The African Union (AU) is the continent’s premier political organisation, with all 54 countries as members. It is the largest association of African states and ranks second only to the European Union in institutional development. The AU, which was officially relaunched in 2002 as the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), continues to play a central role in shaping continental priorities. Building on the achievements of the OAU, the AU was formed to promote regional integration, cooperation, and economic development to achieve peace, security, and prosperity in Africa. Presently, the AU is steering a continent through a volatile…
Stuart Mbanyele
Stuart Mbanyele
Stuart is an independent policy analyst. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Security and Strategic Studies from the University of Pretoria. Previously, he was a researcher in the governance delivery and impact programme at Good Governance Africa. Before joining Good Governance Africa, he was a junior research fellow with the Centre for Law and Society at the University of Cape Town. He also worked as a research consultant at the Institute of Security Studies.
The “blue economy” concept, introduced at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, broadly refers to the sustainable use of ocean, sea, and coastal resources for economic activity. This model integrates environmental, social, financial, and institutional objectives, making marine resources central to job creation, food security, economic growth, and environmental protection. The African Union’s (AU) Integrated Maritime Strategy extends Africa’s blue economy to include inland waterways, positioning it as an essential element of socio-economic transformation. Africa’s blue economy currently contributes more than $300 billion and 49 million jobs across 38 coastal and island states, emphasising its potential as a transformative…
The line between the ruling party and the state is constantly debated in South Africa, and a clear distinction cannot always be drawn. Political parties have the existential objective of governing. In democracies, it is achieved through electoral contestation and victory. Key to the debate about the relationship between the party and state is how single-party dominance often leads to a lack of accountability, abuse of power, and, inevitably, corruption. Corruption, i.e., dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in political power and through forms and acts of rent-seeking and patronage, has had its roots firmly embedded in the social fabric…
Professionalising public service in South Africa’s municipalities Local government fulfils an essential developmental function as the site of direct interface with government and service delivery for citizens. Yet, while pockets of excellence exist, many of South Africa’s municipalities are in a poor state, characterised by governance lapses. Public discourse is replete with stories about politicking and instability in councils. The inability of poorly politically appointed leadership is but one of the challenges, and can be attributed to both single-party dominance on some fronts and unstable coalition governments by multiple parties in other instances, and the perverse corruption wrought by the…
