African journalism. August 8 2020 ISSUE NO. 15 The Continent with

EXCLUSIVE Are American commandos operating in your country? Photo: AFRICOM The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 2

Inside: Breaking the COVER STORY: Inside the secret world of US language barrier commandos in (p20) This week, The Continent is publishing Cameroon: Why are all the our first story in a language that tomatoes rotting on the is not a colonial import. We’ve vine? (p8) translated Ranga Mberi’s powerful Mutapi wenhau akasungwa essay on Hopewell Chin’ono’s imprisonment into Shona, to make it anoratidza kuora moyo kwaita more accessible for our Zimbabwean (p12) audience. (Ndebele speakers, we Jailed journalist is a symbol of haven’t forgotten about you – we’re a disillusioned Zimbabwe (p16) working on it, promise!) Expect to see Investigation: How dodgy arms more languages reflected in these dealers skimmed $137-million pages in the coming months. from Niger’s budget (p29)

Putting the con in consequences: Ace Magashule, secretary-general of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party, has been criticised for failing to take action against party members implicated in Covid-related corruption. The Continent Page 3 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Continental Drift

In the headlines this week

Samira Sawlani

Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea Uganda’s ruling party has endorsed President Yoweri Museveni as its candidate for next year’s election. Should he win, this would be the 75-year-old’s sixth term. Meanwhile, the prez has released a workout video in which he drops for no fewer than 40 push-ups. While he may not want to step down, he does seem keen to get down. And if that doesn’t see him re-elected, he can always just blame it on the boogie. Over in Guinea, the ruling party has called on President Alpha Condé to seek the burden of power for a third time. Ever so coy, Condé has “taken note” of their wishes. Far be it for him to deny his Fit for office: A screengrab from country a presidential hat trick, right? President Museveni’s latest home Which brings us to Côte d’Ivoire. exercise video Following the death of Amadou Gon Coulibaly, prime minister and the with the modesty and grace expected of president’s designated successor, debate a foregone conclusion. has raged over who could fill his shoes. It is said imitation is the best form After much soul-searching, beard- of flattery. If truly that is the case then stroking and back-scratching, the all that is left to determine is whether ruling RHDP party has decided the Condé, Ouattara and Museveni are man to replace the man meant to imitating each other – or just flattering replace President Alassane Ouattara is themselves. none other than…President Alassane Ouattara. Chad Ouattara had no option but to accept, If you’re a switched-on government, The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 4 social media can be like a flattery battery. was trending. All those likes and faves, charging you Perhaps Zimbabwe’s move isn’t so up. But then the trolls descend, with their much a flattering imitation of other draining demands for “accountability” countries as it is a simple copy & paste. and “human rights”. It can really get you “Control+C” and “Control+V” are down! handy shortcuts, after all. But maybe The only thing to do is take a break it’s about time that President Emerson for a while, flick that internet off-switch, Mnangagwa tries hitting “Control+Z”. and delete social media. From the entire country. Somalia Ethiopia, Mali and Somalia have Before getting too bleak about our all made forays into state-sponsored continent’s lack of originality, we should serenity this year, but nobody shuts it take a moment for our own mental all down like Chad’s President Idriss health, and recall that genuinely positive Déby who last year emerged from his actions can be emulated and paid country’s 16-month internet shutdown forward, too. looking positively rejuvenated. So let us remember Dr Hawa Abdi In fact, his government just Dhiblawe, the Somali human rights announced another internet slowdown activist and Nobel peace prize nominee to curb “hate speech”. Haters are gonna who sadly passed away this week. hate, but must they do it while the Among her many achievements, Mama president is trying to relax? Hawa provided healthcare, education and shelter for thousands of women in Tanzania and Zimbabwe Somalia through her foundation. Other nations prefer a bureaucratic With her life and work as inspiration, approach. Tanzania, for example, is let our aspiration be to leave the world ordering bloggers and online publishers healthier, happier, safer and freer than to apply for a licence to operate. Even we found it. ■ then, they can’t post calls for protests, “content that causes annoyance” or information about contagious diseases, without approval. Not to be left out, Zimbabwe is seeking inner peace by asserting new Legacy: boundaries. According to the minister The auto- of women’s affairs, , biography of the government wants to criminalise the late Dr “campaigning against one’s country”. Hawa Abdi Funnily enough, her announcement was published came just as #zimbabweanlivesmatter in 2013 The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 5 The Week in Numbers

6 The number of Togolese opposition activists whose mobile phones were targeted by spyware. Targets included the president of the Togolese Bishops’ Conference, Benoit Alowonou. Although (Photo: Andrew White/Parkwood Entertainment) it’s not clear who is behind the hack, a 50 spokesperson for the The number of African countries in which it is opposition coalition possible to stream (via DStv) Beyonce’s new said “we are in a visual album, Black is King, contrary to social police state that media speculation. The album is supposed to uses and abuses be a celebration of black history and African espionage against its traditions. own citizens”.

10 $2 million 3 The number of African The value of a 2kg The number of countries that between tanzanite gemstone Cabinet ministers them account for 80% discovered by Saninu in the Gambia who of all Covid-19 testing Laizer, an artisanal have recently tested taking place on the miner in Tanzania. This positive for Covid-19 continent. South Africa, is the third gemstone – just days after Photo: Andrew White/Parkwood Egypt, , , valued at more than President Adama Entertainment Morocco, , $1 million that Laizer Barrow went into Ethiopia, Rwanda, has found in the last self-isolation. Vice Uganda and Mauritius month. How did he get President Isatou have all conducted more so lucky? We’re not sure Touray has also than 200,000 tests, – but we’ll try to send a tested positive for according to Africa CDC. reporter to find out. the virus.

