadily grown regarding South Africa's potential role as a peacekeeper in African conflicts. Infact, South Africa has been identified by many observers as the one state able to ensure effective peacekeeping on the African continent. On paper, South Africa's military capabilities appear impressive in terms of African standards. However, in reality there are current impediments to a major role for the South African military in Africa, of which the delicacy of the ongoing transformation process of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and financial constraints are significant. Moreover, it would seem that South Africa has thus far preferred the role of diplomatic peacemaker to that of forceful peacekeeper.

China's Global Policy and Africa: A Few Implications for the Post-Crisis World

This article evaluates China's role in Africa. Its objective is to determine the possible benefits and drawbacks for the continent of China's engagement, and to establish whether there might be wider global implications. The focus of inquiry in the African context falls on the specifics of the ways in which China does business on the continent. This is contrasted with the West, whose engagement with Africa has been vastly different both historically and in business practice. The aim is to assess which of the two approaches might hold more promise for Africa's development. In the wider context, of particular interest are the origins and the essence of the multilateral component of the current Chinese foreign policy, which holds the potential to effect a change in the global balance of power, especially in the context of the Great Recession. The discussion is set within a historical context.

South Africa in climate negotiations: Challenges from Copenhagen via Cancún to Durban 9/12

South Africa surprised many when it pledged to reduce emissions by 34 per cent in 2020 and 42 per cent in 2025 a day before the Copenhagen Climate Summit of December 2009 (COP15). The position taken by South Africa was in conflict with that of the Africa Group. South Africa was also involved in crafting the Copenhagen Accord, a political agreement concluded outside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to address the interests of a few countries, including Brazil, China, India and the USA. Leading to COP16 in Cancún 2010, South Africa forged a tripartite alliance with Denmark and Mexico in order to push for a solid foundation for COP17, that took place in Durban in 2011. To tease out the thinking with regard to expectations for COP17, South Africa called for a wish list from negotiating parties that were meeting in Bonn in June 2011. The views that emerged from the Bonn meeting show that South Africa has a big challenge in bridging the gap between the developed and developing countries. This article analyses South Africa's role in climate negotiations with a view to presenting the challenges – from Copenhagen 2009, via Cancún 2010, to Durban 2011. The work also argues that being the host of COP17 implies that South Africa's role in climate negotiations was more focused on facilitation. The world expected a breakthrough in Durban, especially regarding the second Kyoto Protocol commitment period.

China and the Developing World

China, the Developing World, and the New Global Dynamic. Edited by Lowell Dittmer, George T. Yu Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2010. 251 pp., $22.50 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-1-58826-726-9). China's New Role in Africa. By Ian Taylor. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009. 227 pp., $55.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-1-58826-636-1). China's foreign policy has experienced major changes since 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established. The Communist state was determined to export revolution, even to the detriment of its relations with many Third World countries, before it became part of the “strategic triangle” in the 1970s. Fundamental changes occurred in the late 1970s when Beijing decided to open up and to start economic reforms. Correspondingly, the developing world was the center of China's foreign relations in the 1950s and 1960s. Its importance started to decline when China became a semi-ally of the United States against the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It was further marginalized in the 1980s when China was preoccupied with improving its relations with the developed countries in its attempt to attract foreign investment and to have a peaceful external environment conducive to its economic development. A turning point happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the wake of Western condemnation and sanctions against China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and the decline of China's strategic importance to the West after the end of the Cold War, China revitalized its policy toward the developing world. China's interest in the developing world has become much more complicated since then. Resources supply and markets are no less important than its political interest. And, as Kurt Campbell points out, China's emergence in the “bleak picture” of the developing world struggling for attention and resources is bound to have enormous strategic implications (Eisenman, Heginbotham, and Mitchell 2007:ix). However, China's new policy directions to the developing world received little attention in academic circles before 2007 when China and the Developing World: Beijing's Strategy for the Twenty-First Century was published. The edited book is claimed to be “the first book-length treatment” of China's relations with the developing …

Microfinance: What role in Africa’s development?

