DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Lack of Political Interests Hurting Agriculture

When African leaders met at an African Union summit in the Mozambique capital, Maputo last year, their pledges to improve agriculture in their countries rang sincere, but ran up against the immensity - some realists thought the impracticality - of their goals.

ENERGY-GABON: Calls for Fair Division of a Diminishing Pie

An oil rich nation, where a minority is accused of benefiting disproportionately from mineral wealth...Clashes between police and the inhabitants of oil-producing areas that result in deaths...A scene from Nigeria? No - Ndolou, in south-western Gabon.

CULTURE-AFRICA: Weak Dollar, Civil Wars Hurting Arts Business

Foundiku Ousman started his arts business with three friends, after raising a small capital of about 700 dollars, at Founmban in western Cameroon, in 1997. Today he is regarded as a wealthy man in a trade where only hard work opens the door to success.

POLITICS: Kofi Annan Receives a Vote of Confidence From His Home Continent

In recent weeks, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been the subject of heated debate in the United States and Europe – this after he was accused of oversight in his handling of the Iraq oil-for-food programme between 1996 and 2003. Allegations of conflict of interest in the Annan family concerning the initiative have also been made.

HEALTH-GABON: Not What the Doctor Ordered

Street vendors that ply their trade in African cities are routinely the target of criticism. Passersby grouse at being made to step over their wares, displayed on pavements. Local governments grumble that they’re nothing more than a public nuisance.

RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: No End to Rape

During Sierra Leone's brutal civil conflict of the 1990s, rape was systematically used as a weapon of war. The conclusion of the conflict in January 2002 did not spell an end to this crime, however. In fact, some allege that rapes are becoming more frequent in Sierra Leone.

HEALTH-BURKINA FASO: More ARVs, Please

The good news about AIDS in Burkina Faso is that HIV prevalence in the West African country is on the decline. The bad news is that people who have already contracted the virus appear to be having difficulties in getting drugs to treat themselves.

ENERGY-WEST AFRICA: Togo and Benin Make Electricity Provision a Joint Endeavour

News that an agreement has been signed to supply power to electricity-starved parts of northern Togo and Benin has been welcomed by residents of these areas.

POLITICS: China and Africa in an Ever-Closer – Sometimes Thornier – Embrace

Wang Ke gets agitated when asked about the arrival of the first Chinese visitors to Africa. As legend has it, the explorers were not overly impressed by what they discovered on the continent. After capturing a few giraffe, they boarded their ship and returned to China.

DEVELOPMENT: After Mines Conference, It’s Business as Usual at Lopiding

Rough bits of plastic, wood and metal become - instruments of new life" in Edward Wafula's hands.

EDUCATION-AFRICA: Universal Schooling an Elusive Goal

A new report by the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) has highlighted the challenges and constraints facing education in Africa.

WORLD AIDS DAY: African Women’s Rights Protocol a Weapon Against HIV

"When you look at the larger picture of HIV/AIDS, the leadership is mainly men. We need to train and have more women leaders," says Prudence Mabele, an AIDS campaigner in South Africa.

DEVELOPMENT: Plant a Landmine, and Reap Years of Destruction

As the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World got underway Monday in Kenya, the situation of people like Monica Piloya from Uganda was at the top of the agenda.

HEALTH-NIGER: Enlisting Men in the Fight Against Fistula

When poverty and traditional practices collide in Niger, the results can be ruinous – particularly for teenage girls.

POLITICS-IVORY COAST: South Africa Attempts to Defuse Tensions

South African President Thabo Mbeki is engaged in political fire-fighting in the Ivory Coast, where fears of a full-scale civil war between government and rebel forces loom large.

POLITICS: French Role in Cote d’Ivoire Questioned

France is coming under fire for its heavy-handed action in destroying virtually the entire air force of its former colony Côte d'Ivoire in retaliation for the killings of nine French soldiers and a U.S. aid worker last week.

ECONOMY-GUINEA: Foreign Firms Scramble for Iron, Bauxite

Environmentalists have reacted with guarded caution to announcements of new plans to mine more bauxite and iron in Guinea. The plans were released after conclusion of the International Forum on the Mining Sector (FISM) held in this West African country last month.

ECONOMY-TOGO: The High Cost of Cheap Chic

Prized by women in West and Central Africa, "Real Dutch Wax" cloth – with its distinctive colours and patterns – has for three decades been a staple in the wardrobes of those wealthy enough to afford it. The name refers to the process of using wax to dye material.

U.S. ELECTION: Africa Expects a "Business as Usual" Approach From Bush

While the American presidential contest was nail-biting, there appears to be little suspense amongst analysts about what George W. Bush’s re-election as head of state means for Africa.

SPECIAL REPORT-MEDIA: Alternative and Influential?

When you hear "alternative media," it is often alongside such words as "collective," "citizen-oriented," and "public." But what does it have to do with journalism? And how influential are groups like Indymedia, which recently had some of its computers seized?

U.S. ELECTION: Africa Barely on the Candidates’ Radars

With U.S. voters anxiously contemplating the body count arising from the United States' deployment in Iraq - as well as the associated threat of terrorism - it was probably to be expected that Africa would get little "face time" in the presidential election.