In The News

Government Announces Reduction in Cost of ARVs

December 28, 2010
The South African government has negotiated with multinational pharmaceutical companies a plan to reduce prices of antiretroviral drugs by nearly half. The same 10 pharmaceutical firms that supply the medications will continue to do so, but with newly reduced prices, starting in January. Critics question the abrupt drop in price and whether refunds are warranted for previous high prices. With...

After Disputed Ivory Coast Election, Africa Tries to Break a Bloody Cycle

Vivienne Walt December 27, 2010
It’s an old story of leaders clinging to power, if not popularity, and ignoring election results. But increasingly, global media and observers rage against the election disputes and subsequent violence. “President Laurent Gbagbo has simply refused to accept the verdict of the electorate in the Nov. 28 runoff election won by his opponent, Alassane Ouattara,” reports Vivienne Wald for Time Magazine...

West’s Billions in Subsidy Shut Out African Cotton Growers

Martin Hickman November 30, 2010
Large subsidies for domestic cotton production in Western countries hurt African farmers trying to sell cotton and escape poverty. The United States and the European Union have given more than $32 billion over the past decade to support their farmers, with the EU subsidies more per pound than the crop’s market price. China, the world’s largest producer, spent $15.4 billion on subsidies since...

Nigeria: “World Oil Pollution Capital”

Caroline Duffield June 18, 2010
The Niger Delta has some 300 spills each year. But Nigeria, a major supplier for foreign markets, lacks the technology, researchers or journalists that monitor such spills, reports Caroline Duffield for the BBC. Many spills in Nigeria are the result of sabotage and aging equipment. Nigerians who have lost their livelihoods because of oil spills take note of the outraged response to an April 20...

Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company

Cordula Meyer April 28, 2010
Areva, a largely state-owned French power giant, has extensive uranium mining operations in northern Niger. That uranium generates the majority of France's electricity, along with thousands of jobs in France and across Europe. Yet, left in northern Niger are millions of tons of radioactive waste that have contaminated groundwater and killed crops, destroying the nomadic lifestyle of the...

With Flights Grounded, Kenya’s Produce Wilts

Jeffrey Gettleman April 22, 2010
Farmers in the Rift Valley in Kenya have learned an important lesson in globalization in the last week, as a volcanic eruption in Iceland shut down air travel to Europe. At first, many Kenyans thought nothing of it. Then they realized that the flower and vegetables they sell to European markets could not be transported because of the shutdown. This transnational agriculture is a critical piece of...

Oil, Minerals and the Militarisation of Globalisation

Julius Barigaba March 30, 2010
A new study links conflicts in Africa to the foreign policy of the United States. The study says the American government is motivated by the desire to control natural resources – not a new allegation – and has set up military commands around the world to ensure that control. In particular, the creation in recent years of a command especially for Africa raises the suspicions of many Africans, who...