Africa is growing exponentially, particularly in its cities and urban areas. According to the African Union, approximately 60% of Africa’s population will live in urban areas by 2030. As such, urbanisation has become a key priority for African governments. They recognise that the growth and development of these cities will shape the future of not only individual African countries but the entire continent. However, as cities continue to grow, so do informal settlements. Informality has been a key feature of African cities since the colonial era when cities were often designed to segregate people. Thus, informality has always been understood as…
Stuart Morrison
Stuart Morrison
Stuart Morrison is a Data Analyst Intern within the Governance Insights and Analytics Team. He is currently completing his Master’s degree in e-Science at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His thesis is focused on exploring the relationship between early elections and the propensity for political violence. Stuart also has a keen interest in applied data science and aspires to use his skills as a data scientist and researcher to help address some of the key security and governance issues across the African continent.
The impact of disinformation legislation on freedom of speech In recent years, Africa’s digital landscape has rapidly evolved. Between 2017 and 2024, 300 million Africans came online and gained access to the internet and social media, according to an Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) report this year. With millions more Africans now connected to the digital world, the landscape of information dissemination on the continent has significantly altered; on one hand creating new avenues for communication, while on the other, it has exposed critical issues around the challenges posed by disinformation. Disinformation is understood as the deliberate dissemination of false or…
Youth in Botswana, under the age of 35, make up over 60% of the population. However, despite this, young people eligible to vote, especially between the ages of 18 and 25, had one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country’s 2019 general election. While this statistic highlights a growing trend of youth voter apathy across the African continent, it has created the perception that youth are apolitical and “disinterested” in politics. Political participation, however, goes beyond voting; and low voter turnout amongst youth does not, on its own, make one wholly apolitical. This raises an interesting question about…
