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April 2, 2026

Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Institute Announces New Book Titled ‘Essentials of Islamic Finance’

Source: APO

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org) has announced the publication of ‘Essentials of Islamic Finance’, a new book offering an in-depth analysis of the foundational principles of Islamic finance and their relevance to addressing contemporary global economic challenges. The book was authored by Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI.

Originally developed as a teaching note in 2011, the book has evolved into a substantially revised and expanded volume. It builds a systematic framework for understanding Islamic finance by integrating Sharīʿah principles, economic reasoning, and real‑world applications. This English edition reflects extensive updates to content, references, and examples, responding to contemporary developments such as global financial crises, post‑pandemic inflation, and rising concerns over debt sustainability.

The book focuses primarily on the principles of Islamic finance, emphasizing the ethical and economic foundations that distinguish it from conventional financial systems. It explores key concepts such as the prohibition of ribā (usury), the role of zakāh and non‑profit activities, the treatment of gharar (excessive risk), and the essential linkage between finance and real economic activity. By doing so, the book highlights Islamic finance as a moral and economic framework aimed at promoting justice, stability, and shared prosperity.

In a Foreword to the book, Prof. Bambang Susantono, a Member of IsDBI Board of Trustees, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Diponegoro University Indonesia, and former Vice President of the Asian Development Bank, said: “This work is both a rigorous scholarly contribution and a practical guide that bridges Islamic legal principles with contemporary economic thought. The author presents the foundational principles of Islamic finance from an intellectually grounded perspective, while also introducing their relevance of these principles to the global financial systems.”

‘Essentials of Islamic Finance’ is primarily aimed at economists, finance professionals, policymakers, regulators, and researchers who seek a structured and intellectually grounded understanding of Islamic finance. It also remains accessible to readers with an interest in Sharīʿah‑based economic systems, making it a valuable resource for academic instruction, policy dialogue, and professional reference.

The publication forms part of IsDBI’s broader mandate to advance knowledge and capacity building in Islamic economics and finance, and to contribute to the development of more resilient, inclusive, and ethical financial systems worldwide.

The book can be accessed on IsDBI website here (https://IsDBInstitute.org/product/essentials-of-islamic-finance/).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).

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About the IsDB Institute:
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) is the knowledge beacon of the Islamic Development Bank Group. Guided by the principles of Islamic economics and finance, the IsDB Institute leads the development of innovative knowledge-based solutions to support the sustainable economic advancement of IsDB Member Countries and various Muslim communities worldwide. The IsDB Institute enables economic development through pioneering research, human capital development, and knowledge creation, dissemination, and management. The Institute leads initiatives to enable Islamic finance ecosystems, ultimately helping Member Countries achieve their development objectives. More information about the IsDB Institute is available on https://IsDBInstitute.org

April 2, 2026

West African Development Bank (BOAD) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) strengthen their strategic partnership to support development and job creation across West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

Source: APO – Report:

The West African Development Bank (BOAD) (www.BOAD.org) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, held a high-level working session today at BOAD’s headquarters in Lomé to further strengthen their partnership in support of transformative projects driving growth and job creation.

Under the leadership of Serge Ekué, President of BOAD, and Ethiopis Tafara, IFC Vice President for Africa, this meeting brought together the regional and sectoral management teams of both institutions around an ambitious agenda aimed at strengthening their cooperation in key sectors for regional development: energy, agriculture, natural resources, and innovative financing instruments.

For several years, BOAD and the IFC have maintained a strong partnership, evidenced by high-impact co-financing operations supporting private sector development across the subregion. This collaboration aligns with both institutions’ strategies to address key challenges facing the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), including improving access to energy, ensuring sustainable natural resource management, and advancing agricultural transformation.

Today’s meeting marks a new milestone in strengthening this collaboration and paves the way for enhanced initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive and sustainable development.

Structured discussions around four priority areas

Agriculture and food security: The two institutions explored collaboration opportunities under the World Bank Group’s Global AgriConnect (GAP) initiative, as well as the feasibility of issuing WAEMU sustainable bonds backed by the cashew value chain—an innovative instrument for the region.

Energy and natural resources: Discussions focused on co-financing opportunities in renewable energy and gas projects, as well as sustainable water resource management.

Innovative financing: Teams assessed the feasibility of a cross-currency XOF–EUR financing mechanism, a novel initiative designed to expand the financing capacity of both institutions in the sub-region.

