Conflict & Development in Africa Podcast

Dr. Daniel Volman joins me this week to discuss Africa’s growing geopolitical influence. Daniel is the director of the African Security Research Project in Washington DC and a specialist with over five decades researching, discussing and writing on U.S. military policy toward Africa and African issues.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the Trump’s administration’s suspension of foreign aid, especially USAID and its implications in Africa. I am joined by Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor of Government at the University of Essex.

In this episode, we discuss the problem of elites’ politics and oligarchs in South Africa. Our guest this week is Dr. Mesrob Vartavarian, core lecturer at University of California, San Diego. Mesrob’s research focuses on colonial violence and power elites in post colonial states.

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Jehanne Henry to discuss the recurrent war crimes and humanitarian crises in the neglected Sudan conflict. Jehanne is a human rights lawyer and researcher with a particular focus on Sudan and South Sudan. She is a former director in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. Previously, Jehanne Henry was a human rights officer with the United Nations Mission...

In this week’s episode, we focus on the surprise US precision attack on Islamist terrorist organization (Al-Shabaab and ISIS Somalia) in Somalia and the broader US counterterrorism policy in Africa under Trump 2.0. I am joined by the Director of Research at The Soufan Group and former Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and Senior Political Scientist, Professor Colin P. Clarke and Lucas Webber...

In this week’s episode, we focus on Nigeria’s recovered oversea loots ($4 billion in cash and $2 billion in assets) and its anti-corruption campaign. I am joined by Dr Tolu Olarewaju, lecturer and Director of Student Recruitment at Keele Business School, Keele University. Tolu has researched and written extensively on poverty reduction and anti-corruption efforts among other topics

The recent incident involving trapped illegal miners (Zama Zama) in an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, North West province of South Africa and the scandal surrounding South Africa’s government’s slow response to rescue them has brought to fore the troubled South African mining sector and issue of migration. In this week’s episode, we focus on the topic: “The Human Cost of Desperation: Illegal Minin...

In this week’s episode, Dr Nathaniel Powell, African analyst at Oxford Analytica, returns to discuss Western government’s support for the authoritarian regime in Chad. We follow up on the previous episode where Dr Powell discussed Chad’s 2024 election and what to expect.

In this episode, we explore Boko Haram’s Connections and International Sources of Funding. I am joined by James Barnett, a PhD candidate at Oxford University and a non-resident research fellow at Hudson Institute in Washington DC, specialising in sub-Saharan Africa.

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Professor Koen Vlassenroot, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Conflict Research Group at Ghent University. Professor Koen discusses the Rwanda-backed M23 Rebels and the recent escalation of conflict in eastern DRC where the M23 has taken over several areas including mineral-rich Goma town.

This week, I am joined by Desmond Omoluru, PhD candidate in Economics and Finance at the University of Warsaw, to discuss how countries in Africa are cooperating in trade. Desmond provides insights into the prospects and challenges towards economic integration and peaceful coexistence in Africa.

This week, I am joined by Professor Tony Chafer, emeritus professor of African and French studies at the University of Portsmouth, to discuss the revolution against France from former French colonies in Africa that has led to the countries cutting ties with France, the latest being Ivory Coast.

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Dr Federico Donelli, Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Trieste, Italy and ISPI Senior Associate Research Fellow, to discuss the topic: Ethiopia-Somalia Recent Agreement and Turkey’s Growing Influence in Africa. Dr Donelli dissects the agreement negotiated by President Erdogan of Turkey....

This week’s episode is part two of our topic on reparation. Our guest is former Director and associate professor at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, Wits University and current Commissioner for Anti-Racism, Justice and Education at the South African Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Madlingozi provides a historical, current and futuristic analysis of what reparation means to Africa and Af...

The topic for this week’s episode is “Reparation for Africa and African Descendants: Confronting History and Seeking Justice”. Our guest is Dr. Makini Chisolm-Straker, a New York-based medical academic, practitioner and activist. Makini provides a rich insight into the current surge in the campaign for reparation. She reveals the double standard in the kick-back against reparation citing reparatio...

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Malik Samuel and Idris Mohammed to discuss Nigeria’s new terrorist group, Lakurawa. Malik is a Nigerian-based investigative journalist and human security researcher, presently a Senior Researcher at Good Governance Africa (based in Abuja, Nigeria). Our second guest, Idris Mohammed is also an investigative journalist and an expert in peace, security and confli...

In this week’s episode, we focus on the implications of President Trump’s Second Term for Africa. I am joined by two special guests, Professor Francis Owusu, Professor at the Department of Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, USA and Professor Padraig Carmody, Professor in Development Geography at Trinity College, Dublin.

This week’s episode focuses on migration in Southern Africa. Our guest is Dr. Rose Jaji, an anthropologist and Senior Researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability. Dr. Jaji provides a rich historical context of migration in the southern region of Africa-starting from precolonial to post-colonial periods. She reveals the varied patterns of migration and the factors driving m...

Our episode this week focuses on Land Conflict in Southeastern Zimbabwe. Our guest is Dr. Eric Kushinga Makombe, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, Heritage and Knowledge Systems at the University in f Zimbabwe and a Research Fellow in the History Department at the University of Free State, South Africa. Eric provides a rich history and analysis of the internal and external displaceme...

In this episode, we focus on the post-election violence that has ensued in Mozambique following the controversial electoral victory by the FRELIMO party in the November 9th election. FRELIMO is one out of many liberation parties across Africa from ANC in South Africa to ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe and Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in Botswana that is facing serious challenges to their continued relevanc...

In the last couple of months, we have witnessed increasing jihadist attacks in the military ruled Alliance of Sahel states of Mali and Burkina Faso. I am joined by Clionadh Raleigh, Professor of Political Geography and Conflict at the University of Sussex and President and Founder of the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, ACLED. Clionadh provides a detailed assessment of the factors r...

In this special issue, I am joined by three special guests to discuss Alzheimer’s disease and the prevalence of dementia in Africa. My guests are world renowned neurologist and professor of medicine at the University College hospital Ibadan (rtd), Professor Adesola Ogunniyi, family physician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital , Dr Oziegbe Oghide, and Mrs Olatoun-Gabi, the founder and truste...

Our guest this week is Dr Peter Harris, Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University. Peter joins me in discussing the controversial Chagos Island including the implication of the U.K. handing over the island to the Mauritius government and as well as the reservation and criticism against the decision by some activist.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr Ghadafi Saibu, a Ghanaian political scientist and Associate Researcher at the German Institute of Development & Sustainability. Dr Saibu provides a rich assessment of Ghana’s forthcoming 2024 Presidential Election and the controversy surrounding the voter registration system.

Russia has withdrawn troops from its special unit, Beer Brigade stationed in the Sahel to bolster its ongoing war against Ukraine. Also, Russian paramilitary force in the Sahel has suffered heavy losses owing to the combined attacks from jihadist and rebel groups in the Sahel. Fidel Owusu, an international security expert joins me in this episode to discuss this issue and the impact on Russia’s am...