All posts by Michael Patotschka

Burkina Faso

Russia reopens embassy in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s military ruler Capt Ibrahim Traoré attended a Russia-Africa summit in July

Russia has reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso after it was shut more than 30 years ago, officials have said.

Burkina Faso was a close ally of former colonial power France, but has pivoted towards Russia since the military seized power in a coup in 2022.

The junta has expelled French diplomats and has shut France’s military base in the country.

At the same time, it has been strengthening military and diplomatic ties with Russia.

France had condemned the coup in Burkina Faso, as well as in neighbouring Mali and Niger.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to reopen the embassy during the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg in July.

The embassy was closed in 1992 as Moscow reduced its involvement in Africa following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The embassy was reopened at a ceremony in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass reported.

Russia has not yet named the head of the mission.

Russia’s ambassador to Ivory Coast, Alexei Saltykov, said he would head it until Mr Putin made an appointment, AFP news agency reports.

He described the West African state as “an old partner with whom we have solid and friendly ties”.

Under Mr Putin, Russia has made a huge push in recent years to regain influence in Africa.

Burkina Faso’s Defence Minister, Col Kassoum Coulibaly, held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow last month, in the latest meeting between military officials from the two countries.

Col Coulibaly said the talks had reached a “practical phase” as Burkina Faso’s army tried to strengthen its capabilities.

Along with Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has been battling an Islamist insurgency.

Mali’s junta has called in Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to help fight the militants while expelling French troops.

Burkina Faso’s junta has denied allegations, made last year by Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, that it too has brought in Wagner.

In other areas of co-operation, Burkina Faso signed a deal with Russia in July for the construction of a nuclear power plant to increase its energy supply.

Less than a quarter of the country’s population has access to electricity.

Last month, Russia also sent a team of doctors to help Burkina Faso deal with deadly outbreaks of dengue fever and chikungunya.

Source: BBC, 29th December 2023

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Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia

Russia’s foreign minister tours North Africa as anger toward the West swells across the region

This photo provided by the Tunisia presidency shows Tunisian President Kais Saied, right, shaking hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Thursday Dec. 21, 2023 in Tunis. Russia is working to deepen political and economic ties and spread its narrative about wars in Ukraine and Gaza. (Slim Abid/Tunisian Presidency via AP)

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Not far from where Russia’s Foreign Minister is holding meetings in Tunisia on Thursday, large green billboards advertising Russia Today, a Kremlin-backed media outlet, have been recently erected.

The ads are yet another indicator that Russia continues to expand its presence in North Africa as support for western powers across the Arab World fades amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

With deep trade ties and large diaspora populations in western Europe, North African countries have long maintained close, albeit complicated, relations with the European Union.

Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia also enjoy close relations with the United States.

But since October the region has been convulsed by protests about Israel’s latest war with Hamas, including in Tunis, where demonstrators have rallied in front of the United States and French embassies, chanting for a free Palestine.

Arab Barometer, a non-partisan research firm, published data last week that suggested the United States’ popularity fell 30 percentage points in the weeks after the Israel-Hamas war began. It found France’s image also suffered.

“Tunisians’ views on the world shifted in ways that rarely happen even over the course of a few years. There is no other issue across the Arab world to which people feel so individually and emotionally connected,” Arab Barometer researchers concluded, based on 2,406 interviews.

In the vacuum created by western powers’ diminishing popularity, Moscow has doubled down on efforts to strengthen its ties to North Africa and spread its narrative about issues including Ukraine and Gaza. Russian officials are exchanging visits with North African leaders, seeking new trade agreements and signing joint memorandums that cover issues ranging from Ukraine to Syria.

“It has become obvious that some external forces are not averse to using the next escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in their own interest, to ignite the fire of a regional war,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at this week’s Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum in Marrakech, alluding to the United States.

Marrakech was the first destination on Lavrov’s tour through North Africa. He arrived in Tunis on Wednesday evening to meet with President Kais Saied and Tunisia’s foreign minister, who visited Moscow in September, when the two countries announced a new grain deal.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Tunisia received roughly half of its total wheat imports from Ukraine.

While lamenting pressure from countries that isolate Russia, Lavrov announced new efforts to expand energy and agriculture trade with North Africa.

He also contrasted Russia’s positions with those of the United States in the Middle East.

Source: AP, 21st December 2023

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Congo

Congo reaffirms commitment to OPEC, oil minister says

FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

Dec 23 (Reuters) – Congo on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), days after neighbor Angola decided to leave the organization.

“The Republic of Congo reaffirms its steadfast commitment to the strategic policy defined by the Secretary-General of OPEC and OPEC+,” Congo’s hydrocarbons minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua said in a LinkedIn post.

“Congo is committed to continuing close and constructive collaboration with all member countries.”

The development comes after Nigeria on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to OPEC, with minister of state for petroleum Heineken Lokpobiri saying that his country’s position remained unwavering.

Congo, which became a full member of OPEC in 2018, has been set a target of 277,000 barrels per day (bpd) for 2024 by the Saudi-led oil producer group.

Nigeria, which is Africa’s biggest oil producer, and Angola were among several countries given lower output targets for 2024 after years of failing to meet previous ones.

Angola’s Oil Minister Diamantino Azevedo said on Thursday that OPEC no longer served the country’s interests. It joins other mid-sized producers Ecuador and Qatar that have left the organization in the last decade.