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The Continent Share real news. with The Continent Page 7 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 News Nigeria

(Photo: Aminu Abubakar/AFP) Shoprite admits defeat

PHOTO STORY Woolworths, Truworths and Mr Price – that have tried and ultimately failed to fter 15 years in Nigeria, South crack the Nigerian market. AAfrican supermarket giant “But the supermarket chain’s exit, as Shoprite announced this week that it such a prominent investor in the country, plans to exit Africa’s largest economy. sends a strong signal that Nigeria is a Despite impressive growth at times, the tough place to do business, which the company has struggled with supply- authorities need to take seriously for chain disruptions, and with difficulties local companies as much as for foreign in getting money out of the country – investors,” said Dianna Games, the exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. executive director of the SA-Nigeria It is the latest in a long line of major Business Chamber, in a column for South African companies – including Business Day. ■ The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 8 Cameroon Tomato industry left rotting on the vine Cameroon usually exports 10,000 tonnes of tomatoes each year. But Covid-19 restrictions have made that impossible – and farmers are already suffering the consequences

Daniel Ekonde to $10]. Now I sell a basket at 1,500 francs [about $3] and rarely at 2,000 [about ervé Kouamo used to sell his $3.5],” Kouamo revealed. Htomatoes at the local market. Now According to Cameroon’s state he moves his harvest from door to door, broadcaster CRTV, about 877,000 tonnes searching for potential buyers. His town, of tomatoes are produced yearly – Bangangté in Cameroon’s West region, is mostly in the country’s west, northwest, flooded with fruit in markets and clients southwest, central and far north regions, are overwhelmed. as well as the Adamawa region – and a “That’s the only option if I have to get at huge chunk is exported. least half of the money I spent to cultivate Cameroon’s decision to close its this crop. More truckloads of tomatoes borders in March meant its tomato come to markets here every day,” 34-year- producers could no longer access regional old Kouamo, who started harvesting the markets in west and central Africa, where crop three years ago, told the Mail & the majority of the perishables go. Those Guardian. markets include Nigeria, Gabon, Chad, Kouamo’s customers used to come Equatorial Guinea and Central African from Cameroon’s big cities: Bamenda, Republic. Douala and Yaoundé, and bought in large “Nigerians paid us a lot for our quantities. Now, things have taken a turn tomatoes. They usually buy about 10,000 since the Central African nation’s borders tonnes annually but now that channel were closed in an attempt to contain the has closed,” Joseph Kana, a member of a coronavirus pandemic. tomato producers’ association in the west “I used to sell about 30 baskets in a day region, told CRTV. – each for 5,000 to 6,000 francs [about $9 At least two tomato farmers have died The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 9

Throwing nightshade: The closure of borders because of the Covid-19 pandemic Cameroon and a broken processing plant have severely hit farmers’ incomes from growing tomatoes (Photo: Michel Gunther/Biosphoto) by suicide because they could not pay Last month, in response to the back the money they borrowed to grow situation, Cameroon’s minister of their crops, Kana said. He said there were agriculture and rural development, others who had taken their own lives Gabriel Mbairobe, said his ministry because of poor output. was planning a bail-out plan for the Cameroon’s lone tomato processing sector amounting to two-billion francs plant in the west region closed down years (about $3.5-million). Part of this plan ago, meaning the country cannot process includes the distribution of fertilisers, the crop into other products and farmers seeds and pesticides to co-operatives have limited time to get rid of the product. while the government sets up a “We usually contact clients before rehabilitation scheme for the abandoned going to the farm – so they just come tomato-processing plant in the West and carry tomatoes in baskets. Now region. without ready markets, we are forced to “We will be happy if we can have a throw some away. The situation is really processing plant functioning, so that we bad,” Mary Mbaizoa, a tomato farmer in don’t fall into this shock again. It aches my Yaoundé, told the M&G. heart,” Mbaizoa said. ■ The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 10

The million-case milestone

Refiloe Seiboko 100,000 cases at the end of May, 200,000 before the end of June and 500,000 in mid- n February 14, the first case of July. The true figures may be even higher, OCovid-19 in Africa was confirmed given that most African countries have not in Egypt. This week, the continent been able to roll out effective mass testing. recorded an unwelcome milestone as it “What we’d like to see – to be able to be confirmed more than 1,000,000 positive really confident – is higher testing rates,” cases. The virus appears to be spreading said the World Health Organisation’s exponentially: the continent was at about Africa head Matshidiso Moeti. ■ The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 11 Zimbabwe

nationwide protests on July 31 by Dark forces. arresting key political and civil society leaders, including journalist Hopewell Bad apples. Chin’ono and author Tsitsi Dangarembga. This was accompanied by the mysterious Rogue abduction of several opposition activists, at least one of whom was tortured. But the Zimbabweans heavy-handed tactics may have backfired, instead drawing global attention to the As opposition mounts, government’s failings. President Mnangagwa In his address, Mnangagwa said lashes out that “a few rogue Zimbabweans acting in league with foreign detractors” were Kudzai Mashininga in Harare destabilising the country. “The dark forces, both inside and outside our n Tuesday, President Emmerson borders, have tampered with our growth OMnangagwa delivered an unusual and prosperity for too long. They have televised address to the nation in which thrived on dividing us.” he used strong language reminiscent of Mduduzi Mathuthu, the editor of the late Robert Mugabe. online publication ZimLive, said that Mnangagwa described the country’s Mnangagwa’s government is “out of opposition as terrorists and lashed out ideas” and “has turned to its instruments at “bad apples” who were sabotaging his of repression to defend its hold on government. power”. He is currently in hiding, after Even as he was talking, the police raided his house in an attempt to #ZimbabweanLivesMatter campaign – arrest him. When they realised he was borrowing language from the Black Lives not home, police detained his sister and Matter movement – was gaining traction nephew instead. His nephew, Tawanda on Twitter, thrusting Zimbabwe’s political Muchehiwa, was later abducted from economic crises onto the international police custody and tortured, according news agenda with endorsements from the to the Media Institute of Southern Africa. likes of AKA, Ice Cube, Thandie Newton “Zimbabwe currently is on a knife and Pearl Thusi. edge...Violence has its limits and I’m not Mnangagwa’s administration convinced the situation is sustainable,” successfully prevented planned Mathuthu told The Continent. ■ The Continent Page 12 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Analysis

Photo: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP Mutapi nhau akasungawa anoratidza kuora moyo kwaita Zimbabwe Hopewell Chin’ono akatsigira paakaitwa mutungamiri wenyika. Parizvino Chin’ono arimujeri

