Pambazuka News is produced by a pan-African community of some 2,600 citizens and organisations - academics, policy makers, social activists, women's organisations, civil society organisations, writers, artists, poets, bloggers, and commentators who together produce insightful, sharp and thoughtful analyses and make it one of the largest and most innovative and influential web forums for social justice in Africa. 
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Corporations, crime, corruption and capital flight
Part 2
Charles Abugre
2011-08-18, Issue 545
cc P HTax avoidance, not developing country corruption, is the biggest source of illicit capital flight, writes Charles Abugre in Part 2 of a four-part series of articles on the flow of ‘dirty money’.
Leaving oil in the soil
Patrick Bond
2011-08-04, Issue 543
From a wrecked tanker on South Africa’s coast to the forests of South America, Patrick Bond explains why mining oil is a bad idea.
‘Blood diamond’ regulation system broken
Khadija Sharife
2011-07-28, Issue 542
cc FancyDiamondsThe recent regulatory approval of Zimbabwean diamonds for sale reveals deep flaws in the system, writes Khadija Sharife.
Understanding land investment deals in Africa
Nile Trading and Development, Inc. in South Sudan
The Oakland Institute
2011-07-06, Issue 538
cc WikimediaThe Oakland Institute takes a closer look at South Sudan’s largest land deal to date – the granting of a 49-year lease of 600,000 hectares of land to US-based firm Nile Trading and Development Inc (NTD) by the shadowy Mukaya Payam Cooperative in March 2008. For a sum equivalent to around US$25,000, NTD has full rights to exploit all natural resources in the leased land during this period.
Kleptocratic capitalism: Challenges of the green economy for sustainable Africa
Yash Tandon
2011-06-30, Issue 537
cc G LAfrica remains at the mercy of a self-interested international ruling class interested purely in maximising profit at all costs and consolidating its position, writes Yash Tandon. As the continent faces up to the enormous challenge of climate change and the creation of a sustainable ‘green economy’, it must look inwards and draw upon its own expertise and resources and resist the temptation to rely on compromised external ‘experts’, Tandon stresses.
Parliamentary budget office vital to improve budget process
Eugenia Madhidha
2011-06-29, Issue 537
cc WikimediaA parliamentary budget office would assist Tanzanian MPs in engaging with the executive, argues Eugenia Madhidha.
'Transparency' hides Zambia's lost billions
Khadija Sharife
2011-06-23, Issue 536
cc EITIMining corporations' tax evasion schemes cost African nations billions of dollars each year, says Khadija Sharife.
Bringing Canadian mining to justice
Karyn Keenan
2011-06-22, Issue 536
cc WikimediaCanadian mining interests in countries around the world are valued at tens of billions of dollars. Karyn Keenan looks at efforts by local communities to hold mining companies to account for human rights abuses. 'The issue of access to remedy for the victims of corporate abuse requires urgent attention,' she writes.
Saving Uganda from its oil
Jason Hickel
2011-06-23, Issue 536
cc SnapparachiOil worth billions of dollars is set to start flowing in Uganda, but the existing framework fails to protect Uganda from being plundered by multinational corporations, Jason Hickel writes.
Contextualising Hillary Clinton’s ‘New Colonialism’ remark
Isaac Odoom
2011-06-22, Issue 536
cc US Gov.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jetted in to Africa recently, holding a press conference in Lusaka where she warned of a ‘new colonialism’ in Africa. Such warnings would be more credible to Africans if the US got its own record straight, points out Isaac Odoom.
The Malabo extravaganza, the AU and a ‘sacrificed agenda’
Eyob Balcha
2011-06-23, Issue 536
cc A NDismayed by the AU’s willingness to host its summit at a luxury complex in Equatorial Guinea despite the government’s violation of human rights, Eyob Balcha says the summit will not improve the lives of ordinary Africans. What’s more, given the ongoing crises across the continent, the summit’s theme of youth empowerment will be the last thing on the mind of delegates.
Illicit financial flows from the Least Developed Countries: 1990–2008
Dev Kar
2011-06-02, Issue 532
© IRINThis paper, commissioned by the UNDP, ‘explores the scale and composition of illicit financial flows from the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Illicit financial flows involve the cross-border transfer of the proceeds of corruption, trade in contraband goods, criminal activities and tax evasion. In recent years, considerable interest has arisen over the extent to which such flows may have a detrimental impact on development and governance in both developed and developing countries alike.’
Copper in Zambia: Charity for multinationals
Khadija Sharife
2011-06-02, Issue 532
cc T HDespite the apparent ‘success’ of the privatisation of the Zambian copper industry, the true picture is one of systemic multinational exploitation, national assets sold ‘for a song’ and persistent tax dodging, writes Khadija Sharife.
Françafrique: We’ll go when we’ve finished
Sokari Ekine
2011-05-26, Issue 531
The impact of climate change on women in Ethiopia, questionable carbon credit and biofuels schemes, a Liberian activist’s work with child soldiers, and France’s commercial ties to its former colonies are among the topics covered in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, compiled by Sokari Ekine.
Cocoa speculators cash in on Côte d'Ivoire conflict
Khadija Sharife
2011-05-12, Issue 529
cc NestleCocoa speculators are among the few to benefit from the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, as disruptions to the supply chain drive up global prices of the commodity, writes Khadija Sharife.