Source: Reuters, 23rd December 2023

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General

World Bank President Outlines Ambitious Vision For A Poverty-Free Globe At IDA Midterm Review

Dignitaries and leaders from around the globe convened in Zanzibar, Tanzania, today for the International Development Association (IDA) Midterm Review. This landmark event unveiled an extraordinary call to action and a visionary plan to eradicate global poverty while fostering sustainable development.

Two leaders, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and President Hussein Ali Mwinyi of Zanzibar, extended a welcome to attendees and expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the support provided during recent natural disasters in the region.

Addressing the audience, the President of the World Bank, whose identity remains undisclosed in the provided text, conveyed sincere condolences to the flood-affected communities. The President assured them of the World Bank’s steadfast commitment to assisting in the region’s recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Established with the mission of enhancing living standards and stimulating growth in developing nations, the International Development Association now confronts an intricate landscape marked by multifaceted poverty challenges, climate crises, food insecurity, fragility, ongoing pandemic recovery, and global conflicts.

In a compelling address, the President underscored the imperative of addressing these interconnected issues, emphasizing the unacceptable cost of inaction. With an estimated 1.1 billion young people in the Global South poised to enter the workforce within the next decade, the gap between job creation and demand looms large.

One conspicuous impediment to progress is the pervasive lack of reliable electricity access, affecting approximately 600 million people in Africa, with 36 million residing in Tanzania alone. The President firmly asserted that this glaring disparity cannot be allowed to persist.

The President articulated an ambitious vision for the World Bank: to create a world free of poverty while safeguarding the environment. This vision necessitates an expansion of the World Bank’s role and the scope of IDA itself.

A call to action resounded throughout the conference, with an impassioned plea to transition from projects to platforms, replicate successful initiatives, and foster seamless collaboration. A case in point was shared about a Nigerian town where IDA funding had facilitated a mini-grid system, bringing electricity to the community and resulting in a cascade of benefits, from heightened productivity for farmers to improved healthcare access.

The President’s announcement of a $5 billion commitment from IDA to provide reliable, affordable, and renewable electricity to 100 million Africans by 2030 underscores the magnitude of ambition required to confront these challenges head-on.

Nonetheless, the President candidly acknowledged that such aspirations come at a price. The current limits of concessional resources necessitate a substantial increase in funding. A plea was made for donors, shareholders, and philanthropies to unite in this fight and ensure that the next replenishment of IDA becomes the most substantial in history.

Reforms are imperative for enhanced efficiency and impact. The President called for simplifying processes, standardizing application procedures, and alleviating the bureaucratic burden on governments.

Furthermore, there was a push to shift the focus from measuring inputs to measuring outcomes. The President stressed the importance of concentrating on the tangible impact of development initiatives, such as girls’ education, job creation, and environmental conservation.

The President’s stirring address concluded with a poignant reminder of the World Bank’s origins and the collective goodwill, wisdom, and sincerity required to address today’s global challenges. Over the next two days, attendees will reflect on IDA’s journey and renew their commitment to its founding principles.

The IDA Midterm Review sets the stage for a future where poverty is not an insurmountable barrier but a challenge met with unwavering determination. The world eagerly anticipates the transformative results that this visionary leadership promises to deliver.

Source:  Today News Africa, 6th December 2023

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Angola

Angola to leave OPEC over disagreement on oil production quotas

Oil minister says the country ‘gains nothing’ from remaining in the group after disagreements emerge over production cuts.

OPEC has agreed to production cuts as it seeks to boost the price of oil, a move Angola had objected to [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

Angola says it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) over a disagreement regarding production quotas, a move that will bring the group down to 12 members.

Speaking on public television on Thursday, Diamantino Azevedo, minister for mineral resources, petroleum and gas, said Angola, which produces about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, is leaving OPEC because it was not serving the country’s interests.

“We feel that … Angola currently gains nothing by remaining in the organisation and, in defence of its interests, decided to leave,” Azevedo was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the president’s office.

Angola, which first joined OPEC in 2007, has struggled to meet production quotas over the past several years. The country is joining others, such as Qatar and Ecuador, that have left OPEC in the past decade.

Questions about potential production cuts sought by leading oil producers such as Saudi Arabia have been a source of recent debate within the group.

Without Angola, OPEC countries will produce about 27 million barrels of oil per day, about 27 percent of the global supply.

But while Angola was a relatively small player in OPEC, the country’s departure has raised larger questions about the future of the organisation.

Crude prices dropped by more than 1.5 percent after the announcement.

“From an oil market supply perspective, the impact is minimal as oil production in Angola was on a downward trend and higher production would first require higher investments,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst with UBS.

“However, prices still fell on concern of the unity of OPEC+ as a group, but there is no indication that more heavyweights within the alliance intend to follow the path of Angola.”

Oil and gas make up about 90 percent of Angola’s exports and are a crucial economic lifeline for the country.

Last month, Azevedo’s office protested against an OPEC decision to reduce its production quota for 2024, concerned that it would damage Angola’s ability to increase its output capacity.

OPEC and its allies in OPEC+ have agreed to cut production to prop up oil prices.

Angola’s production capacity peaked in 2008 at 2 million barrels per day but has dropped since due to ageing infrastructure.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES, 21st December 2023
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