Spotlight | Ethiopia, Somalia
Mogadishu seeks to thwart Addis promise to recognise Somaliland

Ethiopia, Somalia
Paramilitary defectors alter security balance between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu

A few months after Ethiopia released their leader, several members of the Liyu Police, suspected of numerous abuses, returned in numbers to neighbouring Jubaland in Somalia. And the Somali president has just appointed one of these ex-paramilitaries to head the army.

Ethiopia
Ogaden Liberation Front announces plenary session from abroad

The gathering is due to take place on 26-27 October.

The New Guard
Botswana, Somalia, Benin

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

BotswanaFund manager Bame Pule, a discreet adviser to president Masisi

SomaliaBarkhad Kaariye, speaking on behalf of Somaliland

BeninLéonce Hamza Houngbadji, founder of Africa Solutions Week

Ethiopia
$500m World Bank-funded energy access project flounders

More than three years after the launch of a project in Ethiopia to improve access to electricity, sector professionals are beginning to lose patience. Several tenders have had to be re-run, and access to funding is proving difficult in an already gloomy economic climate.

Somalia
Doha regains foothold in Mogadishu

Qatar is taking advantage of a lull in relations between Somalia and the United Arab Emirates to move its pawns into play. Its diplomats are already starting to take the lead in upcoming talks with Al-Shabaab.

Spotlight | Ethiopia
How Meridiam's $2bn geothermal project ran out of steam

Work on the vast scheme in the Oromia region has been at a standstill for almost a year and is now set to be abandoned for good. Africa Intelligence dissects a far from isolated case of project failure as attacks in the region call into question the government's security strategy there.

Kenya, Somaliland
Somaliland lobbies in Nairobi to counter Mogadishu's diplomatic offensive

The separatist state wants to persuade people that its offer to lease land for an Ethiopian naval base in exchange for Ethiopia's recognition of its sovereignty could generate significant economic opportunities for Kenya and the region.

Ethiopia
IMF considers backing new Ethiopian liberalisation plan

The IMF is understood to be ready to back a new Ethiopian economic reform plan, which, among other things, will open up the retail distribution sector to foreign investors.

Kenya
In Tokyo, Ruto hopes to reassure his Western partners

The Kenyan president's three-day visit to the Japanese capital comes as Nairobi is trying to deepen ties with neighbouring China.

The New Guard
Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

Nigeria Tolu Obamuroh, Abuja's young legal eagle

Kenya Wanjiku Thiga fights rising femicide rates

Somalia Mohamed Osman, the president's economic expert

Ethiopia, Somalia
Abiy-Bihi memorandum of understanding puts Paris in awkward position

Landlocked Ethiopia is counting on France to speed up the training of its currently fleetless navy. But the prospect of an Ethiopian naval base being established in the secessionist territory of Somaliland risks upsetting the two countries' military cooperation.

Kenya, Uganda
Museveni and Ruto set up Kampala meeting

Relations between Kenya and Uganda are currently fraught on account of a trade dispute over oil imports, but the two heads of state are due to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala.

Ethiopia, Somalia
After bombshell MOU, Addis Ababa and Hargeisa get ball rolling on customs cooperation

As landlocked Ethiopia strives to reduce its dependence on Djibouti, its proposal to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation paves the way for forging bilateral trade relations. But many obstacles lie ahead.