2015

Djibouti and Ethiopia have completed a railway linking their two capitals, with the hope that the link might eventually extend across the continent to West Africa. In June 2015, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Ethiopian…

In the mid-1980s, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was officially exporting up to 130,000 tons of coffee per year, but by 2012 that figure had shriveled to 8,000 tons, owing to war, coffee disease, low prices and smuggling. But…

Twenty-six African countries have launched a framework to create a free trade area by integrating three trade blocs to boost regional trade and investment. The tripartite area announced in June 2015 will include the East African…

Samori Touré was a great warrior, a natural leader and an empire builder. But he is perhaps best remembered, and honored, for his role in his later years — defiant to the end to his would-be conquerors. Almost 60 years after his death, his…

CLUES This attraction is part of Africa’s largest conservation area. The name of this area translates literally as “dead-end marsh.” A nearby river fills the large salt-and-clay pan during exceptional rainy seasons. Surrounding…

As Africa enjoys unprecedented economic growth, it is looking for ways to protect and expand this prosperity for years to come. During its 50th anniversary celebrations, African Union leaders pointed to the continent’s “blue economy,”…

From a small, white building on the campus of Regional Maritime University near Tema, Ghana, a handful of people keep watch on a maritime area that stretches from the northern border of Mauritania to the southern border of Angola. The…

As Africa enjoys unprecedented economic growth, coastal countries hope to reap the rewards of what is being called the “blue economy.” Gulf of Guinea countries are benefiting from increased port traffic, tourism and underwater oil drilling.…

Maritime security has taken the center stage in recent times in the Gulf of Guinea region. Crimes at sea have assumed alarming proportions and are posing a huge threat to global commerce.  About 90 percent of the world’s trade is…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The Namib Desert on Africa’s southwest coast is one of a number of remote “International Dark Sky Reserves” drawing stargazers in search of a celestial safari. Many lodges have bought research-grade telescopes and…