Africa News

The Daily Signal covers Africa with reporting and conservative commentary on terrorism in the Sahel, Islamic extremism, Chinese Belt and Road expansion, humanitarian challenges, failed states, and America’s strategic interests in countering adversary influence on the continent.
Filter articles by
    • News

    24 Photos of First Lady Melania Trump’s Trip to Africa

    First lady Melania Trump is in Africa on her first solo international trip. The first lady has visited Ghana and Malawi, with plans to visit Kenya and Egypt next before her weeklong trip wraps. According to a statement put out by her office, she will "focus on maternal and newborn care in hospitals, education for…
    Ginny Montalbano
    Read More
    • Opinion

    South Africa Will Go the Way of Zimbabwe If It Doesn’t Change Course

    South Africa has been thrown into the news because of President Donald Trump’s recent tweet that he instructed his secretary of state to “closely study” alleged land seizures from white farmers in South Africa. Earlier this year, a land confiscation motion was brought by radical Marxist opposition leader Julius Malema, and it passed South Africa’s…
    Walter E. Williams
    Read More
    • News

    South African Farmer Reports on What Is Really Happening in His Country Regarding Land Seizure

    When a recent report on the uncompensated seizure and redistribution of farmland held by white farmers in South Africa drew the concern of President Donald Trump, his South African counterpart told him to “stay out of our issues.” Subsequent reports have raised questions about how extensive the land expropriations are and the level of violence…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Government’s Track Record Suggests BUILD Act Wouldn’t ‘Pour Money’ Into Africa  

    In an op-ed for CNBC, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., urge Congress to approve a bill that would rebrand and double the size of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. They argue that the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act, or BUILD Act, would help the United States offset the influence…
    Brett Schaefer
    Read More
    • Opinion

    New Leadership Could Revitalize This Important African Nation

    One of Africa’s most important countries is in the midst of seismic changes. In his first four months in office, the new prime minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed (known simply as Abiy), has launched a series of long-overdue economic and political reforms, the pace and—so far—the success of which no one predicted. It is unclear…
    Joshua Meservey
    Read More
    • News

    RNC Honors 2 African-Americans With Trailblazer Awards

    The Republican National Committee honored two long-time African-American leaders with its Black Republican Trailblazer Awards in a ceremony Monday celebrating Black History Month. “None of us gets where we are on our own or by ourselves,” says @KayColesJames. The awards recognized the achievements of Kay Coles James, the new president of The Heritage Foundation, and…
    Fred Lucas
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Ignore the Scam: Planned Parenthood No Supporter of African-Americans

    Plenty of movements have tried to hitch their wagon to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. For years, people across the political spectrum have claimed him as one of their own—in part because it’s convenient and in part because he isn’t here to dispute it. But no cause is more antithetical to King’s than…
    Tony Perkins
    Read More
    • Opinion

    How Political Correctness Holds African-Americans Back

    As a group, black Americans have made the greatest gains—over some of the highest hurdles and in a very short span of time—of any racial group in mankind’s history. What’s the evidence? If one totaled up the earnings of black Americans and considered us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, we…
    Walter E. Williams
    Read More
    • Opinion

    ‘Man-Made’ Famine Leaves Millions Facing Starvation in Africa

    Years of internal conflicts and poor governance are not the only problems facing the African countries of South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia. The United Nations recently declared famine in parts of South Sudan and Nigeria. Judging by current conditions, it won’t be long before Somalia follows suit. The number of people affected is staggering. In…
    Madyson Hutchinson Posey
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Ghana Is Leading the Way for Democracy in Africa

    Ghana, a West African country, has experienced peaceful transitions of power each time there has been a change in government since the country ended military rule in 1992. Solidifying its notable status as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, Ghana is about to embark on another handover of power from the sitting head of state…
    Anthony B. Kim
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Clarence Thomas Should Be Included in the African-American History Museum

    On Sept. 24, after years of effort, the National Museum of African American History and Culture was finally opened to the public. The Smithsonian’s new museum has been rightly praised for its detailed, complex, and powerful portrayal of the African-American experience in the United States. As The Wall Street Journal and New York Times have…
    Ted Cruz
    Read More
    • Opinion

    What African-Americans Have to Gain From a Trump Presidency

    A lot of strong words were thrown about in this year’s presidential campaign, but few packed as powerful a punch as a single question that Donald Trump asked black voters in August. “What do you have to lose?” The pundits didn’t seem to understand, but many of us knew exactly what he meant. While the black…
    Kay C. James
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Regulations in Benin, West Africa, Stunt Business Growth for Entrepreneurs Like Glwadys Tawema

    The Heritage Foundation has taken its message of economic freedom on the road.One stop was Cotonou, the capital of Benin—a small country of about 9 million next door to Nigeria in West Africa. It was there that we met Glwadys Tawema, a young entrepreneur who is struggling to keep her small business profitable in spite of costly,…
    James M. Roberts
    Read More
    • Opinion

    I’m an African-American Woman. Here’s My Advice to Conservatives Wooing My Community.

    The moment Donald Trump urged black voters to consider supporting him—asking, “What do you have to lose?”—the consultants and pundits sprang into coordinated action, bombarding the airwaves with their “r” and “b” words. “Donald Trump is a racist,” posted Daily Kos. “Donald Trump is a bigot,” piped in The New York Times’ Charles Blow. There’s…
    Kay C. James
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Violence in Burundi Highlights the Fragility of Democracy in Africa

    The small central African country of Burundi is approaching its 17th month of violence sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office. Once a relative success story, Burundi’s democracy is now on life support. Its plight is a reminder of the fragile state of African democracy, and is part of…
    Joshua Meservey
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Anthrax Terror Plot Shows ISIS’ Reach Into East Africa

    Kenyan police announced this week that they had arrested a man interning at a Kenyan hospital who was planning a major anthrax attack on the country. Police in neighboring Uganda arrested two alleged accomplices, and Kenyan police are still searching for two others they claim were involved in the plot. Authorities believe the man, Mohammed…
    Joshua Meservey
    Read More
    • Opinion

    South Africa Is Losing the War Against Corruption

    Once a model for emerging African democracies, South Africa is now mired in corruption that undermines its economy, provokes social unrest, and betrays the dreams and trust of millions of South Africans. South African President Jacob Zuma easily survived an April 5 impeachment vote in parliament, thanks to the large majority party he heads, the…
    Tyler Yeatts
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Genocidal Rhetoric on the Rise in One African Nation

    Located in central Africa, the small nation of Burundi is on the brink of civil war once again. In April, current President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would run for a third term, a decision denounced by the opposition as a violation of the nation’s constitution. His subsequent election in July was widely criticized by…
    Jonathan Reich
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Forget Cecil. Legal Hunting Benefits Africa.

    Lost in the outrage over the death of Cecil the Lion is the plight of the people of Zimbabwe and the fact that big game hunting actually helps Africa. On July 1, a lion known as Cecil, who was popular with safari-goers in Zimbabwe, was killed by a hunter after being lured out of a national…
    Joshua Meservey
    Read More
    • Opinion

    One African Nation’s Crisis of Democracy

    Citizens of the small East African country of Burundi are at the polls today to select a president, though the outcome is virtually guaranteed. Two-term incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza is expected to glide to a third term, particularly since the opposition has announced it will be boycotting the vote. At issue for the opposition is…
    Joshua Meservey
    Read More