An independent judiciary is one of the pillars of democracy, but Badru Walusansa, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kampala in Uganda, points to concerns that under-funding and lack of monitoring are factors in corruption that undermine the judiciary and its essential role. The 1995 constitution of the Republic of Uganda recognizes the need for the judiciary …
Youth are in the minority among candidates for influential elected posts. Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Ghana, interviews a young candidate to learn about his philosophy and his encouragement for youth engagement in politics. In January 2017, my attention was brought to a Facebook post written by one of my university friends. …
Four years ago the Mathare Festival started with the goal of promoting peace and preventing election-related violence. Eric Omwanda, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nairobi in Kenya, was instrumental in that successful effort and reports what happened next. Immediately after the Mathare Festival, one of my friends asked me, and I quote, “Now after Mathare Festival, …
Munguongeyo Ivan, 24, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kampala, Uganda, spotlights the challenges of Uganda’s working poor, whose daily struggles seldom receive attention from the country’s public policy makers. The rural poor in Uganda face many daunting challenges. Many are locked in to a cycle of crises from which even the most gifted policy makers would find it …
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Ghana’s judicial system has been rocked by investigations into corruption, writes Michael Gyekye, 24, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Ghana, who examines the legacy and challenges facing the newly-installed Chief Justice. On 19 June 2017, Ghana swore into office only the second female Chief Justice in the country’s history. A former President of the African Court …
Efforts to eradicate poverty are traditionally aimed at men, writes Abdur Rafay Usmani, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Karachi in Pakistan, who argues in support of research that shows better results come from directing aid and assistance to rural women. One of the biggest factors impeding sustained economic growth in the third world has been …
Africa has brilliant individuals but too often experiences difficulty with teamwork, writes Kenneth Gyamerah, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kumasi in Ghana. He suggests the reason is tradition that creates preference for “it’s mine” instead of “its ours”, and tells a story about overcoming that view. Many brilliant young African leaders want to be at …
An initiative to protect and promote forests is a welcome move, writes Oghenechovwen Oghenekevwe, 18, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Warri in Nigeria, but is being threatened by some countries’ failure to sign on – and by a push for competing development. Professor Wangari Muta Maathai was a Kenyan and African heroine. From the 70s till …
The pressing issue of world hunger prompted one individual to make a remarkable effort, writes Alabidun Sarat, 22, a Correspondent from Lagos in Nigeria, who describes the work of a Lagos business woman. On realising that there were more than 795 million hungry people in the world and a startling number of Nigerian children were malnourished, …
Africa is a continent blessed with both human and mineral resources, large enough to make it self-sufficient, but Emmanuel Olutokun, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Lagos in Nigeria writes that the reality seems to be in discord with statistics and expectations. It is known that the problems confronting my continent are not corruption or mismanagement …