The honeymoon with microfinance is over. Since the idea of lending or giving very small sums of money to poor people was introduced to the world by the pioneering Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the approach has been taken up by many non-governmental organizations, donor agencies and the United Nations as an essential part of their poverty-reduction efforts. Microfinance has provided countless people with access to financial services.

THE STANDARD OF RESEARCH ON THE BATTLE OF CUITO CUANAVALE, 1987–1988

The purpose of this article is to examine the standard of research about the so-called Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. After examining what objectivity for the academic researcher should mean, two categories of researchers are looked at. The first is called the “non-researchers”. They are those who do no or virtually no real research into the events at Cuito Cuanavale, but uncritically copy what politicians and politically correct academics have to say about the subject. The focus also falls on one particular historian, Italian-American Professor Piero Gleijeses. On the basis of several articles (his book about Cuba‟s role in Africa until 1976 is judged to be good), the conclusion is that his evident admiration for Cuba and its dictator, President Fidel Castro, and his revulsion at apartheid South Africa brings about a one-sided and distorted picture of what went on at Cuito Cuanavale and the Border War in general. The last category is the “serious researchers”, whose work is based on good research. Although their work displays certain gaps in the sense that they had no access to Cuban or Angolan sources, they generally are much more reliable in their facts than the “non-researchers” and Professor Gleijeses.

China in Africa: A Macroeconomic Perspective

In recent years, China has dramatically expanded its financing and foreign direct investment to Africa. This expansion has served the political and economic interests of China while providing Africa with much-needed technology and financial resources. This paper looks at China’s role in Africa from the Chinese perspective. The main conclusion is that China, as an emerging global player and one of Africa’s largest trading and financial partners, can no longer ignore the macroeconomic impact of its operations on African economies. Indeed, it is in China’s interest that its engagement leads to sustainable economic development on the continent. Trade, financing, and technology transfer must continue at a pace that African economies can absorb without running up against institutional constraints, the capacity to service the costs to future budgets, or the balance of payments. A key corollary is that China should show good governance in its own operations in Africa. Finally, macroeconomic analysis needs to be supported by better analytical data and organization of decisionmaking to support China’s engagement in Africa.

Retaining Africa's talent: the role of Africa's higher education

PurposeBrain drain has become a serious problem on the African continent. Most African migrants initially move out of their countries of origin to pursue higher education studies abroad. Encouraging more African students to study within the continent is seen as one way of dealing with the problem. This paper aims at understanding factors influencing African students to undertake postgraduate studies abroad.Design/methodology/approachFocus group discussions, in‐depth interviews and an online structured questionnaire were the main approaches used for data collection. A sample of 94 international postgraduate students from Africa studying at University of Witwatersrand in South Africa was used in the analysis.FindingsThe results show that conditions in both the students' countries of origin and in the possible hosting countries contribute to the decision to study abroad. Of prime importance among the factors attracting students abroad is the need to acquire an education with world‐wide recognition.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for the management of the higher education sector in the continent and the marketing of a country and/or its institutions to international students coming from other African countries.Originality/valueThe paper identifies the factors influencing international student mobility among African students and notes the implications of these on attracting African students wanting to study abroad to do so in countries within the continent.

Introduction: The Role of Africa in the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Introduction: The Role of Africa in the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Japan in Africa: building sustainable peace?

This article analyses the contributions and impact of Japan's peacebuilding role in Africa by examining Tokyo's motives, mechanisms and challenges in peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is essential to achieving durable peace, sustainable development and human security in post-conflict African societies, aiming as it does for conflict prevention, non-recurrence of violent conflict and promotion of social justice. The challenges of peacebuilding, however, involve mobilising adequate financial and human resources to undertake numerous initiatives, coordinating the efforts of a variety of actors and producing positive outcomes. External donors and international organisations are the major sources of financial and material assistance to peacebuilding programs in Africa; Japan has emerged as an important partner in this regard. Questions that arise include why has Japan embarked on peacebuilding in Africa? What model has Japan employed in this new endeavour — does Japan present a new donor model of peacebuilding different from the West? And how effective have Japan's efforts been? The discussion concludes by examining lessons Japan has learned and implications for Africa.