Dec. 7, 2020

Ghanaians Go to the Polls for a Dull But Crisis-Free Election

J. Mahama and N. Akufo-Addo

(GIN) – It’s been called the dullest election in Africa. No violence, not blatant vote-rigging and no surprises.

But compared to the sound and fury in neighboring Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali, among others, Ghanaians are fortunate to expect a democratic exercise without drama – whether for the incumbent president, Nana Akufo-Addo of the center-right New Patriotic party or for his opponent, John Dramani Mahama, a former president from the opposition National Democratic Congress, or for one of the 10 other “dark horse” candidates on the ballot.

“If you look across the continent,” observed Chidi Odinkalu, senior manager for Africa at the Open Society Foundation, “this is the least dramatic and the most boring election – and that is an absolutely great story.”

“Nobody is like, ‘I’m not accepting it,’ 23-year old Mavis Nai told the Financial Times. “Here in Ghana, who wins wins.”

It’s also been called election déjà vu as it’s the third consecutive time that Mahama and Adufo-Addo compete against each other – the first contest was in 2012, the second was in 2016 and now 2020.

But the “boring” nature of this year’s vote could hide some troubling signs on the horizon in this West African nation. Money in politics, for one, and the lack of meaningful campaign finance laws, for another.

Youth unemployment, security concerns and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy are among the top issues Ghanaians will consider when voting.

“Ghana’s democracy looks better than it actually is,” remarked Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed, assistant professor in global media industries at the University of Georgia, in a press interview.  “When we talk about democracy, it should not be limited to holding peaceful elections but how the most marginalized in society benefit,” she said.

One issue that has drawn few comments is the presence of a growing separatist movement in an area called Western Togoland.

In September, the Western Togoland Restoration Front staged violent attacks for the first time in the history of the separatist movement – mounting roadblocks, attacking a police station, seizing weapons and burning down a bus terminal.

Meanwhile, some campaign sloganeering may be familiar to observers of U.S. politics. In a recent BBC Pidgin interview, Mr Mahama claimed that an ailing economy, a power crisis that he resolved a little too late, and "fake news from opposition's social media troll factory" led to his defeat four years ago.

And President Akufo-Addo got some pushback for congratulating Alassane Ouattara in his recent victory. Nii Adjetey Cleland tweeted: “Our democratic president is congratulating someone who had to change the rules of democracy to stay in power. Well done.”

Whatever happens, there will not be a fourth face-off between the two men - whoever wins will be ruled out of future elections after serving two terms.  

Oct. 21, 2020

A 'Wind of Change' Could Block African Leaders Seeking 'Presidency for Life'

A. Conde

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) - As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said it, there’s a “wind of change" blowing through the African continent. “Whether we like it or not,” he said, “this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”

That was the ‘60s, as countries across the continent were lowering the British flag and raising their national one.

"I can still remember watching that flag,” recalled Francesca Emmanuel, a former federal permanent secretary in the new Netflix documentary Journey of a New Colony. “It was the British flag I was watching coming down, coming down, and the Nigerian flag, going up, going up."

“It was beautiful,” she sighed. “At last, our great day has arrived… That feeling, it’s something you can’t describe.”

But 40 years later, the promises of independence are being challenged by postcolonial leaders unwilling to abide by their constitution when it’s time to step down. Rising impatience by young people to again “raise that flag” has sparked riots in the streets of Ivory Coast, Guinea, Cameroon and over a dozen other countries.

In Guinea, incumbent Alpha Condé, age 82, ordered a crackdown on protests to his bid for a controversial third term. It resulted in the deaths of at least 50 in less than a year with "defense and security forces responsible for unlawful killings," says Amnesty International. Voting took place this past Sunday.

Similarly in the Ivory Coast, protesters in the thousands filled the streets of the capital, Abidjan, when President Alassane Ouattara, in an about face, announced he would seek a third term in office. Five months ago, the 78 year old Ouattara had pledged to “transfer power to a new generation”. Voting is scheduled for Oct. 28.

“We need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits,” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told his counterparts at a meeting last month. “This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our subregion.”

“The reluctance to giving up power is a growing trend across the continent,” writes Congolese freelancer Vava Tampa, “causing joblessness, conflict, corruption, economic decline, and human rights abuses. Even Paul Kagame, the West’s standard-bearer for ‘good African leadership’, changed the constitution to cling to power. In fact, according to the Economist’s 2019 Democracy Index, more than half of Africa’s 55 countries are ruled by a ‘life president’ or – in the words of the report’s authors – ‘authoritarian regimes’.”

Other contested elections in the coming months include Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Uganda and Central African Republic. Will a growing people’s movement again be a ‘wind of change’?   

