?? Things Can Only Get Better ??

Afternoon all ????

Last week’s general election in the UK has already heralded a major shift in Britain’s place in the world – and its Africa policy. New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wasted no time in sounding the death knell on controversial plans to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. Starmer declared the Rwanda scheme “dead and buried before it started”, while disputing its ability to deter irregular migration. The former human rights lawyer had previously questioned the scheme's legality, so the annulment came as little surprise; although it is unclear whether the new Labour government consulted Rwanda, which responded by asserting that it had upheld its side of the deal. Elsewhere, however, the new government is seeking to boost Britain’s international standing through more constructive engagement with allies and institutions. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has vocally criticised Britain’s colonial past and is seeking to propagate a foreign policy imbued with “progressive realism.” The Lammy doctrine is rooted in pragmatism, seeking to promote British values and defend international law, while recognising the limitations of UK influence and seeking to avoid the pitfalls of “ethical foreign policy.” In practice, this is likely to result in human rights and climate action informing engagements with African governments, albeit without the idealism and preaching of the past. Promoting trade with the Global South is set to remain a central pillar of foreign affairs, as is engagement through multilateral institutions, including the UN and the Commonwealth. We also expect a greater collaboration on green energy through a new “Clean Power Alliance”, and the prospect of additional development finance for renewable energy projects. There remains a risk that Africa is overlooked in the absence of a dedicated minister. Yet, after years of policy incoherence and political gimmicks under the previous Conservative administration, African leaders are likely to welcome more sober British engagement.

Yours in progressive realism,

AP editorial team

??USD 890 million

Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec has partnered with the Egyptian Petrochemical Company and Misr Fertilizer Production Company to invest nearly USD 890 million in the Damietta green ammonia project in Egypt. Damietta will be the site for a 240 MW electrolysis facility aimed at producing green hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia, with Yara Clean Ammonia as the potential offtaker.

Voices of Africa – Jessica Horn

In the latest edition of Voices of Africa, Jessica Horn, Regional Director for East Africa at the Ford Foundation, speaks with Africa Practice CEO Marcus Courage about the importance of civic engagement, flexible ecosystem funding and resilient societies. Listen to the latest episode here .

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???? Moody’s blues?

Moody's has downgraded Kenya’s credit rating over concerns related to its debt trajectory. The decision was triggered by the withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024 – which aimed to raise USD 2.7 billion – following deadly protests. The government has since pivoted from tax hikes to spending cuts in a bid to reduce the fiscal deficit, but the move has raised fears that Kenya will struggle with debt sustainability. Moody's analysts believe the lack of new revenue measures, coupled with President William Ruto's planned cuts, will lead to a slower-than-anticipated decline in the deficit, translating to a prolonged debt burden. The downgrade comes as the government struggles to navigate public anger, which has been exacerbated by revelations that the government took out a series of costly loans, ostensibly earmarked for development projects, but in reality the funds went towards recurrent expenditure. In response, President Ruto has called for multi-sectoral dialogue to address citizens' issues – a move that has now been endorsed by opposition leader, Raila Odinga, resulting in dwindling confidence in the opposition’s ability to hold the government to account. Kenya urgently needs a clear roadmap to address these concerns, regain public trust and improve its economic outlook.

???? ???? ???? AES-tablished

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a confederation treaty at the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), solidifying their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS. The juntas signed the treaty just a day before a major ECOWAS summit, forestalling any attempts at reconciliation. The inaugural AES summit saw agreements on coordinated diplomatic actions, plans to establish an AES investment bank and stabilisation fund, and commitments to pool resources to fund strategic projects in mining, energy and agriculture. Mali will assume the rotating presidency of the AES for one year, with a parliamentary summit to be hosted in Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, ECOWAS re-elected President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria as the bloc’s chairman, seemingly oblivious to his role in galvanising Sahelian ties with his initial hardline approach towards the coup in Niger. Tinubu used his inaugural speech to emphasise the importance of democratic values and urged member states to make financial commitments to combat terrorism – a battle which promises to become increasingly complicated as a result of the fracturing of the bloc.

