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. 
trade
East African Common Market: Promise and pitfalls ahead
Oduor Ong'wen
2010-10-20, Issue 501
cc WikipediaWith East Africa experiencing a new integration wave, Oduor Ong'wen looks back at the history of regionalisation across the area and at the prospects for the East African Common Market (EACM). In the face of governments' dwindling control over 'the institutional levers of sovereignty', what hope does the EACM offer for the promotion of national and sub-national interests?
Trade falling between China and Macau Forum countries
Lucy Corkin
2009-11-05, Issue 456
With trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking Macau Forum countries falling in the wake of the global economic downturn, Lucy Corkin discusses Macau's efforts to 'leverage its position more aggressively to promote trade and investment between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries'.
UNCTAD chief slams global casino economics
Government intervention needed to ensure financial sector serves real economy
Heinner Flassbeck
2009-04-30, Issue 430
cc flickr.comThe whole financial system has to be broken down and rebuilt so that finance serves the real economy – and if the private sector does not deliver this, then the government must intervene, Heinner Flassbeck, UNCTAD’s chief economist has said in a wide-ranging interview with Riaz K. Tayob. A recent report from UNCTAD calls for ‘much more regulation’ to avoid ‘excessive speculation’ which treats commodities as an asset class. Flassbeck slates the G20 for its ‘traditional’ approach, which he says does not go far enough to address the misallocation of resources caused by ‘overshooting’ currencies and commodity prices.
China and India in Africa: challenging the status quo?
Sanusha Naidu and Hayley Herman
2008-09-03, Issue 394
‘Equality and mutual benefit’ are reflected today in Chinese leaders’ frequent emphasis on aid as a partnership, not a one way transfer of charity, -quoted in Deborah Brautigam’s, China’s African Aid: Transatlantic Challenges\...
Aid: Rethinking old concepts
Benjamin W. Mkapa
2008-08-26, Issue 394
The following is the foreword to Yash Tandon's new book, Ending Aid Dependence, published by Fahamu Books, September 2008. For more information please visit, http://www.fahamu.org/publications
European Development Fund: The illusion of assistance
Mouhamet Lamine Ndiaye
2008-09-03, Issue 394
Equitable and sustainable structural transformation of African economies is a prerequisite for improving livelihoods across the continent. Despite decades of reform often led under structural adjustment programmes, and a very high level of openness, ...
Obama and US foreign policy
Carina Ray
2008-08-11, Issue 393
Let me begin by making a few disclaimers. First, I am a registered Democrat (for lack of a better alternative). Second, I support Barack Obama's candidacy for the presidency. Third, I believe that he will pursue a more enlightened foreign policy towards Africa than George Bush has and more importantly than John McCain would....
The destruction of African agriculture
Walden Bello
2008-08-05, Issue 392
Biofuel production is certainly one of the culprits in the current global food crisis. But while the diversion of corn from food to biofuel feedstock has been a factor in food prices shooting up, the more primordial problem has been the conversion of economies that are largely food-self-sufficient into chronic food importers. Here the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) figure as much more important villains....
Food shortages: stories of strife across the globe
Azad Essa
2008-08-05, Issue 392
The current food crisis has been heralded as the worst since the 1970s. Ordinary people, from South Africa to Egypt, India to Turkey, have been forced to make severe adjustments to their lives to deal with food hikes that continue to rise exponential...
The principles of food sovereignty
Yash Tandon
2008-06-18, Issue 383
A proper analysis of the food crisis is a matter that cannot be left with trade negotiators, investment experts, or agricultural engineers, writes Yash Tandon. It is essentially a matter of political economy. A crisis for some is an opportunity for others. Any analysis of the present food crisis carries with it its own prescription, and these prescriptions have the potential to bring benefits for some and losses for others.
FAO’s Food Crisis Summit versus the People’s State of Emergency
Eric Holt-Gimenez
2008-06-18, Issue 383
Eric Holt-Gimenez looks at the FAO Food Security Summit in contrast to the parallel “Terra Preta” meeting organized by social movements, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and civil society organizations to discuss issues of food sovereignty.
India takes on China in Africa
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
2008-04-08, Issue 360
In the March 27th, 2008 Pambazuka issue, Firoze Manji argued that in comparison to Europe and the US, China in Africa is still a small player and that while keeping an eye out on China, Africans should not be distracted from paying attention to the West's continued
China still a small player in Africa
Firoze Manji
2008-03-27, Issue 357
Firoze Manji argues that in comparison to Europe and the US, China in Africa is still a small player. While keeping an eye out on China, Africans should not be distracted from paying attention to the West's continued exploitation of the continent including the use of military might to protect its economic interests.
Tanzania activists and religious communities launch critical mining research
Salma Maoulidi
2008-03-10, Issue 353
Salma Maoulidi looks at the mining research report, "A Golden Opportunity? How Tanzania is failing to benefit from Gold Mining” and argues that it builds a powerful case for continued activism in trade and economic justice in line with various Human rights instruments that call for a country’s wealth and natural resources to benefit primarily local communities.
Call to action against Europe's aggressive agenda in Africa
2008-02-25, Issue 350
We, civil society organisations, including farmers, workers, women's, faith-based and students' groups and organisations, call on our people to redouble their efforts to stop the self-serving free trade agreements, misleading designated as 'Economic Partnership Agreements' that Europe seeks to impose on African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, and which will destroy the economies of these countries....
Fu Manchu versus Dr Livingstone in the Dark Continent?
How British broadsheet newspapers represent China, Africa and the West
Emma Mawdsley
2008-01-22, Issue 338
Emma Mawdsley examines the coverage of China's growing influence in Africa by the British print media