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media

Oct. 5 

Cash-strapped Sudan Faces New Demands Before Painful Sanctions are Lifted by U.S.

Poverty in Sudan

(TriceEdneyWire.com GIN) – The U.S. has now conditioned the lifting of painful sanctions on Sudan until it agrees to Washington’s Middle East agenda and to normalizing relations with Israel.

If Sudan agrees before U.S. elections in November, sanctions could be lifted, opening the floodgates to desperately needed investment for this economically stressed corner of Africa.

This eleventh hour demand issued by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was met with frustration by local leaders and experts.

Our economy is in shambles, admitted Amjed Farid, assistant chief of staff for Sudan’s prime minister. Sudan can't even get COVID aid from international institutions. U.S. sanctions have blocked all transactions using US currency or products, impeding any business with operations in the U.S. from trading with Sudan.

Cameron Hudson of the Atlantic Council, an American thinktank in the field of international affairs, called it a “strategic blunder of enormous proportions.” Sudan's democratic transition is fragile, he said, and by making more demands, the U.S. could miss this chance to have a real partner in a dangerous neighborhood.

Sudan’s transitional government has been negotiating for the removal of sanctions for more than a year. They have agreed to compensate families of the US sailors who died in the bombing of the USS Cole, as well as to those of victims of terrorist attacks in Kenya and Tanzania. But the Congress has not yet passed the necessary legislation. Plus, many victims not part of any lawsuits are being left out, said Prudence Bushnell, ambassador to Kenya at the time, and Americans will receive more compensation than African victims.

“It's frustrating to see Pompeo focused on getting Sudan to recognize Israel, Bushnell told NPR.

Now, however, some top Sudanese military leaders are urging approval of the Israeli ties. “Whether we like it or not, the removal (of Sudan from the terror list) is tied to (normalization) with Israel,” Sudanese Gen. Mohammed Dagalo said in a press interview.

“We need Israel … Israel is a developed country and the whole world is working with it,” he said. “We will have benefits from such relations … We hope all look at Sudan’s interests.”

Such comments would have been unthinkable until recently in a country where public hostility toward Israel remains strong.

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.

Sept. 19, 2020

U. S. Effort to Block Ethiopian Dam Recalls Legacy of British Colonialism

Rev. Jackson lobbying against aid cut to Ethiopia

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – Based on guidance from President Trump, the State Department is suspending $130 million in security-related aid to Ethiopia over a nearly-completed dam that would lift Ethiopia from poverty and end the shadow of British colonialism that favored Egypt.

Programs on the chopping block include security assistance, counterterrorism and military education and training, anti-human trafficking programs, and broader development assistance funding, congressional aides said. The cuts would not impact U.S. funding for emergency humanitarian relief, food assistance, or health programs aimed at addressing COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS, they said.

When fully completed, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Africa’s largest hydroelectric project – would be a game changer for Ethiopia where some 65 million Ethiopians - 40-45% of the population - have no access to electricity. Plus it would contribute to transforming neighboring South Sudan, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia and Tanzania with desperately needed electrical power.

The U.S. move has sparked outrage over its apparent interference in Ethiopia’s development strategy. “This action … is more than an outrageous encroachment of Ethiopia’s sovereignty,” wrote economic analyst Lawrence Freeman. “It is an assault on the right of emerging nations to take actions to improve the living conditions of their people.”

Egypt insists that a 1959 Anglo-Egyptian agreement – when both Egypt and Sudan were British colonies - is the legal framework for control of the Nile. That treaty granted Egypt sole veto power over construction projects on the Nile or any of its tributaries which might interfere with Nile waters.

By 2013, Egyptians at a secret meeting were caught on a hot mike proposing to simply destroy the dam altogether.

Officials in Addis Ababa deny that the Renaissance Dam will choke off water to Egypt, saying the dam will benefit countries in the region, including as a source of affordable electric power.

Even the Rev. Jesse Jackson weighed in on the matter. He cited hydro-politics dominated by Egyptian hegemony to control and own the Nile rather than regulate or cooperate.

“The dam was built without help from the World Bank,” he wrote, “but with the pennies and dinars of shoe shiners and poor farmers. They saw the hydroelectric generating juggernaut as a source of Ethiopian independence and pride. Above all, they saw it as the centerpiece of their bid in their fight against poverty.”

Jackson concluded: “All people of conscience and justice around the world need to condemn the neo-colonial treaty that the US government and the World Bank are imposing on Ethiopia, a peaceful nation whose only desire is to harness its natural resources to elevate its people out of poverty.” 

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.