Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been re-elected for a third term in a largely uncontested election, but speculation about his health has raised concerns about the succession process in a key partner for stability in the Maghreb.

More . . .

President

Born on March 2, 1937 in Oujda, then part of French Morocco, Bouteflika’s political roots trace back to Algeria’s war for independence. At the age of 19 he joined the Armée de Libération Nationale, the armed wing of the Front de Libération Nationale, in 1956.

More . . .

Algeria election: offical RESULTS

Abdelaziz Bouteflika National Liberation Front:	12,911,705	90.24%
Louisa Hanoune Workers’ Party:	604,258	4.22%
Moussa Touati Algerian National Front:	330,570	2.31%
Djahid Younsi Movement for National Reform:	176,674	1.37%
Ali Fawzi Rebaine Ahd 54:	133,129	0.93%
Mohammed Said Party of Justice and Liberty:	132,242	0.92%
Invalid votes	1,042,727	7.25%
Total (turnout 74.54%)	15,351,305

Ankara prioritises African cooperation By Mehmet Ozkan Recent years have seen an increasing interest by Turkey in developing stronger relations with the African continent. Beginning in 1998, this was at first tentative, but has been more aggressively pursued since 2005. Turkey declared 2005 “the year of Africa”, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting several African countries, becoming the first Turkish prime minister to visit a country south of the equator. This process culminated in the first ever Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit in August 2008, in Istanbul, with the participation of representatives from 50 African countries.
Bongo dynasty likely to continue Uncertainty in Gabon following the death of long-time ally of France Omar Bongo is unlikely to threaten the cosy relationship between the country and its former colonial power, experts say.
Security overview RUSI
A crisis is too good to waste By Josephine Osikena Africa is feeling the full impact of the global economic slowdown. The downturn provides invaluable opportunities for the UK however, especially in the context of the recent G20 summit, to drive action on three fronts - social protection, IMF reform and tax justice - that will benefit poor countries. At the summit, Gordon Brown led global leaders to commit to a $1,100bn programme of support; with resources for the IMF trebling to $750bn, with almost 5 percent ($50bn) of the overall package earmarked for low income countries.
Africa can teach development experts By Iqbal Z. Quadir For decades, experts have been trying to teach Africans how to develop. Yet Africa has much to teach them about accountability and economic progress. Applying what I call the “European” and “American” models to African achievements illustrates two ways that dispersion of power has led to some progress in Africa.
Focusing on philanthropic giving misses the point By Mark Florman In the midst of a global economic downturn, it comes as little surprise that talk of philanthropy is framed largely around money, and how much of it anyone has left to give away. The headlines are certainly sobering. Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish philanthropist who pledged to give away one billion dollars during his lifetime, says that his foundation will be scaling back its activities. Towards the other end of the spectrum, a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey in the UK expects charity incomes from public giving to fall by £2.3bn ($3.5bn) in 2009 – a significant chunk of last year’s total of £10.6bn.
Towards a new internationalism By Stephen Chan If we take the question of land in Zimbabwe, and ask what the West understands of that land, then the answer will be expressed in terms of economic value, productivity and compensation. If the further question is put as to inherent spiritual value, then that is grudgingly acknowledged but not understood. The West will not understand the further developments in terms of ownership of land, through the reunification of self and soil, self and the ancestors of the soil, soil and one’s own subjectivity as a full person.
Calling Copenhagen The early effects of climate change may already be impacting on Africa’s development gains. As the international community gears up for climate negotiations, is the development community able to take on the challenge of adaptation?
Jiang Jianqing “Many Western financial institutions are leaving Africa because of a shortage of available funds… What we have been doing here in Africa, and other Chinese banks have been doing here is a natural choice, and it’s a choice made on a commercial basis
Soft power and curveballs Japanese development assistance to Africa is on the rise, but the country’s motivation for ODA disbursement is less clear
Supply and demand The Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries has become a consistent contributor of development assistance to Africa, but its independence is being called into question.
The liquidity crisis Private sector development in water financing in water infrastructure has proved inconsistent at best, but as urban populations grow, bridging the financing gap is critical.
Negative spin Despite their many natural advantages, West Africa’s cotton growers are struggling to find a place in a complex world market.
Wastewater treatment Commercially viable technologies are needed for the recycling and reuse of wastewater
Sharon Nunes Using technology to transform the water market As one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history of more than 100 years, IBM is a company that is familiar with adversity and the need for innovation.
Improving African competitiveness By Klaus Schwab After many years of economic stagnation, and at times even decline, Africa has experienced an economic resurgence in recent years. Between 2001 and 2008, growth in gross domestic product on the continent averaged nearly six percent annually, while foreign direct investment doubled. The long-mooted African Renaissance has increasingly felt within reach.
Leadership is the key to recovery By Michael Keating Africa is bracing itself to absorb the full impact of the global economic crisis. It is too early to say how bad things will be. Much depends upon individual countries’ degree of dependency on exports, foreign investment, aid, and vulnerability to external shocks. But none is escaping the impact of volatile fuel and commodity prices, the drop in global demand and trade.
Beyond the Silk Route The renewal of the ancient trading route extending from china to africa could be vital to an african recovery
Mark Moody-Stuart “There’s no good in prentending that Western business for the past 100 years has been a pillar of light. But if our behaviour has got better, it’s because we’ve learned it’s in our long-term interest”
Linking Dar to Durban Another infrastructure initiative is now looking to build regional markets within Eastern and Southern Africa, but what is different this time around?
Time to engage with the next generation It is a sad reality that many young people worldwide and in my country, Namibia, are affected by various issues that have an impact on the way we develop and ultimately survive the challenges we face.
African equities provide reasons to be positive By Roelof Horne We believe that African equity markets constitute an overlooked investment opportunity. Although African economies have been dragged down by the global recession, positive macroeconomic fundamentals remain intact, with GDP growth for 2009 expected to outpace developed markets. In fact, Africa stands out as a region with positive GDP growth in 2009, in a globe desperately trying to claw its way out of a recession. And this is without huge stimulus packages, corporate bail-outs, super-low interest rates or the kitchen sink. From the middle of 2008, African-listed equities were caught up in a wave of negative sentiment exacerbated by the global liquidity crisis. Whilst past months have seen equities in the region recover somewhat, we still believe the market offers excellent long-term investment opportunities.
Africa - Suprising on the upside in 2009 By Francis Beddington The world is awash with negative forecasts about the global economy and its impact on Africa. It is worth noting that many of these forecasts come from international aid agencies or multilateral agencies such as the IMF and African Development Bank and are rapidly followed by requests for more resources and large aid flows. This brings to mind Mandy Rice-Davies’ quote during the Profumo affair, the scandal that rocked the British Government in 1963. When told that Lord Astor had denied having met her, she replied: “well he would, wouldn’t he?”
What’s wrong with the business environment By Vijaya Ramachandran No amount of aid can substitute for a thriving private sector, in Africa or anywhere else in the world. A productive business environment encourages growth, learning, investment, and competition on a global scale, whereas an environment of high costs and risks discourages would-be entrepreneurs from establishing a business, investing in it, and increasing its productivity. How does Africa’s business environment measure up?

Sign Up

For the latest news and updates from This is Africa.

Interviews

Olusegun Obasanjo

“The reason I am‘re-inventing’myself as an investor... is because I was on the other side when I was in government. During that time I tried to create a conducive environment for investment into Nigeria, knowing fully well that you cannot talk of development and growth without investment”