COMMENT Gwara idzva Ranga Mberi Kubviswa pachigaro kwaMugabe kwakagamuchirwa nevazhinji, ugore rose ra2018, mutapi muZimbabwe nepasi rese. Mugabe anga Mwenhau Hopewell Chin’ono akaita agarisa pachigaro kubvira 1980, uye mukurumbira nekurumbidza nekutsigira akanga ava kuedza kugadza mudzimai Emmerson Mnangagwa mushure wake, Grace, pachigaro. memauto eZimbabwe abvuta masimba Saka pakasvika mauto kuzobvisa kuna Robert Mugabe. Mugabe, zviuru nezviuru zvevanhu Chin’ono nhasi uno ava mufananidzo zvakaungana mumigwagwa kunotsigira wekuora moyo kwaita vazhinji VaMnangagwa. Pakanga pasati papera vaimbotsigira Mnangagwa. mavhiki matatu VaMnangagwa vatizira The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 13 kuSouth Africa. Vazhinji muZimbabwe akadaro Chin’ono. Anoti iye akazocheuka vakafunga kuti ndiye achagadzirisa zvese mugore ra2018, apo makurukota munyika. ehurumende vatadza kuzadzisa Chin’ono akange ari mumwe zvavakanga vavimbisa zvekugadzirisa weveruzhinji ava. Muna Kubvumbi ZBC, iyo inoshorwa zvikuru neruzhinji. 2018, akanyora iye achirumbidza Akanga adaidzwa na Mai Monica VaMnangagwa, achiti VaMnangagwa Mutswangwa, vanova gurukota “vakashamisa maSenators aishanya rezvekufambiswa kwemashoko, vachiti kubva America, vachitaura zvinonwisa abatsire kugadzirisa ZBC. mvura. Vakataura maminitsi akasvika Iri ranga riri basa rakaoma, asi ibasa makumi mapfumbamwe, vachingotura raida kuitwa. Zvirongwa zvepa ZBC befu kuti vapewo vamwe mukana zvakasara chose. Kana dziri nhau dzacho wekumbotaura. Vakataura vakatsiga, dzinotosetsa; dzinenge dzenyika dzakare semaitiro avo avanozikanwa nawo.” dzehudzvanyiriri. Asi mashoko aChino’ono kunaVa Chin’ono anoti akabata shamwari Chamisa, avo vanotungamirira boka dzake dzinoita zvenhau mhiri, uye rinopikisa reMovement for Democratic nekutaura nevamiririri vedzimwe nyika Change (MDC), aive ekutsoropodza. vari muno. Anoti iye nyika yeBritain PaTwitter, Chin’ono aitamba nezita yakanga yati ichaisa mari inosvika raVaChamisa remadunhurirwa £3-million kubatsira ZBC. Ukuwo, CNN rekuchikoro – iro rekunzi “Wamba dia yakavimbisa kudzidzisa vatapi nevanyori Wamba”, munhu anozivikanwa kuti venhau veZBC. akatadza kubudirira munyaya dzenyika ku DR Congo. Chin’ono aiti zvitsidzo “Pandakaona izvi, zvaVaChanisa zvaive “Wambology”, kuri ndakabva ndaziva kuti kuzvidza mashoko aVaChamisa. Asi nzira yaChin’ono yeku Damasica hapana chitsva apa, yanga isiri kure. Achitaura na Trevor manyepo chete,” Ncube, muridzi we bepanhau, akadaro Chin’ono Chin’ono akabvunzwa kuti: “Mugore ra 2017, pakatora Mnangagwa Asi havazi vese vakafirira kuti ZBC chigaro, waimutsigira zvikuru, uye ishanduke, sezvakanga zvichiratidzwa uchishoropodza MDC”. naMutsvangwa. Mumapepanhau Chin’ono akapindura akati: ehurumende makatanga kunyorwa “Mnangagwa akanga avimbisa kuti mashoko ekushora Chin’ono, zvichinzi aizounza hurongwa hutsva hwaitarisirwa aiva mutengesi aida kutengesa nevanhu wese. mapepanhau enyika kuvavengi vekunze. Asi aive manyepo aVaMnangagwa, “Pandakaona Izvi, ndakabva ndaziva The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 14