Affordable housing: Opportunities to support affordable housing financing for populations across WAEMU member countries were also explored.

Towards a concrete action plan

Following the meeting, the two institutions agreed on a concrete action plan outlining priority co-financing projects, the terms of BOAD’s participation in the GAP initiative, and a roadmap for developing envisaged innovative financial instruments.

This strategic dialogue reflects the shared vision of BOAD and IFC to further contribute to reducing poverty, creating jobs, and improving living conditions across WAEMU.

– on behalf of Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD).

About the West African Development Bank (BOAD):
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) is the common development finance institution of the member countries of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU). It is an international public institution whose purpose, as provided under Article 2 of its Articles of Association, is to promote the balanced development of its member countries and foster economic integration within West Africa by financing priority development projects. It is accredited to the three climate finance facilities (GEF, AF, GCF). Since 2009, BOAD sits as an observer at the UNFCCC and actively participates in discussions on devising an international climate finance system. Since January 2013, it has been home to the first Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), whose aim is to provide direct support to governments, NGOs and the private sector in identifying and developing CDM projects. Since 15 October 2023, the Bank has been co-chairing the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) and has been holding the club’s sole presidency as of 27 February 2025. This Club brings together 27 national, regional and multilateral development banks from around the world.

About the International Finance Corporation (IFC):
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the leading private-sector-focused development institution in emerging economies. It operates in more than 100 countries, dedicating its capital, expertise, and influence to creating markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record $71.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private-sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world without poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.IFC.org.

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April 2, 2026

Pentecostal churches are a place of everyday care, not just bizarre spectacle: southern African study

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Admire Thonje, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg

A growing brand of new Pentecostal churches in southern Africa is known to emphasise the prosperity gospel, deliverance, miracles and healing.

Miracles, including people apparently rising from the dead, are just one of the contentious issues swirling around these churches. Pastors have been the subject of sensational media headlines for spraying congregants with insecticide or making them eat grass, selfies taken in heaven, or claims of fraud and rape.

In response to these kinds of abuses, the South African government even established an independent cultural commission which created a special committee “to deal with issues in the religious sector”.

The concerns of government regulators are easy to understand, given Pentecostalism’s status as a rapidly growing arm of Christianity all around the world, including South Africa and other parts of the African continent.

But such spectacular events are less important in my research than finding out how most of these churches really work in everyday life. The complex reality of lived experience is far harder to regulate than the spectacular event.

Since 2019, my ongoing research has focused on a Zimbabwe-founded church whose growth followed migrants to South Africa, starting off in inner-city Johannesburg.

One of my key interests is to understand how church members navigate everyday Pentecostalism. To explore this, I use the social science idea of affect and emotion, which can be found in both regular church performance and during moments of spectacle.

I define affect as the raw physical buzz or charge felt during powerful church moments – before you even know what to call it. Emotion is when that feeling gets a name, like joy or sorrow, shaped by what culture and community have taught one to feel in those moments.

It is clear from my fieldwork that miracles and bizarre acts are not in the regular repertoires of the churches I studied. Instead, religious lives form around care, around forging friendships, relations, emotional support systems and events which bring members together, even as daily tensions arise within the church. Much religious activity happens in ordinary, everyday conduct that consists of simple activities, performances, rites and rituals.

These kind of environments are what scholars have called “affective economies”, where emotions like hope and security help a community to manage a precarious world.

This gives us a deeper understanding of the reasons behind the rise of new Pentecostalism, often missed when media or governments focus on the spectacle alone.

Everyday Pentecostalism

On almost any given Sunday in the churches I study, one sees grimaces on people’s faces; swaying of bodies during song; mumbling of words along with great physical gestures with hands and arms; tears flowing down faces. This is not because the members are sorrowful or in pain. Rather, it is the normal course of performing religion within Pentecostal settings.

After church on Sundays, prayer meetings on Tuesdays, in home groups on Wednesdays, prayer meetings on Fridays and at social events or preaching on the streets on Saturdays, members catch up on one another’s lives.

Prayer and teaching are part of the social mix. I have attended church soccer matches that start in prayer, are followed by a braai (barbecue) and end with biblical teachings.

Everyday churching is characterised by joy, compassion, sincerity, collegiality and care. This is particularly evident in the church groups that many join. As one member told me:

I’m in the music team so I go to practice every Saturday. That is when I socialise with church people. There are church people who become like friends as well as like very close friends … we visit each other, hang out, share life experiences, and so forth.

