The Wicked Conversation

Africa Day – GGA’s NRG Programme reflects on wins and challenges
Over a third of the world’s mineral reserves are found in Africa. With the global shift towards a green energy transition, Africa is in an opportune position to meet the demand for critical raw materials required for moving away from hydrocarbon dependence. Endowed...
Expert analysis

Oil and gas exploration threatens Unesco World Heritage Site in Zimbabwe
An obscure mining company has applied for a licence to prospect for oil and natural gas in one of Zimbabwe’s premier wildlife conservation areas. The Zimbabwean ministry of mines and mining development published the notice for public comment on 28 April in a...

Addressing the education gender gap in Africa
Education is a door opener and a life-changer, especially for girls and women, senior United Nations officials stressed at the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development held last month, amidst a global learning crisis. Sadly, in many parts of...

Africa Day – GGA’s GDI Programme reflects on wins and challenges
Since the launch of the African Union (AU) on July 9, 2002, the AU has made significant contributions to the development of the African continent. The goal of cultivating a prosperous and peaceful African continent is still being pursued. As we commemorate Africa Day,...

The need for the ‘Post Office of Tomorrow’
Over the last decade, the South African Post Office (SAPO) has experienced significant business issues, including debt to creditors and a lack of revenue collection. More recently, it has been provisionally liquidated. Due to these difficulties, SAPO has been forced...

African states need strong audit institutions to stem fraud, money laundering
Corruption is a major problem for Africa, with the continent losing billions of dollars every year to illicit financial flows (IFFs) caused by corrupt practices. An anti-corruption seminar held in mid-April in Johannesburg aimed to create awareness and action on how...
Video
The Governance Report
Explore Africa’s 54 countries from the Governance Report
Latest webinars
COP26: What should be at the top of Africa’s agenda?
In November, the United Kingdom will host the 26th annual United Nations (UN) global climate summit – called COP – or “Conference of the Parties” in Glasgow. COP26 (delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic) has a unique urgency and could prove to be one of the most important conferences of our time. Most experts agree that the…
The Africa Governance Papers
Podcasts

GGA’s Pranish Desai appears on The Citizen’s podcast
On 15 February 2023, GGA’s Pranish Desai appeared on the podcast The Citizen’s...

GGA’s Pranish Desai on coalition issues in municipal councils
On 14 February 2023, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke to SAfm's Songezo Mabece about...

GGA’s Pranish Desai on corruption in local government
On 12 January 2023, GGA's Pranish Desai spoke to Radio 702's Thabo...
News feed

Corruption is a cancerous curse
In their excellent 2009 book, Violence and Social Orders, the late Douglass North and his co-authors make a compelling case that, throughout history, the central problem of development is violence. To develop, actors must agree to pool rents and disarm. This only...

Sudan – From political turmoil to armed conflict
Sudan has been in crisis all along from the time of independence. Though there was a promising start in the immediate post-independence years, the Sudanese hope for a better future was quickly dashed. The 1980s exercise at instituting a representative government was...

How to silence the guns in Cabo Delgado
Over the past year, violence and armed conflict caused about 55 000 fatalities on the African continent, an increase of almost 10% since 2021. Across countries in the Sahel and Somalia, fatalities increased by 70%, marking a clear escalation of violence. In the...

SA’s stance on Russia’s Ukraine invasion is at odds with foundations of its foreign policy
Given that Russia has flagrantly violated Ukraine’s national sovereignty, we must ask whether South Africa’s foreign policy stance is grounded in unequivocal respect for sovereignty. South Africa has endured continued criticism for not acting decisively to oppose the...
Who we are
Our partners











