PUBLICATIONS

Zimbabwe Youth Biodiversity Network

Zimbabwe’s Biodiversity Advocates

Zimbabwean youth are reshaping environmental advocacy. As leaders of a grassroots movement, their message that biodiversity loss represents an existential crisis facing their generation is resonating with thousands of young people in Zimbabwe. The intersection of environmental and economic risk factors impacting the country is resulting in mounting pressures on the landscape, diminishing the ecological health of biodiverse as well as agricultural areas.

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17th Africa Union Summit. Credit- Embassy of Equatorial Guinea

To Benefit from the Belt & Road Initiative, Africa Needs a Unified Approach

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the Chinese plan to “improve connectivity and regional co-operation on a trans-continental scale through large-scale investments.” The Chinese argue that the BRI will help develop global infrastructure. This paper investigates how the BRI is playing out in Africa. It argues that the Chinese government has ulterior motives and that countries must use caution when dealing with China. Countries that take a cautious approach to the BRI have seen some success. The African continent has been making strides towards a unified monetary union, and, similarly, African countries need to take a unified and limited approach to handle Chinese aid.

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a man gets his temp checked

Avoiding Temptation: African Nations Should Not Militarize their Response to COVID-19

Given the threat from COVID-19, some African leaders have reacted to the pandemic by relying heavily on the tools of military and security infrastructure that are commonly perceived as most reliable when dealing with destabilizing threats to their national wellbeing. Unfortunately, this approach not only alienates the civilian population and further exacerbates the politicization of African militaries, but it also risks worsening the spread of the virus.

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Overlapping Insecurities: Maritime and Agrarian Resource Management as Counterterrorism

The ongoing presence of Al-Shabaab in Somalia exacerbates regional instability and poses a distinctive threat to women. After providing historic context to Al-Shabaab’s rise, this report identifies foreign intervention in Somali resource management as a causal factor behind the group’s continued influence.
This report ultimately suggests three local-level policies that would reduce vulnerability to both Al-Shabaab and foreign actors: seaweed farming, regenerative agriculture, and supportive day centers for women victims.

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HIV-positive woman sells fish

Confronting the Overlap of Sextortion and Natural Resources in Kenya

This article explores the link between sextortion, defined as corruption involving sexual exploitation, and natural resource scarcity in Kenya. Kenya has become a case study for how resource scarcity—including water scarcity and the scarcity of fish—leads to the increased prevalence of sextortion. After examining the relationship between sextortion and resource scarcity in Kenya and positing the impact of increased resource scarcity, the article examines the limitations and potential roles of civil society and the government in addressing this issue.

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Zimbabwe Youth Biodiversity Network

Zimbabwe’s Biodiversity Advocates

Zimbabwean youth are reshaping environmental advocacy. As leaders of a grassroots movement, their message that biodiversity loss represents an existential crisis facing their generation is resonating with thousands of young people in Zimbabwe. The intersection of environmental and economic risk factors impacting the country is resulting in mounting pressures on the landscape, diminishing the ecological health of biodiverse as well as agricultural areas.

Read More »

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The Africa Center for Strategic Progress