It is these feelings of connection that enable members to persist with their faiths. Such connections amount to what is called “affective solidarity” – a bond, or alliance that’s built on shared emotions. Congregants experience it differently, but it is how care is established in the church and even spread outside the church.

It also affects love. It’s not uncommon for church members, who spend so much time together, to fall in love and get married. In my study I explore how, within affective solidarity, love and marriage is negotiated in the church. It is one of the areas of church life that can also create discord.

Tensions

Relations in the church can, of course, be exploited by church leaders, who have more spiritual authority than ordinary members. Spiritual authority allows religious leaders to lay claim over abilities that unlock a better life – like access to economic and social capital. These are signs of upward mobility and, perhaps more importantly, divine blessing.

To tap into these networks, members will need to show respect, loyalty and submission to a pastor’s authority. Loyal members seek guidance from pastors on life decisions like whether to relocate for work or whether a potential partner is suitable to marry.

But relations among ordinary members are less scripted. Disagreements are common. Some are affronted when leaders advise against their choice for marriage. Others are uneasy about finding love in a church where undesired suitors are the only ones available, yet pastors strongly encourage courtship and marriage within the church.

When bad conduct happens, like actual or rumoured financial wrongdoing by church leaders, some members leave while others will disagree and stay in the church and continue paying money to it. Tensions arise and wane in the ordinary course of churching.

It is in the ordinary where simple ideas and rationalisations like loyalty and submission become normalised. Unfortunately, it is also where opportunities for abuse exist, as many church leaders are aware.

These, I found, are the issues that characterise the Pentecostal churches I have studied. The big spectacle and the dubious miracle are few and far between.

Regulation

Real accountability for new Pentecostalism’s abuses requires understanding how these churches actually work. It also involves churches taking heed of the everyday dynamics which open opportunities for exploitation.

Until regulators and churches engage in dialogue, regulations will miss their mark, and churches will resist oversight that seems disconnected from their reality.

– Pentecostal churches are a place of everyday care, not just bizarre spectacle: southern African study
– https://theconversation.com/pentecostal-churches-are-a-place-of-everyday-care-not-just-bizarre-spectacle-southern-african-study-278564

April 2, 2026

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Receives Phone Call from Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha, April 02, 2026

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, received a phone call from HE Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, Masrour Barzani.
During the call, they reviewed the developments of the military escalation in the region and its serious repercussions on regional and international security and stability, as well as ways to resolve the disputes through peaceful means.
HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated, during the call, the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the attack that targeted the residence of HE President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, in the Duhok Governorate. HE affirmed Qatar’s solidarity with the brotherly Republic of Iraq and its rejection of all acts that would undermine its security and stability.

April 2, 2026

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Receives Phone Call from German Foreign Minister

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha | April 02, 2026

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a phone call from HE Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Johann Wadephul.
During the call, they reviewed developments of the military escalation in the region and its serious repercussions on regional and international security and stability, in addition to ways to resolve all disputes by peaceful means.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized, during the call, the necessity of halting the unjustified Iranian attacks on Qatar and other countries in the region, warning in this context against the irresponsible targeting of vital infrastructure, particularly that related to water, food, and energy facilities.
His Excellency also stressed the need to strengthen coordination, intensify joint efforts, return to the negotiating table, and prioritize reason and wisdom to contain the crisis, thereby ensuring global energy security, freedom of navigation, and environmental safety, and preserving regional stability.

April 2, 2026

Minister Diamantino Azevedo to Headline Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 as Angola Enters New Production Cycle

Source: APO

Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, will once again headline the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition – taking place September 9-10 with a pre-conference day on September 8. The event comes at a time when new projects, renewed exploration and downstream expansion are reshaping the country’s oil and gas outlook, positioning it on the precipice of a new production cycle. Minister Azevedo’s participation reflects the government’s commitment to engaging investors, tackling industry challenges and advancing the country’s $70 billion upstream investment pipeline.

AOG 2026 arrives at a critical time for Angola’s oil and gas market. With key project milestones achieved in the first few months of 2026, the country is entering a new phase defined less by decline concerns and more by production stabilization, gas monetization and new investment opportunities. Just this month, the New Gas Consortium achieved first gas delivery from the Quiluma field – part of Angola’s first non-associated gas project – with initial output estimated at 150 million standard cubic feet per day. This followed the start of operations at the Ndungu field in February 2026, marking a key step forward in the broader Agogo Integrated West Hub Development.