Mutangamiri wenyika ye Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa (Photo: AFP) kuti hapana chitsva apa, manyepo chete,” huori uhwu hwaifambiswa sei. akadaro Chin’ono. Vanyadziswa, vakatuma mutauri we Zanu-PF kushoropodza Chin’ono. Kunyepa kutsva akatodoma Ndiko kurasikirwa kwakaita Mnangagwa Chin’ono nezita, achiti mukomana uyu nemutsigiri uyu. Kubva ipapo, Chin’ono, anyanya kusimbirira nekushoropodza aiva mutsigiri mukuru waMnangangwa mhuri yemukuru wenyika. Takanzwa pa Twitter, akabva atanga kurira senyenze Chinamasa oti “nhubu” dzinenge vana kushoropodza hurumende. Hopewell Chin’ono dzaida kusvibisa zita Mumwedzi waKubvumbi gore remwana wemutungamiri. rino, kwakabuda nyaya yekuti Chin’ono ndokukandawo mhinduro Drax International, kambani yainzi yake paTwitter, achiti: “Hupenyu inodyidzana nemwanakomana hwangu hwavamunjodzi zvichiteera waMnangagwa, yakanga yapiwa basa mashoko akataurwa nemutauri we guru nehurumende. Zvainzi basa iri Zanu-PF. Handisi kushoropodza. raiva rekutenga mishonga nembatya Ndinongoshoropodza huwori chete”. dzemuzvipatara (Personal Protective Aisareva nhema. Akasvikirwa Equipment) zvehurumende. Mari nemapurisa. yaizobuda apa yaisvika makumi “Varikupaza musha wangu, zivisai matanhatu emamirioni emadhora pasi rose,” akazivisa vanhu paTwitter. (USD$60-million). Akapomerwa mhosva yokukurudzira Chin’ono akashandisa Twitter kurwiswa kwehurumende. zvakanyanya kushambadza nyaya iyi. Mnangagwa paari kutadza kugadzirisa Aitoburitsa magwaro kuratidza kuti zvehupfumi hwenyika, nekusiya huwori The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 15 munyika, nekusachengetedza kodzero Hazvizi zvizvarwa zvemuZimbabwe yevanhu, vazhinji vaya vaimutsigira vave zvega zvakanyengedzwa kumushoropodza. Vakawanda vakaita navaMnangagwa. Mugore ra2018, saHopewell. Haasi ega aimbova mutsigiri VaPeter Hain, avo vaimbova nhume waMnangagwa ava mupikisi wake nhasi. yeBritain muAfrica, vakasarudzwa Mumwedzi wa Gunyana 2018, kuva chipangamazano chaZunaid Moti, Mnangagwa akasarudza Mthuli Ncube mukuru weAfrica Chrome Field iri kuita mubati wehomwe yenyika. muZimbabwe. Ncube uyu airemekedzwa chaizvo. Vachitaura muna 2018, VaHain vakati Akamboshanda ari mutevedzeri ivo: “Iyi yave nguva itsva mu Zimbabwe. wemutungamiri we African Development Mutungamiri wakare aenda, kwauya Bank, akadzidzisa nezve mari pazvikoro mutsva anehurongwa hutsva.” VaHain zvikuru, kuWitwatersrand nekuOxford. vakafananidza Mnangagwa naGorbachev Mumwe muzvinabhizinesi, Shingi wekuRussia. Vakatizve ino yava nguva Munyeza, uyo aimboshoropodzawo yekuunza hupfumi muZimbabwe. hurumende kare, akatambira kusarudzwa Asi musi wa 30 Chikunguru iro kwa Ncube nerufaro. Akarova bembera, gore rino, muparamende yekuUnited achiti “uyu ndiye mubati wehomwe Kingdom, Hain akasimuka akati: yehurumende ano remekedzwa kudarika “Musi wa 20 Chikunguru, mutapi vese vakambovapo pamakore makumi wenhau anoremekedzwa, Hopewell maviri apfuura…mubati wehomwe Chin’ono, akasungwa ndokunyimwa arinani pana vose kubva mugore ra 2000. bail nekuda kwekushoropodza huwori. Batai mazwi awa.” Anotogona kupika jeri kwemakore gumi. Hurumende yeUK haingatemeri Vakawanda vakaita here zvimwe zvirango pamakurukota saHopewell. Haasi eZimbabwe nevakuru vemauto?” Chin’ono aivawo netariro yekuti ega aimbova mutsigiri Mnangagwa aizotora rimwe gwara waMnangagwa ava rekutungamirira Zimbabwe. Haasi ega mupikisi wake nhasi aiva netariro iyi. Muna 2017, vazhinji vakazadza nhandare yeNational Sports Munyeza akazosarudzwa seumwe Stadium, vachipemberera VaMnangagwa chipangamazano waMnangagwa. vachigadzwa. Yaiva tariro. Ndivo vana Asi nhasi zvasanduka. Mazuvano Hopewell; vaiva vatsigiri vaMnangagwa, arikushoropodza hurumende asi nhasi uno vave vasungwa vake. ■ zuva nezuva, achiti vaMnangagwa vanotungamira boka rinoita masaba erima. Shanduko: P.S. Rupiya The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 16

The symbol of a disillusioned Zimbabwe Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono backed President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he succeeded Robert Photo: Jekesai Mugabe. Now he’s in jail. Njikizana/AFP

COMMENT Chin’ono is, in a way, a symbol of the Ranga Mberi disillusionment with Mnangagwa, and evidence of how quickly the president has or most of 2018, journalist Hopewell squandered his goodwill. FChin’ono rose to Twitter fame as a supporter of President Emmerson The new dispensation Mnangagwa, who had replaced Robert Mugabe’s overthrow and Mnangagwa’s Mugabe after a military coup the year ascendency had widespread local and before. Now he is into his third week in international support. Mugabe, who jail, on trumped-up charges of trying to first came to power in 1980, had stayed incite people to overthrow the man he in office well past his bedtime. Worse, he once praised. was about to anoint his wife, Grace, as The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 17 his successor. of him, and generally critical of MDC?” So, when army tanks arrived to pry Chin’ono replied: “Emmerson him from office, just days after he had Mnangagwa had promised that he was fired Mnangagwa, thousands spilled going to deliver the change that we were into the streets in support of the deputy looking for.” president. When Mnangagwa took over, It was all a lie, Chin’ono said, and he less than three weeks after fleeing to South realised this after discussions, late in 2018, Africa, many Zimbabweans cast him as with senior officials over a possible deal the reformist they had been waiting for. to reform Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster. Chin’ono was among the many. In He had received a call from Monica an article in April 2018, Chin’ono wrote Mutsvangwa, the information minister, about how Mnangagwa had “surprised asking for help with modernising the [visiting United States] senators and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation their staffers when he turned on the (ZBC). charm offensive, only stopping once to This would be a tough job, but give way for remarks in his 90-minute necessary. The station is stuck in the past. address punctuated by calmness which Its comical nightly news broadcasts fit has always been an essential part of his every caricature of a dictatorship’s media persona and style”. mouthpiece. For Nelson Chamisa, who had vaulted over equally ambitious rivals – and the Chin’ono’s road-to- party’s constitution – to take charge of Damascus moment soon the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in February 2018, there came after a media was ridicule. reform deal gone bad On Twitter, playing on Chamisa’s nickname – he was called “Wamba dia Chin’ono called on his contacts at Wamba” in college – Chin’ono coined foreign embassies and in international the term “Wambology” to make fun of media. The United Kingdom, he told Chamisa’s often ambitious campaign Ncube, was ready to “put £3-million promises. on the table” to train ZBC journalists. But Chin’ono’s road-to-Damascus CNN, he said, was also prepared to train moment soon came. It happened over a journalists and make ZBC an affiliate media reform deal gone bad. In a recent broadcaster. interview, newspaper publisher Trevor But not everyone was as enthusiastic Ncube asked him: “When Emmerson about the reforms as Mutsvangwa had Mnangagwa became president in 2017, appeared to be. Soon, articles started am I right that you were largely supportive appearing in the state press: Chin’ono was The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 18

