The Wicked Conversation
South Africa’s worsening water security crisis
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the United Nations General Assembly on 19 September. He rightly said that many developing nations are unlikely to meet sustainable development goals. To address development challenges, he said, we “require targeted investment,...
Expert analysis
Max Price’s statues and storms
Professor David Benatar reviews Dr Max Price’s Price, Max. Statues and Storms: Leading Through Change (Tafelberg, 2023). The book recounts Max Price's experiences as vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT) during the turbulent "Fallist" years of 2015 to...
Towards the second decade of Agenda 2063: Embracing a resilient social contract with African citizens
Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want was adopted during the 24th Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, January 2013. The agenda advocates for stronger socio-economic and political integration among African countries and sets out...
SONA must reflect Ramaphosa’s ultimate duty
A somewhat perplexing disconnect lies at the heart of South African democracy today. On the one hand, the country continues to perform relatively well, particularly within the African context, on the global indices of democratic quality and political rights which are...
Maximising the impact of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP)
This briefing assesses South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). It acknowledges programme achievements while addressing challenges, including delays to the procurement process and financial issues facing REIPPPP...
Combatting fake news and disinformation is a civil duty
As electioneering ramps up ahead of the national election later this year, we can expect a marked increase in the proliferation of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news, aided by evolving artificial intelligence (AI) tools that make the discernment between...
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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
ESG is good for everyone, including the extractive industries
Why is good Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) in fragile...
PODCAST: Africa’s divided response to the war in Ukraine
Ukraine: Africa's divided response We look at Africa's perceived lack of...
PODCAST: West Africa Coups
West Africa Coups In recent years, West Africa has seen a spate of coups and...
News feed
Why political accountability matters for a fair electoral system
Political accountability, which concerns the relationship that citizens maintain with their elected officials and vice versa, is one of the fundamental building blocks of a democratic system. One subject that is central to the discussion on political accountability in...
Understanding South Africa’s coalition landscape
Ahead of the 2024 elections, debate about coalition governments and their effect on political stability is proliferating because the ANC appears to be at risk of losing its majority of voter share both nationally and locally. We can therefore expect to see an increase...
The hidden (and not so hidden) injustice of coal
A new class action lawsuit being brought against Exarro puts the role of coal in our society firmly in the spotlight. Depending on how one measures it at any given time, South Africa depends on coal for over 80 percent (or 42GW) of its electricity needs. The national...
Anticipating COP28 and its implications
The United Nations COP27, which concluded in November 2022, left behind mixed outcomes. Although there were some advancements, such as establishing a loss and damage fund, the overall progress fell short of the urgent action required to address the climate crisis as...
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