Offshore momentum continues to define Angola’s upstream sector, with redevelopment programs, new agreements and exploration campaigns underway. A principles agreement was signed between the ANPG, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil for the allocation of four blocks in the frontier Benguela and Namibe Basins in March, laying the foundation for the signing of the respective production sharing contracts. Angola’s Block 15/06 partners announced the Algaita-01 discovery in February 2026, with estimated reserves of 500 million barrels of oil. Sonangol, Afentra, Maurel & Prom and NIS Naftgas are advancing redevelopment activities at Blocks 3/05 and 3/05A, with plans for two infill wells in 2026. At Block 3/24, Afentra is eyeing FID in late 2026 or early 2027 as the company moves toward the development phase. The anticipated launch of the country’s next licensing round is expected to drive new investment in exploration.

Onshore exploration is also gaining traction. Corcel recently raised £3.6 million to accelerate its exploration program at KON 16 as it moves from seismic interpretation to drilling within the next 12 months. ReconAfrica is advancing geochemical sampling and permitting for a potential 2D seismic in the Damara Fold Belt, while Afentra is currently acquiring geophysical data to delineate the highly prospective KON 4 acreage. Recent months have also seen Nigeria’s Oando Energy Resources assume operatorship of Block KON 13, while Angola’s Sonangol is leading exploration activities at KON 11, KON 12 and KON 15. The Lower Congo basin is witnessing similar momentum, led by companies such as Etu Energias, ACREP and Walcot Energy.

Angola’s upstream drive is complemented by ambitions to strengthen the downstream sector. Following the start of operations at the Cabinda oil refinery in 2025, Angola is looking at bringing the 200,000 bpd Lobito refinery online in 2027. Preparations are also underway to develop the 100,000 bpd Soyo facility, with the country seeking foreign investment to complete these strategic projects.

With new production coming online, a licensing round on the horizon and refining capacity expanding, Angola is positioning itself as one of the few markets offering both near-term production growth and long-term exploration potential. Against this backdrop, AOG 2026 comes at a critical time for the global industry, as investors increasingly look to proven hydrocarbon basins with expansion potential, stable regulatory frameworks and clear project pipelines. In a tighter global supply environment, Angola is not just participating in the market – it is becoming increasingly central to it.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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April 2, 2026

Atlantic Energy Alliance to Ignite Brazil‑Africa Offshore Collaboration at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026

Source: APO

Cross‑Atlantic energy partnerships are materializing into strategic ventures that could reshape offshore development across the South Atlantic Basin. At the heart of this momentum is the Brazil‑Africa energy nexus, spotlighted as a driver of deepwater collaboration and floating production expertise. As energy leaders prepare for African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 in Cape Town and its Brazil–Africa Town Hall, this evolving relationship will be crucial to scaling upstream growth on both continents.

Brazil’s decades‑long mastery of ultra‑deepwater oil and gas is now a strategic asset for African producers and investors. From the pre‑salt fields of the Santos Basin to its advanced FPSO technologies, Brazil has built a track record of executing complex offshore projects. Deployments like the 2025 Bacalhau FPSO, capable of processing 220,000 barrels per day, highlight the operational scale and technical sophistication that Brazilian companies can bring to Africa’s emerging offshore frontiers, helping to reduce development risks and accelerate production timelines.

This technical edge is a key reason Petrobras is expanding into Africa. In early 2026, Petrobras confirmed a 42.5% stake acquisition in a significant offshore exploration block in Namibia alongside TotalEnergies, marking the company’s return to African waters after focusing on domestic pre-salt fields. Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Africa has become “a main region of development outside Brazil,” with Namibia, Angola and Nigeria cited as priority markets.

Petrobras has also pursued exploration rights in South Africa’s Deep Western Orange Basin and engaged African peers through high-level forum participation. These efforts, highlighted at AEW, aim to translate Brazil’s deepwater experience into Africa’s offshore growth narrative, where geological parallels between Brazil’s pre-salt basins and African margins offer a compelling case for collaboration.

“For Africa’s energy sector to thrive – whether in deepwater, LNG or cross‑border projects – we need partners who bring capital and expertise. Brazil’s offshore pedigree and appetite to invest signal the kind of South‑South collaboration that accelerates real project delivery, unlocks value in frontier basins and drives industrial growth for both continents,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

Beyond rhetoric, energy diplomacy is translating into action. Last year’s Invest in African Energies Reception in Rio de Janeiro brought Brazilian and African stakeholders together to discuss strategic partnerships and investment prospects, setting the stage for further engagement at AEW in Cape Town.

