Travel Modi activated
Greetings!
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a whirlwind five-nation trip last week, which included stops in Ghana and Namibia, plus the BRICS Summit in Brazil. With both African countries having inaugurated new presidents this year, and neither having received an Indian PM in some three decades, Modi took the opportunity to strengthen ties. Engagements resulted in commitments to strengthen economic cooperation, and forge partnerships on energy, critical minerals and maritime security. While India is sometimes overlooked as a key Africa partner amid headlines exhorting major Western deals – or handwringing over expanding Russian or Chinese influence – the South Asian giant has steadily built goodwill through the legacy of historical and cultural ties, sustained Global South advocacy, and cooperation on commercial, development and security fronts. Under Modi, India has successfully leveraged the G20 to present itself as a leader of the Global South. However, this has come at the expense of pan-continental summitry, with the India-Africa Forum Summit on ice since 2015, despite plans to convene every three years, akin to the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Just as India and China offer starkly different development models for Africa, their relations with the continent have taken different paths.
Yours in timely travel,
AP editorial team
📈 494 million
The World Food Programme needs USD 494 million to cover the second half of 2025, after suspending food and nutritional assistance across West and Central Africa. The agency’s funds are depleted as a result of US and other global aid cuts, with food stocks projected to last until around September for most of the affected countries in the region.
🇨🇲 Biya-round forever
President Paul Biya announced his intention to prolong his 42-year rule of Cameroon, with plans to seek an eighth term at elections in October 2025. The 92-year-old looks to be facing a more robust challenge than before, with two former allies and members of his government declaring their intention to run in the upcoming ballot. His allies turned challengers – Issa Tchimroma Bakary and Bella Bouba Maigari – are both from the north of the country signalling a potential fracture in Biya’s strategic alliance with elites in that restless region. Bakary in particular has attempted to curry favour by changing his position on the Anglophone crisis and promising a referendum on the devolution of powers. Additionally, a potential seven-year extension of Biya’s mandate would mean that he stands to be in office until he is nearly 100 – a prospect that may draw derision after a six-week public absence last year prompted the government to prohibit media speculation about his health after rumours of his death circulated widely.
🇰🇪 Warming up
Kenya’s High Court upheld the nominations of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Ethekon and six commissioners, dismissing claims of bias, lack of inclusion, and flawed public participation. The body had been rudderless since 2023 following expiration of the term of the former chair and two commissioners. Following the court’s directive, fresh gazette notices were issued on 10 July, regularising the appointments. The new commissioners were sworn in shortly after, with both Chief Justice Martha Koome and European envoys affirming the importance of IEBC’s independence ahead of the 2027 polls. But even as a new team takes office, the consequences of political delay are still playing out. Kenya’s constitutional deadline for electoral boundary reviews has passed without action from parliament, and electoral processes such as by-elections remain in limbo due to the absence of a commission. If left unaddressed, this risks eroding public confidence in the 2027 elections, a concerning precedent in a nation where electoral credibility remains tightly linked to political stability.
🇲🇼 Presidents past
Malawi’s election campaign period officially kicked off on 14 July, ahead of polls on 16 September. Among the 17 presidential candidates are three current and former presidents: incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, Peter Mutharika (2014-2020), and Joyce Banda (2012-2014). Chakwera was voted in on a wave of optimism during a history-making election re-run in June 2020, after the Constitutional Court had overturned Mutharika’s victory due to widespread irregularities. However, Chakwera’s ambitious promises to eradicate endemic corruption and create one million jobs have, unsurprisingly, failed to materialise, leading to widespread popular disillusionment amidst Malawi’s economic woes. With the fracturing of the ruling alliance after the death of former Vice President Saulos Chilima in June 2024, Chakwera requires new allies to bolster his chances – while rising incidents of political violence in the past months heighten tensions and undermine trust.
🇬🇭 Mission reductions
Ghana became the first African country to officially trade carbon credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, after transferring 11,733 tonnes of verified emission reductions to Switzerland. The reductions were generated through the Transformative Cookstove Activity in Rural Ghana project, which has provided over 180,000 households with improved cookstoves that reduce indoor air pollution and cut fuel costs by over 50%. The project is one of two bilateral mitigation activities approved under the 2020 Ghana-Switzerland cooperation agreement. It was implemented by Envirofit, the ACT Group, and funded by the Klik Foundation. Ghana is only the second country in the world to utilise Article 6.2 to transfer credits. While several other African nations – including Senegal, Malawi and Kenya – have signed bilateral carbon trading agreements, none have yet reached the stage of transferring credits. The news bodes well for the development of Ghana’s carbon market, which is projected to attract USD 1.1 billion in investment by 2030.
🎨 Making history
Kenyan-American visual artist Wangechi Mutu made history as the first living female artist to exhibit at Rome’s renowned Galleria Borghese. Her solo exhibition, Black Soil Poems, opened on 10 June and runs through 14 September 2025. Curated by Cloé Perrone, the show is part of a wider project titled Poems of the Black Earth. Presented as a site-specific intervention, the work moves through the museum’s interior, facade, Secret Gardens, and the American Academy in Rome, creating a layered dialogue with the Galleria’s architecture and permanent collection.
🗓️ 2025 Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics
The World Bank Group Annual Conference on Development Economics will be taking place from 22-25 July in Washington, D.C. Organised in conjunction with the Center for Global Development, the conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners for discussions on the theme “Development in the Age of Populism”. Africa Practice’s own Krsna Powell will be in attendance and would love to connect over a coffee – get in contact!
🔑 MTN Cloud Accelerator Programme
The MTN Cloud Accelerator is a 12-week programme designed to help African startups grow faster by leveraging MTN’s products, platforms, and partners. Startups should be at the growth-stage with MVPs or live products, working in sectors such as fintechs, agritech, ecommerce or data infrastructure. Deadline is 15 August.
📚When We Ruled – Paula Akpan
Subtitled The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors, historian and writer Paula Akpan takes us into the worlds of a dozen powerful female figures, following their stories and how they came to rule and influence the futures of their people. In an immersive journey spanning Ancient Egypt to pre-colonial Nigeria and apartheid South Africa, the book showcases how women were celebrated and revered before colonising powers took hold, and sheds new light on gender politics in their respective regions.
🎹Da Du Dah – Kokoroko
In Kokoroko’s latest offering, Tuff Times Never Last, the London-based band picks up where they left off, presenting Afro-jazz sounds reminiscent of sun-drenched summer days. In Da Du Dah, these sounds are brought to life through visuals bathed in warm analogue textures and sunlit edits, like flipping through childhood memories you didn’t know you had. Akinola Davies Jr.’s nostalgic lens amplifies the band’s spirited sound, turning music into a playful language that moves effortlessly through vibrant frames and carefree moments.
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