Defiant: Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga is arrested after staging an anti-corruption protest on July 31 (Photo: Zinyange Auntony/AFP)

a puppet trying to deliver state media to and contracts that highlighted the depth the West, the articles said. of the corruption. “At that point I realised that the new dispensation was actually a new Chin’ono went from deception. There was nothing new about leading the pro- it,” Chin’ono recalled. Mnangagwa brigade The new deception on Twitter to being Mnangagwa had one less supporter. one of the shrillest Chin’ono went from leading the pro- critics of the regime Mnangagwa brigade on Twitter to being one of the shrillest critics of the regime. Embarrassed, Mnangagwa wheeled Then, in April this year, it emerged that out his lieutenants to attack Chin’ono. At Drax International, a company alleged a press conference, spokesman Patrick to have links to one of Mnangagwa’s Chinamasa singled out the journalist: sons, had won a $60-million contract “We have noted the systematic targeted to supply drugs and personal protective attacks of the first family members by equipment to Zimbabwe. Relentlessly, unscrupulous characters like Hopewell Chin’ono tweeted about the scandal, Chin’ono targeting the president’s son.” posting leaked internal memorandums Chin’ono tweeted in response: “My The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 19 life is now in danger after Zanu-PF in 20 years … a better finance minister by attacked me personally through their far since 2000. Save this tweet.” spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa. I am Munyeza accepted a post as one only a detractor of corruption.” of Mnangagwa’s advisers. These He was right. On the morning of July days, however, he tweets bitterly that 20, armed police smashed a glass door Mnangagwa is the head of an “occult and entered his house. “They are breaking system”. into my home. Alert the world!” tweeted It was not just Zimbabweans who Chin’ono. He was later charged for fell for Mnangagwa’s apparent charms. inciting violence against the government. In March 2018, Britain’s former Africa minister, Peter Hain, visited Zimbabwe. “My life is now He had just been appointed consultant for in danger after Zunaid Moti, a controversial businessman running Africa Chrome Fields, a mine in Zanu-PF attacked me Zimbabwe. personally through “There is a new era in Zimbabwe as their spokesperson the former president is now gone and the Patrick Chinamasa. new president has a new agenda,” Hain I am only a detractor told an interviewer. Mnangagwa, Hain of corruption.” said, would be Zimbabwe’s Gorbachev. It was time to invest. But on July 30, in the UK Parliament, As Mnangagwa failed to deliver on Hain told his government: “On July 20 reforms and the economy, while allowing highly respected journalist Hopewell corruption and rights abuses to continue, Chin’ono was arrested and denied bail there are many Hopewells who have seen for supporting an anti-corruption through the ruse. Many of Mnangagwa’s protest and faces 10 years in jail. Can the most ardent supporters have become government update its sanctions to cover critical of him. more Zimbabwe ministers and security In September 2018, Mnangagwa chiefs?” appointed as finance minister Mthuli Chin’ono had dared to hope that Ncube, a banker who was once a vice- Mnangagwa would take Zimbabwe on a president at the African Development different path. He was not alone. In 2017, Bank and taught finance at the thousands filled the National Sports universities of the Witwatersrand and Stadium to cheer on his inauguration. Oxford. Businessman Shingi Munyeza, But, like Hopewell, they have gone from a longtime government critic, gushed: being Mnangagwa’s supporters, to being “This is the most credible finance minister his prisoners. ■ The Continent Page 20 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Investigation

Inside the secret world of US commandos in Africa The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 21

A Mail & Guardian investigation reveals, for the first time, the vast African footprint of America’s most elite combat troops – and that more US commandos are deployed to Africa in secretive missions than anywhere else in the world, after the war zones of the Middle East.

Nick Turse, Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou and Amanda Sperber in Nairobi. This investigation was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center

he activities of the United States Special Operations forces – including TNavy SEALs, Army Green Berets and Marine Corps Raiders – are shrouded in secrecy. These are the US military’s most secretive and highly- trained soldiers, responsible for sensitive counter-terrorism, counter- insurgency and “direct action combat raids.” Their operations are rarely publicised. Except when they go wrong. In 2017, Islamic State fighters in Niger ambushed American troops near the village of Tongo Tongo. Four US soldiers died, including two from the Green Berets. This incident provided a glimpse into the secret world of US commandos operating in Africa. A Mail & Guardian investigation can reveal, for the first time, the full extent of that world. In 2019, US Special Ops forces were active not just in Niger, but in a total of 22 African countries: Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania and Tunisia. This accounts for a significant proportion of US Special Ops forces’ global activity: more than 14% of US commandos deployed overseas in 2019 were sent to Africa, the largest percentage of any region in the world except for the Middle East. These figures come from information provided to theM&G by the US military’s Special Operations Command and Africa Command (AFRICOM). An interview with Donald Bolduc, a retired brigadier general and head of Special Operations Command Africa until 2017, shed further light on The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 22

these operations. He said that as of 2017, US Special Ops forces had seen combat in 13 African nations. America’s most elite troops continued to be active in 10 of those countries – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, and Tunisia – last year, he said.

Advise, assist, accompany The military footprint of the United States in Africa is extensive. Previous reporting has revealed the existence of a string of at least 29 military bases across the continent, in 15 countries, few of which are officially acknowledged by the US government. Even more secretive still are the activities of US Special Operations forces. Their presence

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special operators inin Africa Africa have long conducted 500km missions that range from capture-or-kill commando raids to more banal training missions. The M&G has spoken to a wide range of sources to fill in the blanks, including US military officers and diplomats; active and retired US special forces operators; African government and military sources; recipients of US military training in Africa; and civilian witnesses. What emerges is a comprehensive picture of US Special Ops forces’ activities in Africa. Some special operations are conducted under the auspices of the so- called 127e programs, named for the budgetary authority that allows US Special Operations forces to use local military units as surrogates in counterterrorism missions. For reasons of security, Special Operations The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 23

Command will not release information on 127e programs, said spokesperson Ken McGraw. However, the M&G has confirmed that in recent years the US has conducted at least eight 127e programs in Africa, most of them in Somalia. Currently, the US is conducting two 127e programs in Somalia, according to an AFRICOM official. The M&G was able to obtain detailed information on how a 127e program has been used to create and train the Danab Brigade, an elite Somali special forces unit. Headquartered in Baledogle, a Soviet-built airport about 100 kilometres north of Mogadishu, Danab has a contingent of 850 troops. Baledogle itself is host to one of the largest concentrations of US defence personnel in Africa, behind only bases in Djibouti and Niger. The M&G spoke to two civilians who live near Baledogle, who both requested that their names be withheld. The first civilian said that since 2012, the base has been getting “bigger and bigger”. According to the second civilian, the construction on the base – including a $12-million runway refurbishment – has led to more employment opportunities for locals. In March this year, AFRICOM’s deputy director of operations Miguel Castellanos said that he expected the US to continue supporting Danab until at least 2027, with the goal to increase the size of the force to 3,000 soldiers. US commandos sometimes accompany Danab units on raids, with a mandate to “advise, assist and accompany” – although such missions can sometimes be indistinguishable from combat. The number of ground missions carried out by US commandos in Somalia has never previously been revealed, but US Air Force documents obtained by the M&G – via the Freedom of Information Act, and corroborated by Bolduc – indicate the scale of these efforts. The documents, from the 449th Air Expeditionary Group based in Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, show that the US and partner nations conducted more than 200 ground missions against Al Shabaab between June 2017 and June 2018. This number is no anomaly. “That’s about average, annually, for the time I was there, too,” said Bolduc, who headed the Special Operations Command Africa from April 2015 to June 2017.

