Editor's note

Presidents in Africa just don’t seem to be able to stop themselves from fiddling with term limits. The referendum in Burundi, on whether or not to extend the country’s presidential term from five to seven years, is the latest example. Others have either abolished, amended or ignored them. Cheryl Hendricks and Gabriel Ngah Kiven warn that there’s likely to be large-scale political violence if the trend continues on the continent.

South Africa has launched several initiatives to try and deal with a reading crisis in its schools after statistics released last year showed that almost 80% of young children can’t read for meaning. Ingrid Willenberg explains that while increasing access to libraries and fostering a broader reading culture are worthwhile, the buck ultimately stops with the education department because inadequate instruction is the root cause.

Climate change could shrink areas in which cocoa plants are grown by 30%. This has the potential of threatening supplies to chocolate producers. Philippe Vaast explains how shade trees could help protect the cocoa - but they must be suited to the farmers’ needs.

Caroline Southey

Editor

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Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza is one of many authoritarian African leaders. AMISOM Public Information/Flickr

Presidential term limits: slippery slope back to authoritarianism in Africa

Cheryl Hendricks, University of Johannesburg; Gabriel Ngah Kiven, University of Johannesburg

More leaders in more African countries will abolish term limits unless organisations like the African Union take action.

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