Africa Now - Weekly Newsletter (Week 42, 2021)

Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.

COMMENTARY

The Future of Political Islam in North Africa

Political Islam is the means and instruments of global Islamic resurgence where through systematic implementation of the Shariah, Muslims will once again restore global leadership and moral sovereignty. The Arab Spring of 2011 which started in Tunisia, transformed North Africa, and spread across many Arab countries, was led by the Islamists with the goal of achieving political Islam in the region and beyond. It started well as entire North Africa particularly Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Libya swept away by Islamists. However, approximately a year later the counter revolution started in Egypt, followed by in Tunisia where Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Nahda respectively were ousted from power. With the electoral loss in Morocco in 2021 [2], now Islamists have lost power in entire North Africa. As these loses have put a serious question mark on the feasibility of the project “political Islam” in the region [3], India has lot to ponder over, including the seemingly improbable re-ascendance of political Islam in the region and its implication for country’s food, water and energy security.

NEWS

With Erdogan set for another tour, Turkey deepens ties with Africa

East Africa’s largest indoor arena in Rwanda; a national mosque in Ghana; an army base in Somalia; and an almost 400km-long railway project which would help give landlocked Ethiopia direct access to major trade routes through the port of Djibouti. These are just some of Turkey’s increasingly growing footprints across sub-Saharan Africa. Click here to read... [4]

Cape Verde heads to polls in general election

Cape Verdeans are heading to the polls in their general election, with seven presidential candidates in the running. The two front-runners are Carlos Veiga and José Maria Neves - both of whom are former prime ministers. Click here to read... [5]

The Gambia’s democratic transition is facing a litmus test

The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections will be the most consequential in The Gambia’s history. Click here to read... [6]

Protesters demand military coup as crisis deepens

Opponents of Sudan's transition to democracy took to the streets of Khartoum on Saturday to call on the army to take control of the country. Click here to read... [7]

Polisario Front leader vows attacks on Morocco will continue

The leader of Western Sahara's Polisario Front said that the independence-seeking Saharawi army will continue attacking Moroccan positions in the disputed northwestern African territory unless a United Nations-appointed envoy is given a clear mandate to deliver on a self-determination vote. Click here to read... [8]

DR Congo to set up new national airline "Air Congo"

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is preparing to set up "in the coming days" a new national aviation company called "Air Congo", DRC's Ministry of Transport said Sunday. Click here to read... [9]

Tanzania races to develop natural gas reserves

Tanzania is accelerating efforts to join the prestigious Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exporters club. After negotiations with oil companies stalled in 2019, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has restarted them. Click here to read... [10]

Fespaco: Pomp and colour as Africa’s biggest film festival starts

The 27th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) is under way in Burkina Faso's capital. Click here to read... [11]

Can African tech giant Jumia deliver on its promise?

It could not have got off to a much better start for Jumia's historic stock market listing. The hoopla on the day it became the first Africa-focussed tech firm to list on the New York Stock Exchange was massive. Click here to read... [12]

INDIA IN AFRICA

MoS V. Muraleedharan to visit Sudan and South Sudan

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan will pay an official visit to the Republic of the Sudan on October 18 – 19, 2021 and to the Republic of South Sudan on October 20 – 22, 2021. This will be his first visit to both the countries. Click here to read... [13]

Indian exporters to explore wider opportunities for business with Mauritius

Indian businesses will get a chance to explore wider prospects of trade and investment opportunities in Mauritius, in the post Covid-19 scenario, during a virtual interaction to be held this week with the Indo-Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and officials from the Consulate of Mauritius in India. Click here to read... [14]

KGK Group expands its footprint in Angola, further benefitting the region's diamond industry

The KGK Group debuted in Angola by establishing a cutting-edge diamond manufacturing unit in Luanda in 2019. In continuation to its three years of operational success, now the group is proud to launch its new diamond manufacturing facility in Saurimo. Click here to read... [15]

Gravita India opens doors of new aluminium plant in Mozambique

Gravita India’s subsidiary in Mozambique has started commercial production of aluminium from a new recycling plant with an annual capacity of around 4 000 tonnes. Click here to read... [16]