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The BRICS in Southern Africa: A Foreign Policy Analysis in Historical Perspective
Get PDFThe BRICS were created at the beginning of the 21st century to reorganize the international world order to represent their weight in international politics, economics, and geopolitics. Although they are entirely different, the BRICS saw a strategic space to reach these goals in the African continent. Thus, these countries started to broaden their presence in the African continent. As a result, BRICs started their relations with Africa differently, but they acted in similar sectors. The fellow paper pursues to analyze the Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese (called here as BRICs) insertion in Southern Africa, highlighting the main convergence sectors and divergences between them. The methodology will be based on historical analyses, connecting their historical insertion in Southern Africa in a broad perspective of foreign policy objectives in the 21 st century. In the first session, we will approach the economic presence of BRIC in Southern Africa in 21 st century. Latter, we will abstract each one\u27s foreign policy for the region (highlighting the main economic sectors and diplomatic presence).
Moreover, it will be possible to compare their presences, highlighting the convergence and divergence between them. The Chinese and Indian weight in Africa\u27s economy is more perceptive than Brazilian\u27s and Russian\u27s. Nonetheless, all BRICs have been widening their trade and diplomatic relations with Southern Africa in the 21st century due to their perspective of the importance of Africa in international world politics
The Free Movement of People in SADC: Reflecting on the Experiences, Dilemmas and Strategic Considerations
Get PDFThe Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states committed under Article 5(2) (d) of the SADC Treaty to develop policies aimed at the progressive elimination of the obstacles to the free movement of capital, labour, goods and services. The 2005 SADC Protocol on the Movement of People was celebrated as a giant step towards the realization of the regional integration objective of building SADC into a regional community that is fully integrated where citizens enjoy the freedom of movement across regional borders. Whilst substantial efforts have been invested in developing various legal and policy frameworks to open up borders for the free movement of people within SADC, thirty (30) years since the formation of SADC in April 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC); the region is facing serious challenges relating to the free movement of people, migration and labour movement. In reality, SADC member states’ governments have been confronted with serious feasibility challenges, complexities, risks and dilemmas as they attempt to implement commitments made towards the free movement of people in the region, with political, security, economic, strategic, and technical factors often cited as obstacles. This paper sought to critically reflect on the feasibility aspects, policy dilemmas at member state level as well as strategic considerations that stand on the way of free movement of people in SADC. The focus was on examining possibilities, capacities and prospects of SADC member states (in their collectivity and individuality) in addressing the underlying, structural and operational obstacles that are impeding the free movement of people in the region. Secondary data sources are used for analysis, and the three concepts of free movement of people, migration and regional integration provide conceptual lenses for analysis. Findings are key in providing perspectives on how SADC member states may need to collectively address the fundamental questions and issues that facilitate the free movement of people in the region
The Complexity of the Intersectionality of Domestic and International Non-Governmental Peacebuilding Organisations in South Sudan
Get PDFAs peace operations and peacebuilding develop, recent discussions have centred on the growth of peacebuilding literature on inclusivity, bottom-up and local approaches. Given that a substantial number of peacebuilding is conducted by Non-governmental organisations, which occupy a middle level to governments and community levels, the paper unpacks the complexity of the interaction of the international and domestic middle-level organisations. The paper presents a case study of South Sudan’s experience, which proves difficult to operationalize the critical inclusivity debates in their operations. The article argues that although there is more participation of local organizations in peacebuilding, the internal and external organizations are still riddled with complex intersections that still maintain the liberal (international) order of peace constituted by a specific form of external governance
Decolonial Dreaming in the Sauútiverse: Wole Talabi (ed). Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology (Android Press, November 2023)
No full textThere has been a recent surge in Africanfuturist anthologies, and collections like Dominion (eds. Zelda Knight and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, 2020), Africanfuturism: An Anthology (ed. Wole Talabi, 2020), Africa Risen (eds. Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Zelda Knight, 2022), and The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (ed. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki 2021, 2022, 2023) have established African SF as a global and popular genre in its own right. Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology (2023),edited by Wole Talabi, is the most recent addition to this trend, but it also works to exceed it through a method of complex, shared worldbuilding which further exploits the decolonial potential of Africanfuturism
English: English
