African Studies
Utafiti: Journal of African Perspectives
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Politics remained focussed on President Patrice Talon’s activities, despite his attempts to delegate public appearances to government members. Talon, who had assumed office in 2016, continued with ambitious reform projects including constitutional amendments and economic liberalisation. These project met resistance in parliament and from labour unions. The economy received tailwinds from increased agricultural production and economic recovery in neighbouring Nigeria, as well as from regional and global financial institutions that trusted in the new government’s reform capacities.
Terrorist activities grew in 2017, particularly in the northern Sahel region where dozens of small-scale attacks targeted security forces, schools and local traditional leaders. An attack also took place in downtown Ouagadougou, claiming the lives of 18 individuals and marking the second such attack in the capital in less than two years. The military joined those from Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad to form the newly operational G5 Sahel counter-terrorism joint task force, which conducted its first mission in the Liptako-Gourma region where the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. President Kaboré also sought to strengthen ties with several bilateral partners during the year. During many of his foreign trips, Kaboré highlighted the economic growth that Burkina Faso had experienced in 2016 and 2017. However, the opposition and several labour unions challenged the government during the year, expressing their frustrations with the lack of qualitative change, despite strong economic growth. The 25th bi-annual Pan-African Film and Television Festival, fespaco, took place in Ouagadougou, once again attracting travellers and movie-goers from around the continent and the world.
In January, the ruling ‘Movimento para a Democracia’ (MpD) re-elected Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva unopposed as party leader. In the same month, and despite having lost two consecutive elections in 2016, Janira Hoppfer Almada was also re-elected unopposed as leader of the opposition ‘Partido Africano para a Independência de Cabo Verde’ (paicv). The government authorised the heavily indebted national airline ‘Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde’ (tacv) to take out three loans from commercial banks to cover operational and current expenses. In August, tacv’s domestic flights were taken over by the Canary airline Binter Cabo Verde, while Icelandair assumed the management of the airline’s international flights. As in previous years, the tourism sector continued to grow significantly.
Côte d’Ivoire continued its overall trend from recent years of impressive economic growth and relative political stability. Productivity in all major industrial sectors continued to rise; recent legislative elections and political reforms were consolidated; and additional initiatives to restructure and streamline the economy were taken. Despite these overall indications of an encouraging post-conflict recovery, 2017 began in tumultuous fashion, as military mutinies threatened to evolve into more widespread strikes and protests. These events unfolded while the country’s first ever vice president was appointed, and a new government was announced. Although the protests of dissatisfied solders continued to cause concern through most of the year, the government was relatively successful in negotiations with the mutineers and retained a constructive dialogue with the disgruntled parties. In combination with declining cocoa prices, the military mutinies added pressure on the Ivorian authorities to implement much-needed security sector reform, in their efforts to lead the country towards the stated goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2020. At the same time, the election of Côte d’Ivoire to the unsc was seen as a further confirmation of the country’s international standing as having consolidated its post-conflict stabilisation internally, and directing its ambitions outwards, towards multi-national diplomatic as well as military collaboration.
The Gambia entered 2017 amidst uncertainties that overshadowed the political landscape following the 2016 elections. A week after the out-going President Yahya Jammeh had accepted the results and conceded defeat to President-elect Adama Barrow, he reneged on his concession, citing electoral irregularities. Jammeh was adamant, despite the condemnation of his actions by members of the international community and threats by ecowas that they would use all necessary means to enforce the mandate of the Gambian voters. This political deadlock put the country on the brink of generalised violence, resulting in massive population displacement, with 50,000 people estimated to have crossed into neighbouring Senegal. Diplomatic interventions, essentially by ecowas, which also deployed its regional forces to the Gambia, and the support of the au and the un helped calm the emerging political the crisis, and on 19 January Jammeh fled the country, making way for the new government.
With the election of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President of Ghana in the December 2016 elections, the New Patriotic Party (npp) was back in power for the first time in eight years. The transition from National Democratic Congress (ndc) to npp rule dominated the political scene. From taking control of national and district offices to rolling out the new administration’s social and economic platforms, 2017 was a year of major overhauls. These restructuring efforts decreased Ghana’s debt, generated economic growth and created jobs. The year also saw several controversies surface, including national issues involving the Delta Force vigilante group, the Ministry of Finance, and the Electoral Commission (ec). The extent to which Ghana’s economic growth was felt by everyday Ghanaians was also of concern, particularly given the increases in the price of petrol throughout the year.
After economically challenging years, Guinea experienced economic consolidation as a result of fdi in bauxite mining. The population remained in dire conditions, which led to protests throughout the year and political tensions between trade unions, opposition parties and the government. Little progress was made to deal with high-profile human rights violations, and the impunity of security forces remained a major concern. President Condé earned recognition on the international level but became increasingly beleaguered during the year due to strikes, the delay in holding local elections and his refusal to comment on his succession.
Throughout the year, Guinea-Bissau continued to be dominated by a conflict between President José Mário Vaz and his party, the ‘Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde’ (paigc), led by the former prime minister, Domingos Simões Pereira. Parliamentary work remained blocked because the paigc prevented the election of the presidentially appointed prime minister, Umaro Sissoco Embaló (paigc). Human rights, the opposition and the media came under pressure. The political crisis contrasted with a positive economic development.
Presidential and legislative elections were the main political event in Liberia in 2017. The stakes were high as these would be the first post-war elections for which the Liberian security sector was solely responsible. They were hotly contested, with 20 presidential candidates and over 980 candidates for the 78 seats in parliament. The process went well, with disputes resolved in court rather than on the streets. Populist George Weah was elected president.
Unprecedented levels of insecurity and violence, primarily fomented by jihadi insurgents, combined with heightened inter-community tensions continued to disrupt the lives of millions of residents in Mali’s central and northern regions. Although the Malian state, led by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, worked with international partners to contain these threats, intensified activity by and coordination among jihadi groups based within Mali’s borders posed a grave threat to Mali and its neighbours. Implementation of the peace process between the Malian government and Tuareg separatist movements remained sluggish as pressure mounted abroad to levy sanctions against those blocking implementation. Despite these challenges, Mali’s leaders cultivated closer relations internationally, agricultural production was up, and the overall economy expanded throughout the year.