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Good afternoon ????

The Sahel has been rocked by the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The trio are currently run by military juntas, following a wave of coups over the last three years, which has strained relations with the regional bloc. In a joint statement, the junta leaders claimed that ECOWAS had failed to support their efforts to combat terrorism, argued that it had betrayed Pan-African ideals, and railed against the influence of foreign powers, which they regarded as driving “inhumane and illegal sanctions”. The exit has been a while in the making, after the triumvirate quit the G5 Sahel security cooperation framework and formed a mutual defence pact – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – in September 2023. Russia has exploited regional divisions, enabling Moscow to position itself as a preferred security partner, at the expense of French-led efforts, and creating space for mercenaries. The infamous Wagner Group is now being absorbed by Russia's newly constituted “Africa Corps”, whose founders were seemingly oblivious to its namesake in the form of the “Afrika Korps”, deployed by Nazi Germany in the Sahara Desert.

Yours, less controversially,

AP editorial team

?? 5.5 BILLION

At the Italy-Africa summit, Rome announced the Mattei Plan, with an initial funding worth EUR 5.5 billion (USD 5.95 billion). The endowment is intended for investment in key development sectors, in exchange for reducing the number of migrants from the continent.?

?? TECH POLICY TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2024?

The African continent is set to witness major shifts across Artificial Intelligence, digital trade, data privacy and digital infrastructure in the year ahead. Senior Consultant Amaka Onyemenam explores 10 key African tech policy trends to watch in 2024.

???? EMPTY CHAIRS

Ethiopia is awaiting a mini-reshuffle after the unexpected departure of Demeke Mekonnen from government, leaving the portfolios of deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs vacant. State media has also confirmed that Demeke will stand down as vice president of the incumbent Prosperity Party, and be replaced by Temesgen Tiruneh , the current director general of the National Intelligence and Security Service. Although Temesgen is likely to become deputy prime minister, there is no clarity on who will become the nation’s most senior diplomat. After serving for over 11 years as deputy prime minister, Demeke may plan to retire from politics, although his exit could presage a wider cabinet refresh.?

???? ZUM-EXIT

Former South African president Jacob Zuma was booted out of the African National Congress (ANC) on 29 January after launching a rival party in December. A blatant challenge to the ruling party, Zuma’s new venture, uMkhonto we Sizwe – also known as MK – shares a name with the ANC’s defunct armed wing in which Zuma once served. It was also launched on 16 December – the same day as the original MK’s founding 62 years earlier. Zuma had initially stated that he would remain an ANC member, but would be campaigning for MK instead, arguing that it would be “a betrayal to campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa”. His suspension was announced by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who decried the “opportunistic use of military symbolism”.?

?? IVORY BREAKER?

C?te d’Ivoire became the first sub-Saharan African nation to issue hard currency debt since April 2022, selling USD 2.6 billion of Eurobonds on 24 January. While global interest rate hikes had precluded African sovereigns from tapping the market in the intervening period, investors are increasingly hungry for emerging market bonds. As a result, the debt was heavily oversubscribed, with the finance ministry receiving over USD 8 billion of orders for a USD 1.1 billion sustainable bond, maturing in 2033, as well as a further USD 1.5 billion of conventional bonds, falling due in 2037. Such high demand enabled C?te d’Ivoire to drive down borrowing costs, and narrow spreads with US treasuries. The successful transaction augurs well for Senegal and Nigeria, which are rumoured to be planning roadshows, as well as Kenya, which needs to repay USD 2 billion in June.?

???? SWITCHING LANES

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is poised to receive USD 7 billion in financing under a revised minerals-for-infrastructure contract with China. The new agreement involves the DRC's state mining company Gecamines receiving a 1.2% royalty from the proceeds of a joint copper-cobalt venture, Sicomines, along with the right to market 32% of its output. The agreement is part of President Tshisekedi's efforts to restructure the original USD 6.2 billion contract negotiated by his predecessor Joseph Kabila in 2008, which Tshisekedi deemed to be short-changing the country. The original deal promised USD 3 billion for infrastructure projects funded by Sicomines proceeds, but less than a third of the development funds were ever disbursed, according to an inquiry by the Congolese government. The new financing is primarily allocated for the development of national roads, however, the specific timeline for the disbursement of these funds has not been disclosed.

????♀? PROTESTING FEMICIDE?

On 27 January, thousands across Kenya protested against the country's surging femicide rates. The demonstrations followed the killings of over a dozen women in January alone – part of an epidemic that has claimed over 500 Kenyan women between 2016-2023. Protestors demanded action from leaders to address gender-based violence and implement long overdue reforms. Despite the widespread public outrage, the silence of political leaders has been deafening. President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have yet to comment, despite growing pressure from the public and Kenya’s female leaders. By contrast, the opposition has weighed in, with former prime minister and opposition leader Raila Odinga acknowledging the phenomenon as an “ugly scourge”? that constituted “a national emergency”.

? AFCON WATCH: NEW ERA

A remarkable round of 16 has produced a completely new batch of quarter-finalists. In an indication of AFCON’s competitiveness, none of the teams which qualified for the quarter-finals of the last edition of the tournament have made it to the same stage this year. Notable highlights include the DRC defeating Egypt on penalties; South Africa securing a 2-0 victory over the continent's top-ranked team, Morocco; and the hosts C?te d’Ivoire defeating the defending champions Senegal. This final upset came five days into interim manager Emerse Fae’s tenure, after Jean-Louis Gasset was fired following the Elephants’ defeat in the group stages to Equatorial Guinea. As the tournament heads into the last eight, the old adage of expecting the unexpected is ringing loud and true.

??? 2024 MINING INDABA

The 2024 Mining Indaba , scheduled from 5-8 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, will feature Africa Practice’s CEO, Marcus Courage, as the moderator for two panels on 6 February. These panels will delve into: “Who should bear the logistics cost? Government or industry?” and the “Three-strike rule – Can mining policies simultaneously benefit citizens, the environment, and the energy transition?”. The world’s largest African sectoral investment event, Mining Indaba convenes over 8,000 attendees. This year’s theme is “Embracing the power of positive disruption: A bold new future for African mining.”

?? RAISEAFRICA

Renewables Accelerators for Innovative Startups and Entrepreneurs in Africa (RAISEAfrica) intends to support and scale up green energy-focused projects in the African startup ecosystem. The initiative includes both pre-acceleration and acceleration programmes, and will provide opportunities and a platform for young innovators to voice their ideas. Deadline is 29 February.?

?? AZúCAR – NII AYIKWEI PARKES

Catching up on some of the best reads of 2023? British Ghanaian author Nii Ayikwei Parkes’ second novel, Azúcar , is a tale about belonging in a world where all things are on the move: people, ideas, foods and music. Through the eyes of Yuniora, a crop scientist who travels from his home in Accra to a fictional Caribbean country called Fumaz, the book explores the impact of colonialism on local ecology, the Black diasporic experience, and the power of migrant communities.

?? GET THAT PAPER – BLINKY BILL

For his third album, We Cut Keys 2, Kenyan tastemaker Blinky Bill enlists an all-star lineup of collaborators to imagine the future sound of East Africa. The record's third single, Get That Paper, showcases Blinky's sample-flipping flair as he chops up a sermon from evangelist Pius Muiru into a quirky vocal on a funky bassline accompanied by his own lively bars. This track exemplifies Blinky's mission of breaking the mould – as he puts it, "a song that blatantly shows I don't wanna do what everybody else is doing."

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