Counter-terrorism training Another major theatre of special forces operations is in north-west Africa. The flagship US military operation in the region is Juniper Shield, The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 24

a counterterrorism effort involving 11 nations: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia. Under Juniper Shield, US Special Operations forces have trained, advised, assisted and accompanied local partner forces conducting missions aimed at terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and its affiliates, Boko Haram and Islamic State. The effort, according to the AFRICOM documents, was ongoing as of February. To understand what this training looks like, the M&G spoke to several state security officers in Burkina Faso who have participated. One army officer based in Fada N’Gourma, the main town in the east, said teams have been receiving training from the US since 2018. Sessions are two weeks and include 30 people from the army and police. The men are trained by up to 20 Americans and taught the importance of winning civilian trust and counter-IED training, he said. They were given explosive detection kits, cameras and bags that could be used to send samples to the laboratory. “The training was very good and very practical. Short but intense,” he

Training in 2018 for Djibouti’s Rapid Intervention Brigade is overseen by US troops. (Photo: Timothy Ahearn/US Navy) The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 25

said. He was not authorised to speak on the record. According to one Special Operations officer formerly based in Burkina Faso, who didn’t want to be named, the general approach was to combine military training with civil engagement, such as teaching the army to clear the roads of bombs, getting the police to set up checkpoints and then bringing in a company to repair the potholes, making it harder for armed groups to plant explosives. The officer toldM&G that everything they did was classified under Operation Juniper Shield. Not all of the places where US Special Ops forces operate in Africa are in or near war zones. Take, for example, Botswana – one of the continent’s most established and peaceful democracies. In response to questions from the M&G, the US Embassy in Botswana said that Special Ops forces participated in Exercise Upward Minuteman, a three week training event held in June 2019 at the Thebephatshwa Air Base in Molepolole. The training involved 200 National Guardsmen from the North Carolina National Guard and an unspecified number of soldiers from the Botswana Defence Force (BDF). It included everything from weapons training to air and ground assault simulations. Botswana’s armed forces enjoy a relatively clean reputation. This is not true of all the countries with which the US has chosen to partner. Burkina Faso’s armed forces have been repeatedly implicated in serious human rights violations; as have the Danab Brigade in Somalia. A US State Department official, speaking on background, said they were closely monitoring alleged human rights by partner militaries, and it excludes from assistance and training individuals or units guilty of human rights violations. By partnering with these forces, the US risks legitimising these abuses, argues Temi Ibirogba, a program and research associate with the Africa Program at the Center for International Policy. “If the most powerful democratic nation in the world is supporting your military, you’ll surely believe that the human rights violations you’ve committed are excusable,“ she said.

A ‘creeping build-up’ Andy Duhon, a former US Special Operations forces officer with more than a decade of experience operating in the Sahel region, questioned the effectiveness of the US military’s involvement in Africa. He said that the US does not understand what African countries want, and as a result is unsure how to best intervene. The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 26

War games: Commandos from the Botswana Defence Force in a training exercise with US Special Ops forces operators (Photo: US Army)

“The US isn’t doing enough. It wants to help but it needs to do a better job of understanding grassroots organizations, governments and the military, instead of just sending money towards long-term training and equipment programs,” said Duhon. Comfort Ero, the International Crisis Group’s Africa Program Director, said that the extent of US special forces operations in Africa illustrates the “creeping build-up” of the US military in Africa. Although, she added, it’s a mixed message: “There’s a build-up on the one hand, and restraint on the other. It’s clear that the US does not want to be on the front line.” Ero said that the lack of transparency – from both US and African governments – on the US military’s presence in Africa is a cause for concern, as is their apparent willingness to work with authoritarian governments. “It does feed into that broader concern that some states are being propped up...the US is seen as legitimising and further prolonging authoritarian tendencies, or states who are not seen as having legitimacy.” ■

With additional reporting in Gaborone by Joel Konopo of the INK Centre for Investigative Journalism, and editing by Simon Allison. This investigation has been edited for length. The full version will be published on Monday August 10 on the Mail & Guardian’s website. The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 27 SO, YOU THINK YOU’RE A REAL PAN-AFRICAN? Take this quiz to find out how well you really know our continent

(Photo: John/Flickr)

1. Which Bantu language, spoken woud one typically eat egusi mostly in both Congos, borrows soup? from French, Spanish, Portuguese 7. King Letsie III is the monarch of and English? which country? 2. Mbabane and Lobamba are the 8. Which four countries are capitals of which country? considered the Horn of Africa? 3. Jacaranda trees are known to 9. Which country celebrated its flourish in four African countries. 60th anniversary of independence Name one. on Friday August 7? 4. Footballer Romelu Lukaku 10. What city was formerly known was born and raised in Belgium. as Salisbury? Where is his family from 11. In which year was Nelson originally? Mandela elected president of 5. True or false: the hippopotamus South Africa? is native to North Africa? 12. The dirham is the currency of 6. In which region of the continent which country?

