Nairobi:  Rwanda's upcoming presidential elections has cast a spotlight on its democratic credentials, with observers warning that allegations of intimidation of opposition leaders could mar the process.

Kampala:   The picture of President Museveni visiting the landslide-stricken areas of Bududa last week while dressed in army fatigues and carrying an AK-47 rifle has dominated debate. Several commentators wondered why the President carried a rifle to a scene of mourning and not a symbolic bible or…

Addis Ababa:  Africa's top peace and security body has given a cautiously optimistic assessment of the outlook for Sudan's upcoming national elections.

Khartoum:  A lack of Sudanese voter education is the major concern for the European Union's chief elections observer, who launched her mission on Thursday to monitor Sudan's first multi-party polls in 24 years.

Niamey:  Niger's ruling military junta has sacked the West African country's eight regional governors -- all political supporters of the previous regime - and replaced them with soldiers.

Dakar:  Togo's presidential vote is the latest in a string of disputed elections in Africa which risk undermining the trend of the last decade for political power to come through the ballot box.

Gaborone:  Labour unions in the country have called on the government to be accountable and press for the speedy introduction of the declaration of assets and liabilities legislation.

Dar es Salaam:  A lecturer of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has pointed at a number of pitfalls which frustrate the government's ambition to improve good governance. Dr Mohamed Bakari from the  Faculty of Arts and Social Science was presenting a paper at the African Peer Review Mechanism…

In Tanzania, 11% of the population enjoys access to electricity. In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, English is the official language of business and government; however, only the urban elite speak English as a second language and the great majority speak one of the over 500 indigenous…

New York:  The problem now, almost, is to find a way to relive the peak of that economic crisis of September 2008. The current move back to business of old - on the face of it anyhow - could well turn out to be a longer-running difficulty than the crisis it supposedly left behind. A difficulty far…

Nairobi:  African countries should pump in more money in the educational field to boost the continent's education image.

Dhaka:  Proper budgetary allocation, monitoring and raising peoples' voice could ensure accountability and transparency in public and private organizations while decentralisaion is an effective way to curb corruption.

Windhoek:  Government faces the challenge of an effective and efficient method of doing things, and the starting point could be the inclusion of civil servants in the formulation of policy that they are required to implement.

Gaborone:  Members of Parliament issued an ultimatum on Friday to the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Lesego Motsumi to table a Bill on Declaration of Assets and Liabilities by national leaders before end of the year or they will back efforts by Gaborone Central MP Dumelang…

Parliamentarians in democratic societies play a crucial role in ensuring budgetary oversight, budgets that in developing countries often consist of a high proportion of international development aid. By ensuring aid funds are accounted for and transparently spent to benefit those who are most in need,…

Lusaka:  Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) executive director Goodwell Lungu yesterday stated that the fight against corruption and promotion of good governance in Zambia has reached a crossroad.

Washington:  An international initiative that seeks to promote more openness about how countries profit from their oil, gas, and mining resources should not weaken its modest membership standards because governments are unable or unwilling to meet them, Human Rights Watch said today.

Dar es Salaam:  The minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooporation, Mr Bernard Membe, is expected to open the national validation seminar on the country's self assessment report on governance issues organised by the Tanzania chapter of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Kampala:  The advent of a new Uganda Constitution in 1995 came with a bounty for women in the country. For the first time in generations, women would be invited to sit on the country's male-dominated political tables in what sparked Uganda's remarkable journey towards gender parity.

Dar es Salaam: Calls for women's emancipation echoed across the Tanzania yesterday as the country joined the rest of the world in marking International Women's Day.  Messages delivered during various occasions to mark the day had a similar tone - women were capable, and should not relent in their…