41st Edition

Good Afternoon folks! 😁😁

Delighted to have you here. And if you joined us this week, it’s great to finally connect with you… so here we go!

Welcome to The Friday Briefing, your weekly brief on geopolitics.

This is our 41st edition. It’s still a bit of a test, so if something does go wrong be sure to let us know… but anyway, we plan to send out your brief every Friday lunchtime 12pm GMT.

Our goal is to provide you with a balanced and insightful overview, allowing you to stay informed without being overwhelmed with information. But above all, we understand the value of your time. With our summaries, you can quickly grasp the major events shaping our world, deepen your understanding and be on your way in no time!

Our starting point…yes…Africa, but our vision extends beyond the boundaries of a single continent.

Oh don’t forget, feel free to leave behind any feedback, suggestions or further ideas you would like us to run with 🙂 

^{Why Africa? maybe because we don’t hear much…}

Back in 2013, the 42nd President of the United States tweeted the above tweet, “Just touched down in Africa…” ⬆️

Although Mr Clinton’s tweet was true, despite the brazen mistruths our leaders spout these days, he nonetheless could’ve worded it a lot better.

But the tweet tells us a lot more. It exposes an attitude that many of us may have towards Africa, either through ignorance or laziness or maybe because we don’t hear enough about African countries in our national news media.

This is a continent as diverse as it is complex, a continent home to over 1.4 billion people and 54 countries, making it the second-most populated continent in the world.

Events in Africa aren't isolated, they hold global importance too. Political transitions, economic developments and conflicts in Africa have ripple effects that stretch far beyond its borders.

And yes, while we begin with Africa, we’re dedicated to expanding our weekly round-ups to other continents in due course, taking our mission to new frontiers by connecting the dots between nations and continents.

So stay tuned! 👌

^{So, what’s been happening this week?}

• President Xi Jinping hosts the 9th China-”Africa” Forum

• 100,000 doses of Mpox vaccine arrive in DR Congo 

• Algeria votes for a new President this Saturday

• Daughter of ex-President Zuma of South Africa to marry a King

^{What does this mean?}

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted dozens of African leaders in Beijing this week to mark the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. This summit signals China’s influence in a continent that it hopes will be a key ally in pushing back against a U.S. led global order.

President Xi promised the leaders billions of dollars in loans and private investment over the coming three years and proposed that relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China be elevated to a new strategic level.

In recent times, China has become a major player in Africa since the forum was founded in 2000. Its companies have invested heavily in mining for the resources Chinese industry needs, and its development banks have made loans to build railways, roads and other infrastructure under Xi’s “Belt and Road” initiative.

China would now seek to eliminate tariffs on products from most of the world’s poorest countries, including 33 in Africa, in an expansion of existing exemptions. This was welcomed by African leaders. The Tanzanian president said;

“We salute a new characterisation of China-Africa relations. We appreciate the announcement of further areas of partnership actions.”

However, some Africans disagree. The spectre of colonisation still haunts Africans and some politicians and scholars depict China as a colonising power dressed in a mantle of “non-interference”. They accuse China of exploiting African countries to enrich itself.

These critics claim that loans from China trap African countries in debt as China makes further inroads into Africa’s economic landscape.

Did you know…

China is training more military professionals in Africa than anyone else 👀

The first 100,000 batch of Mpox vaccine arrived in Congo earlier this week three weeks after the World Health Organisation declared Mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a “global emergency”.

The 100,000 doses was manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic and has been donated by the European Union through the bloc’s agency for health emergency, HERA.

The Congolese authorities expect another 100,000 to be delivered at the weekend. UNICEF is in charge of the vaccination campaign in the most impacted provinces, but it remained unclear when the vaccination drive would begin.

Did you know…

Since the start of 2024, DRC has reported more than 4,900 cases, with more than 629 associated deaths

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is not to be confused with neighbouring Republic of the Congo

With few campaign posters and billboards, and aside from public television broadcasts showing candidates traveling the country, there are few signs of enthusiasm heading into Algeria’s presidential elections this weekend.

Voters in the gas-rich country say they are more concerned about prolonged inflation effects on the spiking prices of school supplies, potatoes and coffee.

The country’s election authority has approved only two candidates to challenge President Abdelmadjid Tebboune 78, who appears to breeze to a second term. The two candidates are:

• Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, 57 year old

• Youcef Aouchiche, 41 year old

All three candidates have been urging citizens to vote. In a country of 45 million people, 23 million are registered. Candidates hope to improve on the 14% turnout of the 2019 elections, which protesters boycotted.

In a strange twist of events, or to others “of fate", the 21 year old daughter of South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma is marrying the Eswatini King. The 56 year old monarch is the last remaining absolute monarch in Africa.

Referred to as King Mswati III, he is currently in a polygamous arrangement with 11 wives and has been married 15 times in total. The spokesman for the King dismissed outright the suggestion that the marriage would be a political alliance.

“Love has no eyes to see or count age. Love happens between two people. It can happen between a person who is 100 years old and a person who is above the average of what is permitted constitutionally,” he told the BBC.

Critics accuse King Mswati, who rules by decree and has been on the throne for 38 years, of living in luxury with his polygamous household, while most of his people languish in poverty.

Ex-president Jacob Zuma, who was president of South Africa from 2009 until 2018, and King Mswati are already relatives through marriage. He is also greatly respected by his supports for upholding his cultural and traditional Zulu beliefs.

Mr Zuma who resigned in disgrace over corruption allegations during his presidency and still faces a court case over a 1999 arms deal he denies any wrong doing, is enjoying a political renaissance.

His newly formed party uMkhonto weSizwe known as MK, came third in South Africa’s general election this year.

Did you know…

There are strong traditional ties between Eswatini and South Africa’s Zulu monarchy. The current Zulu King, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, is Mswati III’s nephew

Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, has population of 1.1 million and one of the world’s highest rates of HIV/Aid infection

^{Book of the week…. DEAL IN THE WORKS!}

The idea is every week we will hold a poll on our social media pages, asking our readers to recommend a book for the week…

STAY TUNED!

You’re done for the week. Follow us on our socials and see you next Friday!