How did I do? 0-4 5-8 9-12 WhatsApp ‘ANSWERS’ “I think I need to “I can’t wait to "Borders are to +27 73 805 6068 and start reading more explore more of this an artificial we will send you the newspapers.” continent.” construct." answers immediately. The Continent Page 28 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Sport

Pride beyond borders Sharon Allela

t’s not every day that one gets a chance Ito speak to a world-class athlete. My chat with one of Africa’s most celebrated athletes, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, left Continental captain: The Springboks my audience and me mind-blown. after the 2019 Rugby World Cup final When the Springboks won the Rugby (Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP) World Cup in 2019, South Africa was going through a period of immense of the continent which deserves to be one challenges. One of the biggest was the of the best continents in the world because xenophobia that fuelled a wave of hatred we have everything we need to be great,” across the continent. Embassies were he said. being stoned, foreign-owned businesses Tata Madiba once said that sport has torched and thousands of people were the power to unite people like little else fearing for their lives. can. The Springboks and the historic On the weekend of the World Cup world cup win brought Africa together. finals, Nairobi told a totally different They also showed us Kenyans that it is story. The city was bustling with life indeed possible for us to win the trophy with sports enthusiasts donning the for a nation that is one the world’s Springboks jersey. We put our differences powerhouses in the rugby sevens series. aside to support our African brothers as Like Eliud Kipchoge said, “no human is they represented the continent on the limited” and no African is limited. global stage. When I asked Siya about As we battle a pandemic, we are that memorable weekend, he admitted reminded of the spirit of pan-Africanism, to being overwhelmed by the support of times we were once united for a more that the team got from other African significant cause. At the moment, it seems countries. every man for himself and every country “Diversity of Africans is our strength. for herself. We have to hold each other We need each other as Africans, whether accountable and act responsibly to pull we like it or not. We need to start through to the other side. ■ accepting that and start using it as the Sharon Allela is a sports consultant and founder asset that it is and use it for the betterment of Adana Sports and Entertainment The Continent Page 29 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Investigation

How a notorious arms dealer hijacked Niger’s budget Mark Anderson, Khadija Sharife, and Nathalie Prevost for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

s militant groups spread across delivered, or purchased without going Athe Sahel, the West African nation through a competitive bidding process. of Niger went on a US-backed military “The rigged bidding process, fake spending spree that totaled about competition, and inflated pricing in US$1-billion between 2011 and 2019. these deals is astounding,” said Andrew But almost a third of that money was Feinstein, a leading arms expert and funnelled into inflated international author of The Shadow World: Inside the arms deals – seemingly designed to allow Global Arms Trade. corrupt officials and brokers to siphon The Nigerien authorities are off government funds, according to a investigating the findings of the audit, confidential government audit obtained which have caused a scandal in the by OCCRP that covers those eight years. country after some details were reported The Inspection Générale des Armées, in the press earlier this year. an independent body that audits the The country has become a key ally for armed forces, found problems with the United States in fighting groups like contracts amounting to over $320-million Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and out of the $875-million in military the Islamic State West Africa Province, spending it reviewed. The US contributed better known as Boko Haram. The surge almost $240-million to Niger’s military in spending over the last decade helped budget over the same period. Niger become one of the most formidable The Inspection Générale’s auditors military powers in the region. The country said more than 76-billion West African – one of the world’s poorest – bought francs had been lost to corruption, which arms ranging from attack helicopters is about $137-million at the current and fighter jets to armored vehicles and exchange rate. automatic rifles. In addition to cash it They discovered that much of the provided to Niger’s military, the US spent equipment sourced from international $280-million building a massive air base firms – including Russian, Ukrainian, and near the ancient trading city of Agadez in Chinese state-owned defence companies – the north of the country. The base, which was significantly overpriced, not actually reportedly costs $30-million a year to run, The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 30

Spoils of war: The palatial Niamey mansion belonging to well-known arms dealer Aboubacar Hima (Photo: Nathalie Prevost/OCCRP) allows US forces to launch drones for both Hima – who goes by the nicknames surveillance and air strikes. “Style Féroce” and “Petit Boubé,” – and American forces are also training Aboubacar Charfo, a construction Nigerien soldiers and fighting alongside contractor with no previous experience in them. In 2017, four US Special Operations the defence sector. Auditors allege that the forces officers were killed in an ambush two men rigged bids by using companies in the country’s frontier with Mali and under their control to create the illusion Burkina Faso, reportedly by fighters of competition for contracts. associated with the so-called Islamic State. Their success points to the France and the European Union are opportunities available to a small clique also major donors to Niger’s military, of well-connected insiders with close ties which receives further aid through its to Niger’s government. membership in G5 Sahel, a regional Hima’s lawyer, Marc Le Bihan, declined joint military force. The audit report to answer reporters’ questions, saying raises the possibility that some of the that his client could not be reached and military aid ended up in the pockets of adding that he was not being prosecuted unscrupulous private individuals and in connection with the auditors’ report. ■ corrupt government officials. At the centre of the network of This investigation was first published by the corruption are two Nigerien businessmen Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting who acted as intermediaries in the deals: Project, and has been edited for length. The full the well-known arms dealer Aboubacar version is available here: https://bit.ly/NigerOCCRP The Continent Page 31 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Analysis

Social media alone can’t save democracy in Zimbabwe

Bruce Mutsvairo denials of digital interference, while anti-government digital activists have Despite the rise of WhatsApp, Twitter previously faced treason charges. and Facebook, social media has many Chin’ono’s arrest is itself a testimony limitations as a way to liberate Africa’s to the limitations of social media as oppressed peoples. Recent events in a weapon against what Zimbabwean Zimbabwe explain why. government critics see as longstanding On July 31, anti-corruption authoritarianism. By detaining him, the campaigners, journalists, and opposition Zimbabwean government wants to remind leaders joined forces to express their everyone that they are still in charge. opposition to the government of President Digital activism has the potential to Emmerson Mnangagwa. The government’s change African politics, but authoritarian response was heavy-handed. Before governments can simply impose a and on July 31, prominent outspoken social media “tax” and arrest their figures such as whistle-blowing journalist most prominent critics. All of a sudden Hopewell Chin’ono, opposition leader Twitter and Facebook look like much less Jacob Ngarivhume and Booker Prize threatening spaces. nominated writer Tsitsi Dangarembga So what can be done? At some point were arrested – along with many others. we may need to recognise that digital These three figures had all been vocal on activism will not remove Zanu-PF from Twitter and Facebook calling for change. power. Zanu-PF is part of Zimbabwe’s Chin’ono is one of the most effective critics problem but it may also have to be part of government – his work has helped oust of the solution. They simply cannot be two ministers on corruption charges. But wished away – and as a result digital while those opposed to the ruling Zanu-PF protest may need to go hand-in-hand with party consider social media as a godsend engagement. ■ for potential political emancipation, history has taught us Zimbabwe’s deeply- Bruce Mutsvairo is an author rooted problems will not be mediated on and Professor of Journalism social media. at Auburn University in the United States. This analysis is Last year, access to social media published in partnership with platforms was blocked amid government Democracy in Africa The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 32 In Zimbabwe, even the president’s inner circle is unhappy

