Focus areas Governance
In governance, as in economics, the story of the past decade has been one of steady progress throughout Africa. Multiparty elections are now firmly established, there have been moves towards greater transparency, and for the most part, armies have stayed out of politics. Many countries have also become more peaceful.
But the March 2012 coup in Mali and the protracted dispute and violence that followed the 2010 election in Côte d'Ivoire are reminders that the roots of democracy must be protected with vigilance. Large pockets of low-intensity conflict are perpetuating instability, and the region has continued to witness political violence, natural resource conflicts, terrorism, separatism and high levels of crime, including drug trafficking and organised crime. And some old political habits die hard, as the responses to the Arab Spring demonstrated.
Related documents:
PUBLICATIONS
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May 2012 - Africa Progress report |
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June 2009 - Africa Progress report |
LATEST HEADLINES
APP NEWS - Kofi Annan Launches West Africa Commission on Drugs
31 Jan 2013
Accra, 31 January - Kofi Annan, Former United Nations Secretary-General and Chair of the Panel launches the West Africa Commission on the Impact of Drugs on Governance, Security and Development (WACD) at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre in Accra, Ghana. Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, will chair this high level body.
APP NEWS – Peter Eigen receives award for fight against corruption
28 Jan 2013
Panel member Peter Eigen said he was “honoured” to receive on Thursday the Federal Republic of Germany’s Grand Cross of Merit in recognition of his efforts to combat corruption at the global level. After working with the World Bank, Prof. Eigen has led several initiatives for better governance and the fight against corruption.
PRESS RELEASE - African mineral governance tops agenda for Geneva meeting
28 Nov 2012
GENEVA, November 28, 2012 – The world must do more to tackle corruption in Africa’s oil, gas, and mining sectors, said Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the Africa Progress Panel, at a consultation meeting on Wednesday in Geneva. Panel Members, private companies, civil society, government officials, and academics discuss the options for using Africa’s natural resource wealth to benefit its populations more fairly.
APP IN THE MEDIA - Is China good or bad for Africa? by Peter Eigen
29 Oct 2012
CNN - China’s growing presence in Africa is one of the region’s biggest stories, but even seasoned analysts cannot decide whether this booming relationship is good or bad for Africa, writes Panel member Peter Eigen, in a blog for CNN. Critics says Chinese strategy is entirely self-promotional, aimed at maintaining access to Africa’s precious mineral resources even when that means propping up odious governments.
APP IN THE MEDIA - Kofi Annan on BBC Newsday
14 Sep 2012
APP Panel Chair and Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, says the international community should work with ECOWAS "to take back" territory held by Malian rebels.
INFOGRAPHICS
Graphics from the Africa Progress Report 2012 relating to governance (Part III).