For African producers, partnering with Brazilian companies offers access to mature offshore technologies, local content facilitation and operational models refined in challenging deepwater environments. Petrobras’ FPSOs, equipped with advanced carbon-management systems, demonstrate innovations that could be adapted to Africa’s offshore projects, balancing efficiency and environmental performance.

As the energy landscape evolves, strategic cooperation between Brazil and African nations could unlock a new era of Atlantic basin development, moving beyond traditional North-South investment patterns. Through shared expertise, aligned financing frameworks and sustained engagement – exemplified by AEW’s Brazil‑Africa agenda – the trans-Atlantic energy corridor is emerging as a priority for governments, investors and operators alike.

The AEW Town Hall promises to explore how Brazil’s offshore legacy can accelerate Africa’s next wave of offshore projects and how innovative capital structures can bridge financing gaps. With major players from both continents convening in Cape Town this year, the momentum toward operationalizing Atlantic energy partnerships is building – with implications for global supply dynamics and regional energy security.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

April 2, 2026

Draft AI policy approved for publication for public comment

Source: Government of South Africa

Draft AI policy approved for publication for public comment

Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says Cabinet has approved the publication of the draft South Africa AI policy for public comment.

The aim of the AI policy is to ensure that both the benefits and risks brought by AI are evenly distributed across society and generations.

During a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, the Minister said the policy aims to strengthen government’s ability to regulate and adopt AI responsibly, while encouraging local innovation, supporting job creation and improving access to AI skills.

“The policy is structured around six core pillars aimed at promoting the responsible development and ethical deployment of AI.

“These core pillars are capacity and talent development; AI for inclusive growth and job creation; responsible governance; ethical and inclusive AI; cultural preservation and international integration; and human centred deployment,” said the Minister.

The policy recognises that a phased approach should be adopted, as AI deployment and risk profiles differ across sectors. – SAnews.gov.za

Janine
Thu, 04/02/2026 – 15:13

72 views

April 2, 2026

So-called coronation of a Nigerian national has no legal effect

Source: Government of South Africa

So-called coronation of a Nigerian national has no legal effect

Cabinet has expressed “disgust” at the so-called coronation of a Nigerian national as an alleged chief in KuGompo City, in the Eastern Cape.

During a post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said this was “a mere kindergarten gimmick” and that it “has no legal effect”.

She said Cabinet confirmed that the establishment, recognition, and functioning of any traditional leadership structure are strictly governed by the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, which provides clear and non-negotiable procedures for legitimacy and recognition.

“Cabinet noted the apology from the Nigerian High Commission on this matter and directed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to continue engaging with the High Commission on the unacceptable conduct of Nigerians in South Africa that is unbecoming of visitors,” said the Minister.

She said it was deeply concerning that legitimate grievances over this matter have resulted in the acts of violence and criminality.

“Cabinet reminds citizens that the right to protest comes with responsibility, it must be exercised peacefully and within the confines of the law,” added the Minister. – SAnews.gov.za

Janine
Thu, 04/02/2026 – 15:03

64 views

April 2, 2026

Zimbabwe’s push to extend the president’s rule could deepen elite divisions and weaken democracy

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David B. Moore, Research Associate, Dept of Anthropology & Development Studies and Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, University of Johannesburg

Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu-PF, wants to amend the constitution through a bill in parliament. It won’t be that simple, however. Under the constitution, voters must approve such changes through a referendum.

The new bill’s most significant proposals include extending presidential and parliamentary terms by two years. This would allow Zimbabwe’s 83-year-old president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to remain in power until 2030, ending the hopes of vice-president Constantino Chiwenga reaching the presidency in 2028. Chiwenga, as the head of the armed forces, was the main organiser of the 2017 coup that brought the exiled Mnangagwa to power.

The proposals could also pave the way for further changes that help Zanu-PF realise its long-cherished dream of permanent rule. The amendment proposes ending direct presidential elections. Instead, the president would be chosen by members of parliament. Given that Zanu-PF can, and has, co-opted enough MPs to dominate parliament, this would consolidate executive power within the ruling party.

Other proposed changes include expanding the senate to 90 members and returning the electoral commission to a largely discredited registrar-general who has been accused of bias. The bill also creates a Delimitation Commission that would allow the ruling party to shift constituency boundaries.

