Africa Aware – Details, episodes & analysis

Côte d'Ivoire is widely regarded as a regional powerhouse amid increased political instability and fragmentation in West Africa. However, the country has also been marked by violent conflicts and repeated bouts of political crisis in recent history. With the October 2025 elections fast approaching, Côte d'Ivoire faces another decisive moment – President Alassane Ouattara has confirmed that he will seek a fourth term, while a slew of prominent opposition figures including former president, Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam, Charles Blé Goudé, and Guillaume Soro, have been barred from challenging the incumbent at the polls.

In this episode, the leader of Côte d'Ivoire’s main opposition party, Parti Démocratique de la Côte d'Ivoire — Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, Tidjane Thiam discusses his political aspirations, the hurdles faced in the lead-up to the upcoming elections and the state of Ivorian democracy moving forward.

Find out more:

Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire: Stumbling Totems of Democracy

The public health systems in Africa are under growing pressure. The sharp 70% drop in official development assistance (ODA) risks weakening critical health programmes, while a rise in public health emergencies continues to stretch already fragile infrastructure.  

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – the public health agency of the African Union – recognises that these are not isolated challenges. They present a fundamental threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, with far-reaching implications to global stability.  

In this episode, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General at the Africa CDC, discusses the agency’s mandate to support AU member states in advancing public health priorities and strengthening the capacity of national health institutions to respond to disease threats. 

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The global response to the mpox outbreak in Africa will show if lessons from COVID-19 have been learned

A fair pandemic treaty is unlikely, but poorer countries have healthy options

Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era – April, 2025

As the devastating war in Sudan nears the one-year mark, it remains fuelled by transnational military business networks, and one such sector funding the military activities in Sudan’s gold sector.

In this episode, Ahmed Soliman discusses his upcoming research on the Sudan conflict and its link to the gold sector – from how gold has evolved as a ‘conflict good,’ its connection to the current war and transnational dynamics. Dr Suliman Baldo (Executive Director, Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker) gives an overview of key political shifts in Sudan’s history that have facilitated links with the country’s gold sector. Denise Sprimont-Vasquez joins the podcast to discuss the economic activities and the illicit networks of conflict actors that are fuelling the ongoing war in Sudan.

This episode was produced with support from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development.

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How a transnational approach can better manage the conflict in Sudan

Resolving Sudan’s crisis means removing those fighting

Independent Thinking: Sudan on the brink

Tim Eaton and Leah de Haan (Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme) discuss their research on the transnational links between the movement of people and armed conflict – from Edo State in Nigeria, through Niger, to Libya.

This episode was produced with support from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development.

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Stability at what cost? Smuggling-driven development in the Libyan city of Kufra

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Partial reforms in Tanzania’s political and socio-economic environment have been widely lauded since President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s sudden rise to office in March 2021, but progress towards the reconciliation and repair of Tanzania’s democratic system remains incomplete. Criticisms over the limits of the current reform process are increasingly coalescing around demands for a new Tanzanian constitution, with the current framework – and the ruling CCM party – in place since independence despite the shift to multipartyism in 1992.

On this episode of Africa Aware, the Rt Hon Freeman Mbowe, leader of Tanzania’s largest opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), reflects on his country’s political outlook. Mbowe shares his insights on CHADEMA’s push for a new constitution, the party’s balance of ideology with electability and Tanzania’s position within broader regional blocs in Eastern and Southern Africa.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepares for its upcoming elections, the nation stands at a critical juncture in its democratic trajectory. Against a backdrop of historical challenges and persistent political complexities, the forthcoming elections are of paramount importance to the future of the country and its democratic aspirations.

On this episode of Africa Aware, Martin Fayulu, opposition leader and former DRC presidential candidate, outlines the current obstacles to free and fair elections in the country, the impact of the security crisis facing eastern parts of the nation, and his vision for the role the DRC can play continentally.  

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has historically had a strong record of regional norm-setting on governance and democracy. Yet ECOWAS now faces significant challenges in how to reorient its role and credibility amid a rise in military and 'constitutional' coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and most recently in Niger.

On this episode of Africa Aware, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS's Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, discusses the regional bloc’s immediate response to the coup in Niger, and outlines the organization's strategic vision for tackling the complex peace and security challenges in the Sahel and West Africa.

Countries in the Horn of Africa face several interlinked challenges to their stability, including conflict, resource contestation and cross-border divisions. These complex issues are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and the competing interests of external actors.

On this episode of Africa Aware, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Dr Workneh Gebeyehu highlights efforts by the regional body to improve stability and further integration. Dr Workneh provides his insights into reforms within IGAD, following the adoption of a new treaty by the regional bloc, and IGAD-African Union efforts to bring an end to the war in Sudan.

Africa’s maritime domain is an essential, yet often underappreciated component of the continent’s stability, trade, and development. The blue economy offers an ocean of untapped potential, presenting African nations with the means to diversify their economies, create sustainable jobs, and alleviate poverty. 

On this episode of Africa Aware, Yusuf speaks to Amb. Nancy Karigithu, Special Envoy and Advisor to the President of Kenya, and Kenyan Candidate for Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). 

The Ambassador outlined her thoughts on how regional collaboration can enhance maritime security in the face of transnational threats, and highlighted key policies to enhance maritime infrastructure and connectivity to improve trade.

This episode of Africa Aware reflects on Sierra Leone’s peace process as the country concludes its 2023 general elections and marks the 24th anniversary of the Lomé Peace Agreement - which helped to bring an end to its decade-long civil war.

Yusuf speaks to Dr Comfort Ero, President and CEO of Crisis Group, who discusses her experience as a researcher in Freetown during the civil war. Dr Ero highlights the challenges and innovations that emerged from the interlinked peace processes in Sierra Leone and Liberia - including the establishment of the landmark Kimberley Process which marks its 20th anniversary this year - and the wider lessons on how durable peace was achieved in the region.

This podcast is an output of our project on ‘African peace processes: Lessons learned,’ supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Cover image: Simon Davis/DFID