???? Local pride

Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon's President Paul Biya, has come out as a lesbian and intends to advocate for changes to the country's laws on homosexuality. Brenda shared an image on Instagram of herself kissing Brazilian model Layyons Valen?a. While she did not explicitly announce her sexuality in the post, she later confirmed her orientation in an interview with Le Parisien. In Cameroon, those engaging in same-sex acts face up to five years in prison. Brenda Biya highlighted that this law existed before her father's rise to power in 1982 and expressed hope that her story might inspire legislative change, starting with the elimination of the prison sentence. Like her father, who is infamous for the amount of time he spends outside of Cameroon, Brenda lives between Switzerland and the USA, thus evading the restrictions in her native country. Cameroonian LGBT rights activists have welcomed Brenda’s courage, while raising concerns that it will do little to improve the situation for indigent citizens.

???? Cabo Delga-go

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) began to withdraw roughly 2,000 soldiers from Cabo Delgado province. This marks the end of the regional peacekeeping mission, which was first sanctioned by an Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State in July 2021. Mozambican Defence Minister Cristóv?o Chume and SAMIM Head of Mission Mpho Molomo dubbed the mission a success, despite concerns surrounding perennial instability in the northern province. Mozambican and Rwandan troops will continue patrolling Cabo Delgado to counter Islamic State-linked fighters, whose bases have been targeted by SAMIM over the past three years. Meanwhile, the EU, which has been bankrolling Rwanda’s deployment, has delayed approval of a second tranche of EUR 20 million earmarked for the Rwanda Defence Force in Cabo Delgado. The development has been tied to earlier reports that Joint Task Force Commander Major General Alex Kagame was named in a UN report on Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict in DRC. Kagame – who is unrelated to Rwanda’s president – previously served as commander of the Republican Guard and commander for Western Region, which straddles unstable areas in DRC and Uganda.?

??Have Faith

Faith Kipyegon has laid down the gauntlet ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics by breaking her own world record in the 1,500 metres event at the Paris Diamond League. Kipyegon ran 3:49.04, which took seven hundredths off the 3:49.11 she recorded in Florence a year ago, setting her in fine stead to retain the crown she has won at the last two Olympics. This marks the fourth world record she has broken within 360 days, drawing comparisons to the late Henry Rono, who broke four world records in less than three months in 1978.

??? Finnovex South Africa 2024

The Finnovex South Africa 2024 Summit will take place from 23-24 July in Johannesburg, South Africa. Themed “Empowering the Financial Renaissance”, the summit will bring together key players across Southern Africa’s financial industry. The meeting seeks to advance financial inclusion and sustainable finance, emphasising the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and open banking.

?? Africa Sustainable Futures Awards

The Financial Times and the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency have launched the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards to promote innovative, long-term solutions to the continent’s development challenges. The awards will recognise projects addressing clean energy access, digital connectivity, resilient urban infrastructure, and natural ecosystems, with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, investment, gender equality, and inclusion. Winners will be announced on 30 October, at a special awards dinner concluding the FT Africa Summit .

??The Silence of The Choir – Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

In The Silence of The Choir , 27 Libyan refugees wait for their asylum hearings in the small Sicilian town of Altino. Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s novel explores these refugees' encounters with the town’s inhabitants, painting a sobering picture of the complications immigration raises and the human stories at the centre of a deeply politicised phenomenon. In 2018, Sarr won the World Literature Prize for his novel.?

?? Maandamano – Bien ft. Breeder LW?

Kenya has a rich history of sounds of protest. From the influential music of Joseph Kamaru , in which he sang both praise and criticism at the ruling elite, to Gidi Gidi, Maji Maji's iconic "Unbwoggable ," the anthem to Mwai Kibaki's political campaign that saw the ousting of Kenya's 24-year president, Daniel arap Moi. Today, a new generation of Kenyan artists are ushering in a fresh wave of protest music. Sabi Wu's "REJECT HIO BILL ," where the young rapper delivers powerful verses over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us", incorporates video shot at the June protests. Meanwhile, the recent Afro-pop-inspired "Maandamano" sees the duo lament the corruption and mismanagement of funds by the political elite, and reflect the ongoing struggle against issues that have plagued the nation for decades.?