Oil politics: Charge them with manslaughter
Nnimmo Bassey
2011-04-14, Issue 525
cc US Coast Guard‘People who have suffered the impact of unjust practices and those who have been victims of abuse from corporate impunity will heave a sigh of relief the day directors of such companies are brought to court from behind their corporate shields,’ writes Nnimmo Bassey, amidst talk that ‘top guns at BP’ may be charged with manslaughter over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The glossary of greed
Joan Baxter
2011-03-30, Issue 523
cc D AWith the 2011 Forbes List of the world’s billionaires recently released – and acutely aware of the huge volume of unaccounted for money found in offshore havens – Joan Baxter discusses the ‘highly stratified world that has become treacherously top-heavy’.
Beatitudes for a civilisation of peace
Sokari Ekine
2011-03-17, Issue 521
cc O TRumours of Bertrand Aristide’s return to Haiti, government destruction of oil refineries in the Niger Delta and the realities of life in Somaliland are among the topics featured in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, compiled by Sokari Ekine.
Oil, despotism and philanthropic tokenism
Nnimmo Bassey
2011-03-09, Issue 520
cc vaxzine‘Without doubt’, the crude oil business ‘is the stuff that oils the machinery of despotism’ and that ‘blinds the world to the bloods that flow on the streets as people fight for liberty’, writes Nnimmo Bassey.
Tanzanian gold mining: People and livestock poisoned
Zahra Moloo
2011-01-27, Issue 514
cc US Nat. ArchivesIn May 2009, toxic waste from a gold mine located in North Mara, Tanzania, spilled into River Thigithe. Reports from the surrounding villages alleged that 20 people and from 700 to 1,000 head of livestock died from the contaminated water. The company that operates the mine, African Barrick, denied that the spillage led to the deaths of villagers, and Barrick's spokesperson said recently that there are no more problems with the river. But villagers living in Tarime district claim they are still experiencing health-related illnesses from the water. There are also reports that a number of people have been killed by security forces belonging to the company. Zahra Moloo reports in this audio piece [mp3].
China and Nigeria’s oil
Khadija Sharife
2011-01-26, Issue 514
cc M B TA deal valued at nearly US$30 billion that will increase Nigeria’s refining capacity is on the cards. But is there a catch for Africa’s largest oil producer? Khadija Sharife investigates.
Dethroning King Coal in 2011: From West Virginia to Durban
Patrick Bond
2011-01-20, Issue 513
cc K SWith ‘the current ruling crew’ highly unlikely to respond with ‘genuine post-carbon strategies’, addressing to the huge environmental challenges that South Africa faces will rely on the rise of a mass democratic movement, writes Patrick Bond.
Livelihoods under threat: Malindi's fishermen
Zahra Moloo
2011-01-20, Issue 513
cc A KKenya's artisanal or small-scale fishermen have been living off the sea for decades. They have been facing a range of problems over the past years. In Malindi, a number of conflicts have arisen between the fishermen and prawn trawlers, large vessels that trawl the ocean floor catching prawns for sale. The fishermen say that the trawlers often cut their nets and discard healthy fish as by-catch. One trawling company faced a number of law-suits relating to these conflicts. Along Mombasa's coastline, fisherman are increasingly having to compete with the expanding hotel industry for access to scarce land along the sea. As more and more hotels take over these areas, the fishermen fear that they will lose their only means of survival. Zahra Moloo reports in this audio piece [mp3].
Sudan and oil politics: A nation split by oil
Nnimmo Bassey
2011-01-13, Issue 512
cc A IWith the Sudanese referendum this week, Nnimmo Bassey looks back at Nigeria's civil war in 1967, what is at stake for South Sudan and the role of oil in the region.
Zimbabwe: Power lies to the East
Khadija Sharife
2011-01-13, Issue 512
cc R LThe US remains the world’s biggest market for diamond jewellery, but it is China that has secured access to Zimbabwe’s controversial diamond fields. Khadija Sharife investigates.
Africa’s failings and the global system
Samir Amin
2010-12-08, Issue 509
cc WikimediaAt 79, Samir Amin has lost none of his militancy. A leading thinker around ‘Third World-ism’, close to particular fathers of independence – like Modibo Keita – and the author of some 50 works on politics and economics, he tracks capitalism and international imperialism in all their forms. Interviewed by Christophe Champin, he discusses the last 50 years of relations between African states and the rest of the world.
Zimbabwe, private companies and the Mauritius money
Khadija Sharife
2010-12-02, Issue 508
cc K OWhile some have looked favourably on Essar Africa Holdings Ltd being selected as the preferred private corporation to take on 54 per cent of the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO), Khadija Sharife points out that it’s not all good news.
Diamonds and disappearing tax revenues
Khadija Sharife
2010-11-18, Issue 505
cc Stewart LeiwakabessyPetra Diamonds, the largest diamond-mining group listed on the UK's Alternative Investment Market (AIM), may deal in the glittering rocks that bring lovers together in holy matrimony. But the company’s activities behind the scenes may just be tearing people – and societies – apart, writes Khadija Sharife.
Naspers: Where art thou, and why?
Khadija Sharife
2010-11-18, Issue 505
cc stockvaultMedia and entertainment giant Naspers ‘has engaged in the kind of “aggressive” tax planning devised to strategically move such assets into low-tax regions’, writes Khadija Sharife.
Mercedes-Benz and influence peddling in Angola
Rafael Marques de Morais
2010-11-10, Issue 504
cc J GFollowing investigations by Maka, Rafael Marques de Morais writes of the role of ‘foreign investment in broadening, consolidating and institutionalising corrupt dealings’ with Angola’s political leaders. Marques de Morais stresses that: ‘It has become normal for foreign investors to ignore anti-corruption laws thanks to the impunity that they enjoy through their association with the regime’s most corrupt and abusive figures.’