Geopolitical shifts require African countries to make a considered choice

Monday February 12, 2024 06:00

Geopolitical shifts require African countries to make a considered choice about their future global alliances. In that respect, I have recently argued that while foreign policy missteps have certainly been made by the US, and the rise of Trump is worrisome on a number of levels, it is dangerous for Africa to succumb to the idea of the US's demise and the growth of a more multipolar international order. For one thing, the US remains – by a wide margin – the most powerful country in the world in terms of 'hard power', that is, economic and military might.

I am not suggesting that African governments should unthinkingly side with the US, but rather that they need to build close ties with reliable future partners that have strong and sustainable economies. My article, published in Business Day last week as well as in our latest AIF Insights, explores this further, along with the podcast of my related interview on Radio 702 with Bongani Bingwa. As much as African countries should pay attention to their long-term interests through foreign policy choices; they also need to pay close attention to their domestic constituencies. Across sub-Saharan Africa, there are 20 elections to be hosted in 2024 alone. South Africa is 30 years into its democracy, which will host elections in May (most likely). For this reason, the upcoming State of the Nation address, delivered yesterday, could not be more important.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will set out his key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead. The president should use the opportunity to spotlight democratically accountable governance as citizens' best hope for improving their material wellbeing, writes GGA's Pranish Desai. We expect that the theme of democracy will be prevalent in the address, as it should be. A major part of empowering citizens is to ensure not only that we harness the power of the vote but especially that we hold elected officials to account between elections, a theme I expound on here and spoke about at a very successful engagement we hosted at GGA in partnership with Decode Communications and the Sowetan newspaper earlier this month.

Also included in our AIF Insights this month is an article from our new CEO, Patrick Kulati, on a positive governance story from Botswana. On the election front, GGA is running a voter awareness campaign, thematically included in our Africa in Fact quarterlies for the rest of the year, namely: combatting corruption (April 1); and minimising misinformation (July 1), as well as our monthly AIF Insights magazine and our weekly Mail & Guardian thought leadership columns. Also keep an eye on our Election Tracker, which provides up-to-date information pertaining to the governance of the SA elections.

Finally, we are very excited to have just published our latest Africa in Fact quarterly, themed on local governance, which examines the role and responsibilities of local government in Africa, as well as the related emergence of coalition politics. Enjoy the read.

Dr Ross Harvey Director of Research and Programmes