Latest News
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Nigeria is Proud to Have a Winning Contestant in the Worlds Most Global Literary Prize
This years 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize announced a Nigerian-German writer Efua Traoré as the regional winner for Africa. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is the most global literary award, it holds competition for the best piece of unpublished short fiction stories open to Commonwealth citizens at least 18 years of age. The prizes are…
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Come one, Come all ! Join us for a Policy Briefing on “Africa in Global Perspective”
Please mark your calendar for the celebration of Africa Faith & Justice Network’s 35 Years of Advocacy, Capacity Building and Education for Transformation. The 35th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled for Friday September 14, 2018 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm in Washington DC, Dirksen Senate Building, Room SD 106. The theme of the Public Event…
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Summary of US Army Presence and Engagement in Africa
In March 2018, General Thomas D. Waldhauser, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee, as he gave command’s annual Posture Statement to Congress. Part of the importance behind military Generals testifying before Congress is to consider funding for various national defense and military operations. The…
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Uganda’s Post-Colonial History of Dictators and a Warning for the Future
A brief account of the major Uganda’s regimes cannot possibly do justice to their impact to on the country today, but in order to understand, one must begin somewhere. However, this short piece is designed to provide an overview into the deep-seated issue of authoritarianism in Uganda. Uganda gained its independence from the United Kingdom…
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A Problem within a Problem- Discrimination Against Pregnant Students Across Africa
In a place where education can already be so scarce, Sub-Saharan Africa cannot afford to discriminate education from willing students for reasons of stigma or outright discrimination. Recently, Burundi has joined a list of countries including Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leon, and Tanzania in banning pregnant girls and mothers from attending school. Many of these policies…
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Uganda’s Social Media Tax Backlash- A Vision of Tyranny
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has recently imposed a new tax on his citizens requiring a 200 Ugandan Shilling payment per day of use of over 50 social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp among many other major platforms. As one might expect, the citizenry is not happy with this imposition. Many people…
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A Look at Free Trade in Africa- The African Continental Free Trade Area
In March, 55 nations of the African Union joined in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss the possibility of an open trade agreement throughout the continent. Free trade and free movement across the continent is a great step in the right direction for the 50-year goals of the African Union. “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa,…
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Water4 and Pacha Soap- Foreign Aid Done Right
When one enters the Water4 website, they will be greeted not by pictures of the founders of the organization or donors, but rather a hopeful picture of a village pumping water out of a well that they built themselves. Water4’s mission is clear, to bring relief to the 4 out of 10 people worldwide…
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Global Push-Back Against South Sudan’s Corruption and Human Rights Violations
Currently South Sudan’s political crisis has no end in sight. However, there is certainly no shortage of empty statements of political good will from those responsible for the ongoing crisis, who from time and time again have held dialogues and signed sham peace agreements. South Sudan’s kleptocracy continues to expand while oil revenues are drying…
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U.S. Military Presence and Activity in Africa: North Africa
Read Part I (Sahel Region) and Part II (West Africa) of the series. NORTH AFRICA Morocco is defined in positive light by General Waldhauser, as it has the ability to “operate and maintain advanced U.S. equipment” and seeks to “increase interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces.” It’s geographical location largely contributes to this, as it…
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U.S. Military Presence and Activity in Africa: West Africa
Read Part I of the series, “U.S. Military Presence and Activity in Africa: Sahel Region.” WEST AFRICA AFRICOM’s roles and objectives in the West Africa region are directly equivalent to those in the Sahel Region. Stated by General Waldhauser, its principal strategic objective is to “contain and degrade Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.” An important part…
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U.S. Military Presence and Activity in Africa: East Africa
Read Part I (Sahel region), Part II (West Africa), and Part III (North Africa) of the series. EAST AFRICA General Waldhauser began by addressing Somalia and the country’s ongoing conflict, including al-Shabaab’s ongoing violent extremism and the emergence of ISIS-Somalia in the north. In 2017, al-Shabaab carried out one of the most deadly attacks in Mogadishu…
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U.S. Military Presence and Activity in Africa: Sahel Region
In March 2018, General Thomas D. Waldhauser, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee, as he gave the command’s annual Posture Statement to Congress. Part of the importance behind military Generals testifying before Congress is to consider funding for various national defense and military operations….
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A Briefing on Just Governance and the Work of the Catholic Church in Liberia
All are welcome to join the Africa Faith and Justice Network for a briefing on just governance and citizen participation in Liberia on August 7, 2018 from 10-12. At The Catholic University of America.
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Ethiopia’s New Prime Minister Delivers Overdue Reforms
Since being appointed as Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister in April, Dr. Abiy Ahmed has expedited massive reform to enhance the economy which sparked a new hope for the future of Ethiopia. Before his tenure, Ethiopia faced three years of violent protests, human rights violations such as torture, politically motivated imprisonment and widespread corruption. The changes that Dr. Ahmed has already made to settle these issues include obtaining freedom for Ethiopian prisoners at home and abroad, lifting the state of emergency, and admitting that the regime used torture against political opponents in the past and has taken steps to make peace with Eritrea according to Abdullahi Boru Halakhe, a reporter from Al Jazeera.
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Somali Youth Deported after 22 Years in the US
Recently the United States has had a fiery debate over immigration issues, generally centered around the southern border shared with Mexico. However, this is not the only area of the world that ICE is cracking down on refugees and immigrants. Plenty of people from Africa are being turned around, or even deported after many years spent in the United States in legal residency.
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Report on a Briefing on Sudan and South Sudan
On July 11, 2018, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) had the wonderful privilege and opportunity to host His Excellency, Macram Max Gassis, Bishop Emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of El Obeid and Mr. John Ashworth, author and Policy analyst to hear their personal experiences and expertise on the conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan….
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Building Broader Support in the Fight against Human Trafficking in Edo State, Nigeria
Download PDF file/ Photos included From November 22 to December 1, 2017, Catholic religious Sisters in Nigeria, under the umbrella of the Africa Faith & Justice Network – Nigeria, left their convents and chapels to fight human trafficking in Edo State, Nigeria. For five full days, the AFJN-N Sisters took to the roads of the…
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Uganda Tightens Control Over Social Media and Internet
In May 2018, Uganda’s parliament passed a law which imposed a levy of 200 shillings ($0.05) per day on many online platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and several others. The Museveni administration enacted the social media and internet tax on the grounds that the Ugandan people are “lying” on these platforms. This is just the…
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An Aquatic Crop Brings Empowerment to the Women of Zanzibar
A summary of an article by Lucy Ash Women of Zanzibar are having a boom of economic independence and are making strides towards equality through their utilization of an often-overlooked crop- seaweed. Though one might think that the aquatic crop would have been a staple of the island region, it was only recently added to…
