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Guest: Thembisa Fakude, a senior research fellow and director at Africa Asia Dialogues.
In Pakistan, at least fifty-nine people have been killed and many more wounded after a bomb blast in a mosque inside a compound used by police officers.
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Last week the new Foreign Minister of China, Qin Gang made his first international tour as the foreign minister to Africa. The visit was significant, it was symbolic in a way; it emphasized China’s foreign policy priorities. This week two very senior officials from Russia and the US will be in Africa almost the same time. The US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen kicked started her visit in Senegal on Saturday. Her visit comes to as Biden’s administration continues to advance its charm offensive in Africa. Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia will also be in Africa this week, his second tour since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He is likely going to try to convince Africa why Russia went to war. The destruction the war is causing in Ukraine, mayhem and human suffering is negatively impacting Africa’s opinion of Russia’s involvement in the war. Lavrov is also likely to provide certain guarantees to Africa including uninterrupted food supply particularly grain and energy supply.
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On 1 January 2023, South Africa assumed the BRICS chairmanship. High-level meetings, conferences and summits are planned. Under the South African chairmanship, the bloc will continue its work on sustainable development in the areas of economy, environment, and social reforms. The country has already held the BRICS chairmanship in 2018, at which time its work was positively acknowledged by the partners. BRICS foreign ministers, meeting on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly, expressed full support for South Africa to chair the bloc in 2023 and hold the XV summit. Foreign Affairs minister, Naledi Pandor, noted that South Africa intends to lead the group strategically in close cooperation with other member countries, setting with them the agenda and priorities for the work.
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Thabiso Kotane was in conversation with Thembisa Fakude, Senior Research Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues about how the ban on higher education comes less than three months after thousands of girls and women sat for university entrance exams across the country, with many aspiring to choose teaching and medicine as future careers. The universities are currently on winter break and due to reopen in March.