6th 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 sixth 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? 20 Nov - 24 Nov}

• Liberia’s George Weah loses the presidency

• Germany’s Chancellor Scholz pledges investment in “Africa”

• Somalia, drought to “once-in-a-century” flood as described by the UN

• President of Kenya ready to privatise 35 state-owned companies

• Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina on course for re-election

• France waning influence in the Sahel region 

^{What does this mean?}

As you may know by now, we have been following this election really closely. We can confirm that Mr Weah conceded the election on Friday evening once it was clear his rival Joseph Boakai had a slim lead.

The final results show that Mr Boakai won by just over 20,000 votes as local and international election observer groups declared the polls to be free, fair, transparent and credible.

In his widely praised concession speech calling for unity last week, Mr Weah said,

“the Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice” and that it was “a time for graciousness in defeat, a time to place our country above party and patriotism above personal interest”.

All did not go well as ever in a closely contested election. At least 3 people have died and 28 others are in hospital after a vehicle rammed into supporters of President-elect Joseph Boakai. The police described the incident as an “accident”, but Mr Boakai’s party called it an “act of terrorism”.

So why did Liberia’s most famous citizen dead or alive become so unpopular in 6 years to lose the presidential election to a man who he defeated in 2017? 🤔🤔

There are several reasons why voters denied Mr Weah a second chance. Number one, his failure to establish a war crimes court for the country and number 2, the ripple effects of a drug epidemic. But the one that stands out the most is corruption.

This topic drove the biggest protests in Liberia’s history since the end of the civil war. Mr promised to “weed out the menace of corruption” but voters soon came to their own conclusion.

Did you know…

Mr Boakai has already served as vice-president in the government of then-President Ellen Jonson Sieleaf, who took office after the end of the civil war some 20 years ago.

Mr Weah defeated Mr Boakai in 2017 presidential elections.

President Weah is the only African to have won the Ballon d’Or award. He played as a forward for PSG, AC Milan, Chelsea and Man City during an 18-year club career. His 23 year-old son, Tim Weah, now plays for Serie A’s Juventus and the US national team.