No full textGovernance defines how political actors use ethical or corrupt practices to influence mass participation in political decision-making in public affairs. This article interrogates the implications of the elite monopoly of power for development and public safety in Nigeria. We anchored the study on Pareto’s circulation of elite theory. It adopts a qualitative method to collect secondary data which are content and thematically analyzed. Results indicated that the gap between the elite and the citizenry threatens the development and public safety in Nigeria. This article concludes that elitism should not only socially engage with the citizenry, but it should also reproduce egalitarian political values and actors for inclusion in Nigeria’s democratic destiny. Drawing on the values of the conceptual lions (oselu) of Pareto to scare his conceptual foxes (ojelu) vices out of political domination through electoral re-socialization could neutralize elite conspiracy against the majority and boost the capacity of vulnerable Nigerians to initiate and implement development and public safety defenses. It suggests that a true fiscal federalism predicated on ethical reorientation in politics could reinvent Nigeria, and relieve her of the burden of underdevelopment and insecurity into which elite avarice has plunged the country
Effects of Digital Technologies on Africa’s Electoral Democracy: Perspectives from South Africa
Get PDFThis paper uses a South African case study to closely examine how the recent explosion of digital technologies has impacted electoral democracy in Africa. It seeks to answer a key research question about the risks and benefits of using technology in elections on the continent. Although South Africa has not adopted e-voting, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) piloted the use of thousands of new voter management devices in the 2021 local government election. At the time, the IEC also said it had delivered its ‘most technologically advanced election’ yet. Despite embracing some of the technological changes, the IEC argues that it is not yet cost-effective to introduce new voting technology in South Africa. There is strong evidence from other African countries too suggesting that the constitutionality and feasibility of electronic voting devices is questionable. The integrity of elections can also be doubtful if the process is not inclusive of the population. Aside from a thorough literature review, this paper analysed a combination of official IEC statements and reports on technology and e-voting in South Africa, including public pronouncements on the use of digital technologies on the African continent. Insights from this work will benefit election officials, policymakers, scholars, and others interested in the advancement of research in this growing field of study.  
ICTS and e-Governance in Africa
No full textInformation and Communication Systems (ICTs) have widely affected the world of governance which has led to a growth in e-governance in African countries. Public institutions have slowly adapted ICTs in order to achieve new levels of efficiency and more effective means of service delivery. These technologies continue to strengthen not only communication with society, but also further fosters the accountability and transparency of governments and government officials. A common dispute against ICTs in Africa is based on the knowledge that some African countries have a questionable ICT readiness due to weak infrastructure. For instance, Frans and Pather (2021:1) elaborate on the costliness of data in a country like South Africa which has easily led to numerous households having minimal access to the internet. Furthermore, due to high levels of poverty and rural areas in some African countries, many people do not have access to smartphones, nevertheless data or internet connection. However, in this time, the Covid-19 pandemic has accentuated the need to be \u27in the know\u27 for many people, which has thus led to a high demand for ICTs in countries (Frans and Pather, 2021:1). With the assistance and utilisation of secondary sources, this paper aims to highlight the benefits that come with incorporating ICTs in government as a mechanism to foster a relationship between government and its people. Through the consideration and incorporation of governance principles such as accountability, transparency, decision-making and participation, this paper will elaborate on how these principles can be achieved in African countries through the use of ICTs in governance. This research will further observe the following countries as case studies: Ghana, Rwanda, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. The study analyses these countries’ approaches in incorporating ICT and how it has benefitted them and will further benefit them. It will explore various aspects that determine a country\u27s ICT readiness whilst further considering the risks, limitations and benefits that an incorporation of ICTs in governance brings.
Keywords: ICTs, Technology, Governance, Governments 
Exploring the effectiveness of e-portfolios in a first-year undergraduate Project Management course
Get PDFThis study explored the effectiveness of e-portfolios as pedagogies in teaching and learning for undergraduate Project Management students at a rural university in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in institutions of teaching and learning adopting digital tools to teach and assess students. For some lecturers, it was their first time using digital tools in their classroom practices, and the tools’ effectiveness was unknown. Therefore, this study explored the effectiveness of e-portfolios as pedagogical devices in the teaching and learning of undergraduate Project Management students. Social constructivism and community of inquiry (CoI) frameworks guided the study. In this study, qualitative data was collected from an undergraduate class with a cohort of 35 students. Data was collected through focus group discussions and a semi-structured interview was used. The collected data was analysed using the thematic approach. Ethical considerations were adhered to. The findings revealed that using e-portfolios as pedagogical devices resulted in the development of 21st-century skills, such as communication, collaboration, and creativity, through conversations and social interactions. This study highlights the importance of equipping students with digital skills before designing e-portfolios. Challenges associated with the use of e-portfolios include poor internet connection and load-shedding