African Futures

2024 was a bleak year for Africa. Libya and Sudan were partitioned. Ethiopia struggled to contain insurgencies in Tigray, Amhara and Oromia, and conflict continued in South Sudan and Somalia. Coups placed four countries in the Sahel under military regimes and violent extremism spread terror in northern Mozambique, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and elsewhere. In Kenya, a punitive new tax regime resulted in riots, leading President William Ruto to sack his entire cabinet.

With elections in December, widespread perceptions of political bias in the Supreme Court threaten the democratic process. Ghana’s Supreme Court has been accused of doing the government’s bidding, leading to critics labelling it the ‘Unanimous FC’. With general elections fast approaching, the lack of trust in the judiciary could undermine the rule of law and democracy, especially if the results of the 7 December polls are contested.