ANALYSIS ruling party and opposition activists Africa Confidential whose aim was to drive Mnangagwa from power with a campaign of mass protests. fter two years of dangerous drift, Moyo claims his spies had discovered Amilitary officers and state officials stocks of posters and placards calling are covertly talking to opposition figures for the toppling of Mnangagwa and about the president’s exit and a transitional praising his deputy former army general authority. stashed at the The extraordinary morning broadcast homes of the party dissidents. by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on August 4 reinforced the national sense The president’s broadcast that his legitimacy is eroding as fast as the value of the Zimbabwean dollar. Heading on August 4 reinforced a government which has detained some of the national sense that the region’s best novelists and journalists, his legitimacy is eroding and abducted and tortured opposition as fast as the value of the activists, Mnangagwa warned citizens Zimbabwean dollar about “the bad apples that have attempted to divide our people. Good shall triumph over evil”. According to Moyo, after Mnangagwa Those divisions are festering at was forced out, the plan was that the heart of his government. A week Chiwenga would preside over a national earlier at a meeting of the politburo, the transitional authority committed to 50-strong policy-making body of the constitutional and economic reforms and ruling party, Mnangagwa called on Isaac free elections. In other words, a classic Moyo, director general of the Central palace coup. An ironic reworking of the Intelligence Organisation, to report on putsch that Mnangagwa and Chiwenga a “de-stabilisation” plot claimed to have had jointly organised against President been run by Claveria Chizema, a politburo Robert Mugabe in November 2017. member, and Tendai Savanhu, a former As Moyo explained the details of the MP for Mbare. plot against Mnangagwa to the politburo, Moyo explained that the plot showed Chiwenga, just back from another medical collusion between dissidents within the check-up in China, looked on impassively. The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 33

Neither Moyo nor Mnangagwa accused complaint by civilians that he is running Chiwenga of complicity in the plot from a military regime. It is mainly a thin stripe which he was meant to benefit. But the of top officers that have benefited in the implied accusation hung in the room. past two years. Despite their working together for Until now, Mnangagwa has been decades, relations between Mnangagwa protected by a group of senior officers and Chiwenga have cooled this year. and security specialists from the Midlands They are unlikely to have improved after province – many of whom were in turn Mnangagwa added the health portfolio protected by Mnangagwa, for their role in to Chiwenga’s responsibilities. Obadiah the Gukurahundi massacre in the 1980s. Moyo, the sacked health minister, is But according to Africa Confidential’s being prosecuted for corruption after sources, several people in this ruling journalist Hopewell Chin’ono exposed group now favour either Chiwenga or a procurement scam involving the General to take over minister and a businessman and friend of from Mnangagwa in a palace coup that Mnangagwa’s family. would allow the formation of a National Yet Chin’ono is being detained on Transitional Authority, in consultation charges of subversion, tied into the with opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. planned anti-corruption protests, and The decision by the United States minister Moyo is out on bail. Treasury on August 5 to sanction Mnangagwa’s business ally Kudakwashe Despite working together Tagwirei, chief executive of Sakunda for decades relations Holdings and majority owner of Landela between Mnangagwa Mining Ventures, raises the stakes. Widely seen as a proxy for Mnangagwa, Tagwirei’s and Chiwenga have dealings with commodity traders cooled this year Trafigura have made him immensely wealthy in his own right. Both Chiwenga and the Commander This week, Tagwirei was looking of the national army, Lieutenant General uncharacteristically worried when Edzai Chanyuka Chimonyo, have been driving his new pink Rolls Royce through telling colleagues and business people Chisipite, one of Harare’s most prosperous that the country is drifting dangerously. suburbs. As, surely, is Mnangagwa – A former officer told Africa Confidential outside his fast-diminishing circle of that such talk is army code meaning the admirers, few believe that the president junior officers will act if the senior officers should hang on. ■ don’t. Living conditions for junior officers This was first published by Africa Confidential, and has and the ranks have deteriorated sharply been edited for length. The original is available here: under Mnangagwa, despite the common https://bit.ly/ZimbabweAC The Continent Page 34 ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Economics

Ghana’s plan to escape the Covid blues

Audrey Donkor are ongoing. Nonetheless, the radical new policy hana’s economy, like all others, has has been welcomed by business leaders. Gbeen battered by the impact of the “Government has done very well,” said Covid-19 pandemic. Late last month, Enoch Gyetuah, the executive secretary Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta unveiled of the Ghana National Council of Private an ambitious plan to get the country back Schools. on its feet. The 3.5-year, 100-billion cedi Even the main opposition party is in ($17.5-billion) plan will allow Ghana “to favour. Haruna Iddrissu, the minority reimagine and re-envision our future like leader in Parliament, lauded the new never before”, the minister said. initiative – but sounded a note of caution. The plan envisages extending social He said that there is little reliable data to protection and business support measures, identify those that lost their jobs as a as well as a raft of new legislation to result of the pandemic, making it hard encourage investment. to differentiate them Perhaps the single Part of the plan is the from people who were most significant unemployed before. aspect of the plan proposal to support Austin Gamey, a is the proposed laid-off workers labour expert who creation of a National chaired the committee Unemployment Insurance Scheme. Under that drafted Ghana’s National Labour this scheme, workers who are laid off as Law in 2003, is also worried about a result of Covid-19 will be entitled to unreliable data. He said that successive temporary income support, as well as governments have failed to collate access to retraining to acquire new skills. employment records; without these Details of who exactly will be entitled records, the national insurance scheme to benefit from the scheme, as well as how will be very difficult to implement. He said much will be allocated for it, have yet to the government should instead pass an be made public. The finance ministry emergency law allowing laid-off workers told the Mail & Guardian via email that to take out emergency loans against their consultations with labour and employers contributions to the state pension fund. ■ The Continent ISSUE 15. August 8 2020 Page 35

The Big Picture Holiday spirit: In the Basra neighbourhood of Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, young boys make their way to the celebrations for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha (also known as Tabaski). The festival is marked by sacrificing a sheep, which normally means that it is a busy time for Mauritanian shepherds. This year, however, border closures meant that major markets such as Senegal were not accessible. Photo: Carmen Abd Ali/ AFP

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