Press Room
Press Release: Will Oil Build or Break the Back of Ghana’s Democracy?
As Ghanaians prepare in excitement for the breaking ground of their first oilfield, the Jubilee oilfield, concerns are raised over how well poised it is to harness the development that will accrue from oil revenues. The Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel, dubbed the “Kwame Nkrumah” in honour of the renowned Ghanaian politician and thinker, began its six week voyage from Singapore last week.
SAIIA hosts Speakers’ Meeting with Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith
On 26 January, SAIIA in association with the Australian High Commission hosted the Australian Foreign Minister at a Speakers’ Meeting entitled, “Multilateral Engagement: Future Priorities for Australia and South Africa”.
SAIIA Ranked Top Think Tank in Sub-Saharan Africa
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has been ranked the best think tank for 2009 in southern and sub-Saharan Africa in the annual international survey conducted by the
African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2009
Press Release
Pretoria, 27 July 2009 – The 2009 edition of the African Economic Outlook (AEO) was launched today at the National Treasury.
The 2009 Outlook covers 47 African countries, up from 35 last year. The report finds the region gravely affected by the global economic downturn. Following half a decade of above 5 per cent economic growth, the continent can expect only 2.8 per cent in 2009, less than half of the 5.7 per cent expected before the crisis. The AEO’s authors anticipate growth rebounding to 4.5 per cent in 2010. Growth in oil-exporting countries is expected to fall to 2.4 per cent in 2009 compared to 3.3 per cent for the net oil importers.
Workshop on South Africa's Foreign Engagements and Human Rights
Press Room
Since 1994 South Africa has emphasised human rights as a foundation of its society and governance. At this time, it proposed a foreign policy based on human rights. Over the past few years however, South Africa's commitment to human rights has come under question as a result of the positions it has adopted on a range of international issues, such as a perceived reluctance to sanction repression in Zimbabwe and Myanmar and ambivalence on homosexual rights. More recently, considerable controversy was generated when the Dalai Lama was reportedly denied a visa to enter South Africa.
SAIIA Ranked 2nd in Survey of Top Think Tanks in Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa
Press Room
The South African Institute of International Affairs has been ranked second best think tank in southern and sub-Saharan Africa by an international survey conducted at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.
The State of Governance in Africa: Formal Rules, Informal Realities and Strategies for Change
The State of Governance in Africa: Formal Rules, Informal Realities and Strategies for Change
18-20 November 2008 Birchwood Hotel
The quality of governance is a key factor in African crises - from Zimbabwe to Congo to Kenya. Indeed, the ousting of President Thabo Mbeki and subsequent creation of a new political party in South Africa reflect problems of governance.
South Africa's Current Account Deficit: Are Proposed Cures Worse than the Disease?
The current global financial crisis and threatening global recession make it imperative to question whether South Africa is well positioned to ride out the global storm. Southern Africa has in recent years increasingly been in the focus of global investors from different countries. Higher investment - be it foreign direct investment (FDI) or portfolio investment - is inevitably correlated with increasing international capital flows. If capital account imbalances occur as a result of these capital flows, the whole balance of payments (BoP) will be subject to change, leading to higher imbalances in the current account and associated adjustments.
Emerging Trends in China-Africa Relationship
The rise of China as one of Africa's leading external partners is changing the character of the continent's traditional international relationships. However, it is not only Africa that is being challenged by this engagement, but China's foreign policy is also undergoing a change as a result of this developing relationship.
Africa's Indispensable Partnership: Celebrating 10 years of official ties between South Africa and China
Ten years of official diplomatic relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa have been marked by a series of celebratory events in both countries. With two way trade rising to US$9.86 in 2006, investment reaching new heights with the ICBC-Standard Bank announcement in 2007 and diplomatic collaboration continuing on a solid footing, the bilateral relationship is one of the drivers of growth on the African continent. At the same time, the deepening of economic ties has raised important questions as to the uneven impact of trade in certain sectors of the South African economy and has created challenges for China and South Africa alike. Managing these factors against the backdrop of mutual co-operation and shared hopes for African development are a feature of this maturing relationship.
SAIIA National Council Statement on Zimbabwe and Kenya
The National Council of the South African Institute of International Affairs at its annual meeting in Johannesburg today, (Thursday 10 April 2008), expressed alarm at the continuing undermining of democratic processes in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Democracy is a time tested system for creating governments that are accountable to the people of their respective countries. It requires elections to be free and fair and for the results to be released and respected expeditiously by all the parties.
In Southern Africa, women are changing the face of Migration
A
new study seeks to raise awareness of women’s changing roles in
migration and assess the impact of remittances sent by women migrants
on the SADC region.