I have researched and written on Zimbabwe’s political history and political economy since the early 1980s. In my view, these changes risk weakening already fragile democratic protections in Zimbabwe.

Extending term limits entrenches incumbency. Long-serving president Robert Mugabe established de-facto one-party rule – always contested, but maintained consistently by carefully calibrated doses of coercion, cheating and crafted consensus – in 1987 as he became executive president. This followed the genocidal Gukurahundi massacre of the 1980s when thousands of people were killed as Zimbabwe’s main opposition party was crushed.

The military forced Mugabe to resign in 2017 under “Operation Restore Legacy”. Mugabe was at the time 93. The coup was later legitimised by being given the “military-assisted transition” label.

Zanu-PF veteran Mnangagwa, who had been Mugabe’s recently fired deputy, and since 1978 his key security advisor, took on his mantle. This transition was violently consummated with a contested election in 2018 and vicious quelling of the January 2019 “stay-away” protests calling on the state to improve citizen livelihoods.

These latest proposed amendments – dubbed Agenda 2030 – point to a system where political competition is narrowed and power is more tightly controlled by the ruling party and its leaders.

What it means for Zimbabwe

Removing direct presidential elections reduces voter choice. The weakening of independent institutions – including electoral and judicial bodies – further reduces accountability.

The constitutional amendment proposes that the presidential vote take place in parliament by party-based MPs, who would likely elect one of their own.

However, the generally unpopular ruling party fears going through the necessary referendum to pass such changes. Additionally, 90 days of public consultation on constitutional amendments are needed. The Zanu-PF state has already compressed these to four days at about 65 locations, allowing about an hour each for discussion.

The first meetings were stacked with busloads of Zanu-PF supporters. And as happens during the party’s rallies, there were gifts of bikes and food as the carrots, and intimidation and threats as the sticks. Besides this mix, session chairs ignored opposition efforts to voice their opinions.

By the end of the second day of these meetings, the coalition of the three “defend the constitution” movements opposing Zanu-PF’s proposals boycotted the hearings.

No matter: Zanu-PF will either choose to push a referendum forward (with low participation) or pursue more repressive and/or judicially engineered means to secure the amendments.

What it means for Zanu-PF

The proposed constitutional amendments also have major implications within Zanu-PF itself, particularly for Chiwenga. They would effectively end his chances of becoming president in 2028.

In 2008, highly contested presidential election results forced Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to a run-off. As is widely acknowledged, Mnangagwa and Chiwenga – then leading Zimbabwe’s Joint Operations Command – agreed to let Mugabe stay on. They would strike at a more opportune time: Mnangagwa would then lead first, and Chiwenga would take power in the next term.

The severe violence during the run-off led to a transitional inclusive government. This eventually led to the development of the 2013 constitution, which introduced a two-term limit for the presidency.

At a Zanu-PF congress soon after the 2018 election, Mnangagwa announced he’d vie again in 2023.

Now, the proposed extension to 2030 effectively blocks Chiwenga’s path to the presidency. At the very least, those two years would allow Mnangagwa to consolidate his – and his family’s – power. Zanu-PF’s ever present factional tensions will be exacerbated.

As my book Mugabe’s Legacy: Coups, Conspiracies, and the Conceits of Power in Zimbabwe argues, Zanu-PF’s past and present – before, during and after the liberation war – are replete with factional fighting as those near its top seek to entrench one-party rule with its control over the country’s wealth.

What it means for opposition politics

Zimbabwe’s opposition remains fragmented and weakened. The once-powerful Movement for Democratic Change splintered and its closest successor succumbed to Zanu-PF, partly induced by its leader’s megalomania.

After the boycott of the hearings, how will the proposed constitutional amendments be stopped? Resistance to the proposals had created an opportunity for greater opposition unity.

Events such as the October 2025 firebombing of a civil society meeting meant to discuss the amendments foretold the current intimidation.

Will the changes sail through?

Success on the constitutional amendments is not guaranteed. Internal factional tensions, particularly around succession, could complicate the process. Chiwenga is far from the only challenger in Mnangagwa’s sight.

If (when?) the shambolic – yet brutal – ruling party manages to move to a post-Agenda 2030 phase, it may well crash under the weight of its own contradictions. And with it all of Zimbabwe goes.

– Zimbabwe’s push to extend the president’s rule could deepen elite divisions and weaken democracy
– https://theconversation.com/zimbabwes-push-to-extend-the-presidents-rule-could-deepen-elite-divisions-and-weaken-democracy-279792