Africa – The Cairo Review of Global Affairs

South Africa vs. Israel – with Jason Beckett

By Nadeen Shaker /

As the world awaits a much-anticipated provisional measures ruling by the International Court of Justice on the South Africa vs Israel case, we dive into what possible implications would a positive judgement in favor of South Africa have in terms of influencing the set ways of international law and politics, and the actual course of the war in Gaza.

Today’s episode is with Jason Beckett, associate professor of law at the American University in Cairo.

Hearing the Global South in Climate Convos

By Zeinab Shuker / Spring 2023

If progress on climate change is to be made, voices from the most vulnerable Global South and African countries must be heard and included in conversations at climate conferences

All Policy is Climate Policy

By Ana Davis / Spring 2023

Scholar and activist Jennie Stephens discusses the future of climate policy, emphasizing a “people-first” perspective and the need for larger societal structural transformation

From Borno to Aswan: Where Development, Climate and Conflict are Interlinked

By Omar Auf / August 23, 2022

The Aswan Forum, hosted on June 21-22 in Cairo, discussed topics related to African peace and development, including climate change, confronting terrorism, regional security, youth and women empowerment, and more.

Young People Are Leading Climate Activism in the Middle East

By Neeshad Shafi / Fall 2021

Across the Arab World and the Middle East, young people are mobilizing to raise climate change awareness.

Climate Change and the Global South: The Case of Africa

By Agnes Babugura / Fall 2021

Should climate change continue unaddressed, it is estimated that of the additional 30–170 million people who are likely to suffer from malnutrition or under-nutrition globally in the coming years, three-quarters will be in Africa.

Not All Data Is Created Equal

By Ariana Bennett /

Data drives policy, and policy drives change. The impact of this policy, however, hinges on the quality of the data.

A Climate Crisis in Africa: The Case of South Sudan

By Nhial Tiitmamer / Fall 2021

The African continent will be the most severely affected by climate change. Within Africa, the least developed and politically unstable nations like South Sudan are likely to be the hardest hit. What can be done, and who should be at the forefront of these changes?

African Podcasting: Challenges and Chances

By Josephine Karianjahi and Kim Fox / Summer 2021

While podcasting in Africa faces many challenges, including prohibitive data consumption costs and the digital divide, it offers the amplification of regional perspectives and audience expansion in return.

The Renaissance Dam after the Security Council

By Nabil Fahmy / Summer 2021

Egypt and Sudan continue to insist on a tripartite agreement to manage Ethiopia’s contentious plan to execute its Renaissance dam on the Nile.

More than a Monolith

By Ariana Bennett / Summer 2021

Home to 54 unique countries, ancient civilizations and cultures, Africa is much more than meets the world’s eye.

A Pandemic of Vaccine and Technology Hoarding: Unmasking Global Inequality and Hypocrisy

By Lauren Paremoer / Summer 2021

Intellectual property waivers are key to dismantling global vaccine apartheid and providing equitable vaccination to Africa and other continents.

The Long Road to African Tourism Recovery

By Helmo Preuss / Summer 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in 2020, but this year a slow vaccine rollout and new variants means it will take a while to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Millions of People Continue to be Forcibly Displaced in Africa

By Maysa Ayoub / Summer 2021

Even though forced displacement is a global crisis, it is no more obvious than in Africa.

In Malawi, the battle to save mangoes

By Charles Mkoka / Summer 2021

Malawi, like other African fruit producers, is drawing on local and global resources to combat a pest which threatens vital fruit exports.

A New Water Paradigm for Sub-Saharan Africa

By Djiby Thiam / Fall 2021 Summer 2021

To make clean water and sanitation truly accessible to local communities across the continent, African institutions must take the lead in understanding the specific challenges and opportunities they face.

Global vaccine equity is a moral and economic imperative—here is how to get it right

By Junaid Nabi /

With increasingly dangerous variants of the COVID-19 virus spreading across the Global South, vaccine equity is not only a moral imperative, but also key to keeping the global economy afloat.

The Rise of the United Arab Emirates

By Abdulkhaleq Abdulla / Spring 2021

By harnessing national confidence, proactively dealing with regional security concerns and exercising geopolitical cooperation, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional powerhouse.

Shaping Africa’s New Normal

By Amina Abdel-Halim / April 28, 2021

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, African nations are working through the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development to set the continent back on track with its developmental Agenda 2063.

Can the Arab Region meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?

By Mourad Wahba / Winter 2021

There are multiple challenges which need to be confronted in both data collection and public policy so that the SDGs can be attained.

Africa and the United States: Reengaging with Africa’s Prosperity in Mind

By Carl Manlan / Winter 2021

With China as a dominant foreign power in Africa, the only option left for United States to engage with the continent is to follow its priorities: namely, prioritizing African youth.

An Expert’s Guide to Decentralization

By Omar Auf /

African countries can leverage decentralization to strengthen government structures, but that is no easy task, according to Paul Smoke, as it is highly sensitive to the local context and requires a deep understanding of the intergovernmental dynamics and challenges involved.

Learning from a Diplomatic Trailblazer to Tackle Global Inequalities

By Sean David Hobbs /

Guest speaker at the 16th Nadia Younes Memorial Lecture, Dutch Minister Sigrid Kaag, presented ideas for geopolitical challenges in the Middle East and North Africa during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Exposing Inequality, Accelerating Innovation: COVID-19 and the Digital Economy

By Omar Auf /

COVID-19 has highlighted the great promise borne by the digital economy, as well as the challenges standing in the way of reaping its full potential.

The United Nations: Tension, Progress, and Failings

By Ibrahim Awad / Fall 2020

The United Nations has taken great strides toward increased global justice and equality, but more needs to be done.

Addressing the Global Health Crisis of Stunting in Times of COVID-19

By Carl Manlan and Javaid Iqbal and Junaid Nabi /

Stunting can be prevented by using technology to improve agriculture and strong governmental support.

The Race for the World Trade Organization

By Nadeen Shaker /

The Cairo Review’s Nadeen Shaker interviews Abdel Hamid Mamdouh, a veteran trade expert with over 35 years of experience, about running to become director-general of the World Trade Organization, how trade will change in a post-COVID-19 world, and how can developing countries expect to recover.

African Societies Plan for a Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

By Helmo Preuss /

Plans share a common thread of infrastructure spending and intra-African trade

Reviving Botswana’s Tourism Industry after COVID-19

By Wame L. Hambira /

Countries which depend on tourism as a major revenue source have been struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID-19 and Social Policies in the MENA Region

By Ghada Barsoum /

A new test to overly-stressed systems.

How to Deal with COVID-19 in Africa

By Arnaud Oulepo and Carl Manlan /

Strengthening the capacity, the data networks, and the community response to win against COVID-19.

How Will the Coronavirus Crisis Affect Africa’s Developmental Focus?

By Magda Shahin /

Mitigating the effects of the coronavirus in Africa and implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area go hand-in-hand.

Neither East Nor West

By Nanjala Nyabola /

As the Covid-19 response of powerful states like the U.S. and China falters, it is also failing regions on the margins of great power politics, like Africa. It is time weaker states take a long look at their dependence on the world’s juggernauts for their own security.