Johannesburg
alone
has
an
economy
bigger
than
many
African
countries;
it remains
the
financial
engine
of
the
continent.
Yet,
despite
its
size,
it
faces
gradual
economic
decline,
due
primarily
to
deteriorating
infrastructure
and
service
delivery
collapse,
unemployment,
corruption
and
financial
mismanagement.
The City
of Gold
is the
latest
in Good
Governance
Africa’s
African
Cities
Profiling
Report
Series,
which
enhances
understanding
of
individual
cities
across
the
continent.
It is a
deep,
statistic-rich
dive
into the
city's
demographics,
economic
and
social
development
profile,
infrastructure
and
finance
status,
access
to
services
and
poverty
levels,
health
and
education
status,
and
legislative
framework.
As such,
it
offers a
comprehensive
reflection
of the
city
that
accounts
for
roughly
16% of
South
Africa’s
GDP. To
read the
report,
click
here.
One of
the
unseen
consequences
of poor
governance
is the
erosion
of
public
trust in
the
electoral
process.
As GGA
researcher
Owami
Tshuma
reports
in her
Mail
&
Guardian
article
this
month,
while
the
party
system
itself
may
still be
strong
and
elections
remain
central,
many
citizens
feel
unrepresented
and are
turning
to
protests
or
disengaging
from
politics
altogether.
As a
result,
the link
between
voters
and
representatives
is
weakening,
posing
risks to
accountability
and
democratic
stability.
Using
military
intervention
to
manage
crime,
as was
the case
recently
when the
SANDF
was
deployed
to help
the
police
curb gang-violence
hotspots
in
Johannesburg
earlier
this
month,
serves
only to
worsen
this
legitimacy
crisis
and
plant
seeds
for the
spread
of
populism.
As Dr
Mmabatho
Mongae
notes in
her Mail
&
Guardian
piece,
it means
more
citizens
are
becoming
open to
authoritarian
alternatives
like
military
rule,
highlighting
the
urgent
need to
restore
institutional
credibility
and
effective
governance.
In
Nigeria,
meanwhile,
demand
for its
$34
billion
worth of
lithium
deposits
is
booming,
projected
to
quadruple
by 2030
and
potentially
grow
ninefold
by 2040
as the
EV
revolution
accelerates.
Yet this
demand
is met
by a
dangerously
concentrated
supply
chain.
Just
three
countries,
Australia,
Chile,
and
China,
control
the
lion’s
share of
mining,
while
China
alone
dominates
the
complex
refining
of raw
ore into
battery-grade
chemicals.
