By Susan Mwongeli
Africa wrapped up a transformative 2024, a year defined by historic milestones and challenges.
From politics, to security, economy, sports and entertainment – as well as Turkiye’s growing ties with Africa, 2024 was a remarkable year for the continent which is increasingly captivating global attention.
Let’s begin with some of the key political developments.
Political transitions and elections
2024 was a landmark year for African politics.
Namibia mourned the death of its President Hage Geingob in February at the age of 82. Later in November, the country made history, electing its first female President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
In a dramatic turn of events in Senegal, opposition politician Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected President in March - just days after being released from jail, succeeding Macky Sall. Faye became Africa’s youngest elected leader at the age of 44. The campaigning was tense.
Botswana also got a brand new leader in 2024. The election of Duma Boko of UDC party in October ended nearly 60 years of BDP rule.
However, in Mozambique, the FRELIMO Party is extending its nearly 50-year rule. Its candidate Daniel Chapo won election in October 2024 and will be sworn into office in January 2025. The election results sparked weeks of protests, with the opposition alleging irregularities.
In Mauritius, the opposition Alliance for Change won a landslide victory in the general elections in November, defeating the governing coalition led MSM party. This marked the return of Navin Ramgoolam as prime minister. He had previously served in that post twice before losing an election in 2014.
Ghana witnessed a similar dramatic political comeback. Former President John Dramani Mahama, from the opposition NDC, defeated Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the governing NPP in December. He is to be sworn into office in January to succeed Nana Akufo-Addo, as the country consolidates its widely praised democratic credentials.
South African elections in May were another historic political development. Following months of internal wrangling, the governing ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of white-minority apartheid rule in 1994. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa managed to retain his seat after forming a coalition with some opposition parties.
Other African leaders who got additional years to rule through elections in 2024 include Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Mahamat Idriss Deby of Chad, Azali Assoumani of Comoros and Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania. Similarly, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Eypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Tunisia’s Kais Saied won elections to extend their rule.
Economic challenges and breakthroughs
Like much of the world, people across Africa felt the pinch of negative economic realities in 2024, with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
In Kenya, a series of nationwide youth-led protests against government’s plans to increase taxes on basic commodities erupted in June and climaxed in July. Dozens of protesters were killed in clashes with police, the parliament building was vandalised and President William Ruto was forced to cancel the bill containing the tax proposals.
The fallout from the protests led to the impeachment of Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by the National Assembly in October, becoming the country’s first deputy president to be removed from office in that manner. He was officially accused of ‘’undermining’’ the government through what his critics said was his tacit support for the protests. He denied the allegations as politically motivated.
The cost-of-living crisis sparked mass protests in several other African countries, including Nigeria – Ghana – Uganda – and Sierra Leone, leaving governments struggling to calm the public nerves.
But the year was not all doom and gloom for Africa. The continent’s largest oil refinery, the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria, started operations in January 2024, producing fuel for domestic consumption and exports.
The year 2024 also highlighted Africa’s growing global economic importance. Two African countries Ethiopia and Egypt joined the bloc of emerging economies, BRICS, in January, and attended their first summit in Russia in November.
Similarly, South Africa assumed the leadership of G20, the bloc of world’s major economies, in December. The G20 accounts for 85% of global GDP and 75% of international trade.
Geopolitics
In the year under review, Africa saw major geopolitical shifts. In January, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their plans to withdraw from West Africa’s regional bloc, ECOWAS, accusing it of leaning towards Western powers.
In July, the three countries, all under military rule, signed a treaty at a summit in Niger, forming a confederation known as the Alliance of Sahel States. Over the course of the year, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso cut economic and military ties with Western countries including former colonial power, France, the US and Germany and expelled the Western countries’ troops.
They said they wanted to assert their sovereignty and work only with beneficial partners to address their economic and security challenges.
In December, Chad also ended military cooperation with France while Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye asked the former colonial ruler to close its military bases in his country.
While distancing themselves from Western powers, the African countries continued to foster ties with Russia and Türkiye. For example, during the year, Mali acquired several Turkish-made Akinci drones, and other military equipment to boost its security, while Niger signed an energy and defence agreement with Türkiye in October.
Nigeria also received four T129 ATAK helicopters from Türkiye in 2024 and is expecting two more. Elsewhere, Tanzania’s Turkish- built 541km Standard Gauge Railway became operational. And in November Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, flagged off the construction of a Standard Gauge Railway, which will be built by Turkish company Yapi Merkezi. It’s worth $3 billion.
Peace and security
In January 2024, Ethiopia signed a controversial deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland to access the Red Sea. This angered Somalia and sparked tensions across the region.
However, after months of mediation efforts, Türkiye brokered a deal between the two neighbours to end the dispute in December. This earned Türkiye international praise. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted leaders of the two countries in Ankara, where the agreement was signed. He described it as ‘’historic’’.
Throughout 2024, Sudan did not know peace because of the lingering war that broke out in April 2023 between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Several international initiatives to reach a ceasefire failed. More than 20,000 people have been killed and more than 12 million others displaced, according to the UN. Aid agencies described the situation as world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
On the international stage, calls for Africa to get permanent seats at the UN Security Council grew louder. Most African leaders who spoke at the UN General Assembly in September echoed the call.
As Israel’s war in Gaza intensified, South Africa continued to lead the world in seeking justice for Palestinians through a case it had filed at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide. In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to stop its war against Palestinians, and in July issued an advisory ruling that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land was unlawful.
Severe climate disasters worsened Africa’s food crises in 2024. The UN said drought had affected at least 61 million people in Southern Africa, while floods impacted five million people in Eastern Africa, and another four million in West and Central Africa.
It was because of disasters like these that developing nations, including those in Africa, were disappointed at COP29 in Azerbaijan, where world’s biggest polluting countries said they would provide only $300 billion annually by 2035 to finance climate action.
Sports triumphs
In the sporting scene, the continent’s most prestigious football tournament, Africa Cup of Nations, was held from January to February. The hosts, Cote d’Ivoire won the trophy after beating Nigeria in the final.
African athletes also shone at the 2024 Paris Olympics held from July to August, winning 38 medals in total. Kenya led with 11 medals while Botswana clinched its first-ever Olympic gold through its runner Letsile Tebogo.
South Sudan’s basketball team, known as the Bright Stars, made an impressive Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Though they didn’t medal, as they lost to the US in the Last Eight round, their historic qualification captured global attention.
However, there were major tragedies in African sports. Olympic champion Kelvin Kiptum died in a road accident along with his coach in August, former world athletics champion Kipyegon Bett passed away in October after a short illness, and Olympic champion Rebecca Cheptegei was allegedly killed by her partner in September. All the deceased athletes were Kenyan heroes.
And in December, more than 50 people were killed in Guinea in a stampede and violence during a local football match. In the entertainment industry, there was an unprecedented drama.
Miss South Africa finalist Chidimma Adetshina withdrew from the race in August due to controversy over her nationality. She was later invited to contest in Miss Nigeria pageant, which she won at end of that month. In November, Chidimma became first runner-up in Miss Universe 2024 in Denmark where she represented Nigeria.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
