Making a breakthrough in the complicated arena of news media broadcasting requires more than a generous dosage of money and technology, especially if it involves diminishing the influence of traditional players in the media-scape of the continent.
Though its goal of securing a permanent seat in the Council during the 2011-12 term was ambitious, the efforts that it put in over the last two years were steered in that direction and have yielded favourable results.
The recent French intervention in Mali comes almost after a year of turmoil in the country. Mali needs to achieve an internal political process which will strengthen the government’s mandate and provide economic security and sustainable development to the country.
The recent wind of ‘popular uprisings’ blowing across North Africa, most notably Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Libya, is monumental and unprecedented. Indeed, the world was taken aback by these uprisings. Despite notable contextual variations in the triggers and accelerators of the uprisings, which largely account for the divergent trajectories and outcomes, a common denominator seems to be the all-pervasive legitimacy crisis, or better still, the negative legitimacy, in these countries.
The imbroglio over who should be chairperson of the African Union Commission has exposed deep divisions among African states, which will undermine the effective functioning of the commission itself.
At the Second India-Africa Forum Summit held in Addis Ababa, India’s relations with African countries have got a boost with the various cooperation initiatives unveiled by the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
India has embarked on a policy to balance its need for accessing strategic energy resources from the African continent with Africa's aspirations for greater skills and sustainable development. Sudan has turned out to be the gateway for India's energy quest in Africa. India's age-old ties with Sudan have been crucial in accessing oil from the country. New Delhi's close relations helped to assuage the initial hiccups
South African President Jacob Zuma has affirmed the mutually beneficial economic relationship between China and Africa, including with his country, notwithstanding the negative sides to this relationship. It is clear that China’s role in Africa is changing the terms of engagement with the region. That is perhaps the biggest challenge for India and the rest of the world in their future Africa strategy.
