Africa is fast becoming the go-to continent for countries wanting access to the vast and rich resources. But can the countinent harness its potential, negotiate effectively and have the confidence to take charge of its own future, without allowing global financial giants to ride rough-shod over it?

A lot of work needs to be done in the current climate of infighting and breakaways at MDC. Last year’s crushing defeat at the elections was a clear indication that a divided and weak opposition will never remove President Mugabe and ZANU-PF from power.

A multi-pronged approach is needed to end FGM in one generation. This includes prevention, protection, provision of services, partnerships and prosecutions. States must live up to their international obligations to protect women and girls.

Lorraine’s work has made a significant contribution to the artistic and political expression of the African American people in their struggle against national oppression and economic exploitation. Her writings and social activism will inevitably be studied by generations to come.

Nigeria has postponed its fiercest presidential election scheduled for this weekend. Nothing new. What is, however, worrying is the fact that every Nigerian election is a referendum on the continued existence of the country. A genuine national conversation about whether the country is sustainable the way it exists today is needed.

Estela Hernandez is both a member of the national assembly and a leader in the transformational social movement, La Coordinadora of the Lower Lempa and the Bay of Jiquilisco in rural El Salvador. Here she talks about a radical vision and practice of direct, participatory democracy by the citizens in the government of the FMLN.

The Kenya civil society network KPTJ has written to the UK Serious Fraud Office providing context about the real cost of bribing election officials ahead of the sentencing of Smith and Ouzman and two of its directors who were recently convicted of bribing IIEC officials in the 'Chickengate' scandal.

America’s new ambassador to Kigali has hit the ground running, with a recent letter to the Rwandan people in which she reiterates the pro-Kagame policies of the U.S. Government. It is amazing that the US chooses to look the other way in the face of many reports, including its own, detailing rampant atrocities committed by the Kagame regime.

Pambazuka News invites articles on the evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals and the question of the post-2015 Development Agenda in Africa to help readers make sense of the debate in order to influence the UN’s construction of a Post-2015 Development with Africa as an active partner.

Mugabe’s poor execution of the redistribution of farmland to the black majority left African farmers unable to provide for the needs of the population. With imposed sanctions, a Western ban and a questionable business philosophy can the man who has brought the country to its knees really be the best option for chairman of the African Union?

As a response to the need for reinstating the stamped-out history of Black heritage and achievement, observing and celebrating February as Black History Month is a necessary act of liberation.

Popular support of Mozambique’s liberation party FRELIMO has declined over its 40-year rule. The newly eleceted President Nyusi has a huge task before him of addresssing malpractices of fraud and self-enrichment within the party, growing security concerns and mass poverty in the country.

It is remarkable that an organisation like the African Union, supposedly committed to values such as democracy, economic development and human rights – not to mention gender equality – can choose someone like Mugabe as its figurehead, given Mugabe’s patchy record in these areas. He is a symbol of the AU's hypocrisy.

The creation of the Eurasian Economic Union parallels two deepening interrelated crises: the growing rift between Russia and the West over the conflict in Ukraine and the looming economic crisis in Russia.

Over 100, 000 African elephants have been killed by poachers in just three years. But the greatest threat elephants is not parts of the world’s appetite for ivory, but something far more dangerous and difficult to stop: Climate change. Each of us can do something about this.

“Prime Evil” de Kock, the apartheid assassin who was convicted on 89 charges and sentenced to 212 years in prison, is to be released. While he has a right to seek parole, the claim by Minister Masutha that de Kock’s release serves “nation building and reconciliation” is objectionable. It is the kind of rhetoric that silences rather than builds the nation.

Community organizer and rights defender Jackson Doliscar speaks to efforts of the Haitian government to , (See

South Africa is losing its power, literally: it’s a process called “load shedding” that will last for the foreseeable future. The state energy utility Eskom is careening out of control, begging for an emergency $4.5 billion bailout within the $120 billion national

Presidential elections are coming up in Nigeria next week on 14 February. The top contenders are the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and former head of state Mohammadu Buhari. In the opinion of this writer, electing Buhari represents a quiet revolution for Nigerians who have been longing for good governance for a long time, even as reactionary and retrogressive forces become more deeply entrenched in the country.

The context and timing of the Lady Justice’s appointment to the highest judicial position in the land raises important questions about perceptions in a country where corruption is widespread. President Edgar Lungu named Justice Mambilima to the post just two weeks after she declared him winner of the tightly contested presidential poll whose results are still controversial.