Emerging Powers Seek Global Economic Governance Reform
The phenomenal rise of China and India, but equally the growing influence of other developing countries such as Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico has placed the debate about a global governance reform agenda in the spotlight. Brazilian President Lula da Silva posited at a recent meeting of the UN General Assembly that reform of global finance institutions (WB and IMF) was critical. He warned that emerging countries would look elsewhere for funding support should existing power relations continue unchanged. The future relevance of the current global economic governance architecture will depend on whether these global institutions become more inclusive and efficient.SAIIA Launches Research Project to understand the intricacies of China's engagement with Africa
China’s rapid ascension as a global power and economic giant
has led it to pursue long-term strategic alliances aimed at sustaining its
growth and expansion. Nowhere has this been as clearly seen as on the African
continent. China has begun defining itself internationally as a power to reckon
with from its relationship with Africa, making this engagement a fundamental
element of the international political arena and one to follow attentively. The
partnership between the world’s most dynamic economy and the most
developmentally challenged continent is set to bring about important changes to
the lives and livelihoods of the African people. The Project's Web Pages can be accessed here.
Research Project to meet the Challenge of the New Scramble for Africa's Resources
Africa holds nearly 30% of the planet’s mineral reserves, including
40% of its gold, 60% of its cobalt and 90% of the world’s platinum reserves.
The continent is also an increasingly important global oil producer and has the
second largest tropical rain forests in the world. Rather than these resources
being a driver of African development, in many cases their exploitation and
extraction has led to environmental degradation, but also to poor governance,
underdevelopment and conflict.
A second “scramble for Africa”, driven by
the consumptive demands of the major world powers, is underway to extract its
natural resources intensively. It is contributing to the pressing issue of
global energy insecurity and environmental degradation which is already playing
itself out in the oil wells and gas fields of Africa, as well as in its mines
and tropical forests. A future global crisis in energy security will not only
have an economic knock-on effect in Africa; it will have the potential to lead
to military and strategic conflict on the continent.
The Programme Web Pages can be accessed here.
In Memoriam: Professor John Barratt
The Council and Management of SAIIA join in paying tribute to Professor John Barratt who died on the 8th August 2007, after a brave struggle with cancer.Latest Publications
Climate Change and Trade: The Challenges for Southern Africa
The long-awaited Copenhagen summit on climate change gave to the world a broad political agreement, but without any teeth. Meanwhile concerns over the climate change agenda finding its way into the multilateral trading system are growing, at a time when the trading system is struggling to find its own feet.
South Africa’s economy, and by extension Southern Africa’s economy, is based on resource production and to some extent beneficiation, in turn dependent on cheap energy. Its international visibility — not least in climate change negotiations — means that it may be in line for imposition of trade policy measures on its carbon-intensive exports.
Social Accountability in Africa: Practitioners’ Experiences and Lessons
Edited by Victoria Ayer, Mario Claasen and Carmen Alpín-Lardíes (Idasa & ANSA-Africa, 2010), Social Accountability in Africa: Practitioners’ Experiences and Lessons is a collection of case studies from Africa on social accountability.
This collection attempts to build a consolidated body of knowledge on social accountability efforts across the continent. The case studies are diverse and present unique approaches to how social accountability strategies and interventions are implemented within different countries. SAIIA was commissioned to undertake the initial research, editing and management of this book.
Africa’s Peacemaker? Lessons from South African Conflict Mediation
South Africa has done much in the 15 years since the fall of apartheid to establish its leadership on the continent. It has been a constant architect of Africa’s new peace and security architecture and an advocate of new diplomatic norms. Whether South Africa has succeeded in meeting its goals as Africa’s mediator and the ambitious aspirations shared by African heads of state and intellectuals following its transition to democracy is debatable.
This crucial volume draws lessons for African conflict mediation from the experiences of its foremost practitioner, South Africa, in four of the continent’s most complex theatres: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sudan, focussing on the Mbeki years (1999–2008), but also examining the possibilities arising from Jacob Zuma’s leadership of the country. The standpoints come from a variety of experts in the field, from practitioners to academics, and the diverse perspectives and voices throw light on both South Africa’s successes and weaknesses in its role in the African Renaissance.
more>Occasional Papers
Trade, Industrial Policy and Exchange Rates in South Africa
by Peter Draper
SAIIA Occasional Paper No 66, August 2010
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Banking in Nigeria and Chinese Economic Diplomacy in Africa
by Abiodun Alao
SAIIA Occasional Paper No 65, July 2010
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Whither the Multilateral Trading System? Implications for (South) Africa
by Peter Draper
SAIIA Occasional Paper No 64, July 2010
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Policy Briefings
Transparency in Trade Policymaking: Lessons for South Africa from Australia’s Experiences
by Bill Bowen
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 23, August 2010
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The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation
by Petrus de Kock
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 22, August 2010
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Optimising Policy Space in the Context of Increasing International Support for CAADP
by Monty Jones, Emmanuel Tambi and Gbadebo Odularu
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 21, July 2010
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Research Reports
Securing a Social Licence to Operate? From Stone Age to New Age Mining in Tanzania
by Alison Goldstuck and Tim Hughes
SAIIA Research Report, No 7, February 2010
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New Thinking on the Governance of Water and River Basins in Africa: Lessons from the SADC Region
by Anthony Turton
SAIIA Research Report, No 6, February 2010
Download - English [.pdf]
