Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email.

Elections have all too often become hollow rituals in Africa.

This month, tens of thousands of ballot boxes were set up at polling stations in Cameroon and Ivory Coast at great expense. Citizens then duly cast their votes under the watchful eye of international observers and officials announced results that handed resounding victories to serving leaders.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara votes in Abidjan on Oct. 25. Photographer: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images

The outcome was a foregone conclusion in both cases — key opposition candidates were barred from standing. Cameroon’s Paul Biya, who at 92 is the world’s oldest president, secured an eighth term, and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, 83, a fourth.

A similar scenario looks set to play out in Tanzania, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan almost certain to win reelection this week after her leading challenger was charged with treason and jailed.

And, in Guinea-Bissau, the main opposition leader has been blocked from contesting a November vote against President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

Kwame Asah-Asante, who teaches political science at the University of Ghana, warns that the playbook of holding elections that exclude the main challengers give rise to “democratic dictators” and a fertile ground for coups.

Africa already has more than its fair share of juntas — military governments control a vast swath of the Sahel region and the army recently took power in Madagascar.

It’s not all doom and gloom on the political front, though.

Senegal’s then-president ruled out plans to run for a third term after thousands of youths took to the streets in protest, while the main opposition — and ultimately victorious — candidate was released from prison shortly before last year’s election.

This year has seen smooth transitions of power in Ghana, Malawi and Seychelles.

Staging no-contest elections — a practice that isn’t unique to Africa — provides entrenched leaders with a veneer of credibility on the international stage.

Yet for citizens they may be no more than futile, and expensive, tick-box exercises. —Yinka Ibukun and Ekow Dontoh

Key stories and opinion:
World’s Oldest Ruler Biya Wins Reelection in Cameroon at 92
Ivory Coast Leader Wins Fourth Term With Main Rivals Sidelined 
Tanzania Opposition Leader Placed in Isolation Before Election
Madagascar’s Military Leader Is Sworn In as New President
Malawi President’s Return Is Triumph and Tragedy: Justice Malala

TotalEnergies and its partners will end force majeure on their liquefied natural gas project in northeast Mozambique, paving the way for work to formally resume. Plans to build the $20 billion plant were put on hold in 2021 after Islamic State-linked militants carried out a major attack on the nearby town of Palma. The restart is contingent on government approval of a revised project budget and prolonged production period.

A satellite view of TotalEnergies’ LNG project in Mozambique. Source: Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel/Getty Images

South Africa and Nigeria were taken off a global watchdog’s dirty-money list, providing a fillip for increased foreign investment in two of Africa’s largest economies. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force said the countries — along with Mozambique and Burkina Faso — would no longer be subjected to increased monitoring after their governments stepped up efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. 

Fighting engulfed a major city in western Sudan as a paramilitary unit seized a key army base, the latest twist in a civil war that’s raged for more than 30 months despite repeated attempts to broker a ceasefire. The base in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, fell to the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday. The town had became a haven for Sudanese fleeing violence elsewhere in Darfur. 

Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Photographer: AFP/Getty Images

Kenya intends setting up a sovereign wealth fund to house mineral revenue and help buffer the East African nation against economic shocks and commodity price fluctuations. The Kenya Sovereign Wealth Fund won’t invest in unlisted real estate, private equity or commodities, draft legislation shows. It also won’t lend to government entities or provide collateral for borrowing. Kenya’s natural resources include oil, gold, titanium and iron ore.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote plans to expand his giant oil refinery, creating a facility that will rival the world’s largest. The plant’s daily processing capacity will be increased to 1.4 million barrels from 650,000 barrels. Dangote said the planned investment reflects his confidence in Nigeria’s economy and is a response to rising regional demand. He intends selling as much as 10% of the refinery in an IPO to help fund the expansion.

The Dangote refinery. Photographer: Benson Ibeabuchi/Bloomberg

Malawi’s president declared a state of disaster after a warning that more than a fifth of the southern African nation’s population face food insecurity. Grain shortages have intensified due to a prolonged drought and high commodity prices, a report published by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee shows. At least 4 million people face the risk of hunger and the country needs at least 200,000 tons of corn to feed them.

Thank you for your responses to our weekly Next Africa Quiz and congratulations to Deon Fourie, who was first to correctly identify South Africa as the country that Bloomberg’s risk-o-meter study shows has Africa’s least risky economy.

Seychelles and Mauritius retained their ranking as Africa’s most attractive investment destinations, outperforming larger economies including Egypt, South Africa and Morocco, a report published by RMB shows. The two Indian Ocean island nations stood out in a year marked by significant geopolitical shifts, the lender’s chief economist Isaah Mhlanga said. 

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back in your inbox with the next edition on Friday. Send any feedback to mcohen21@bloomberg.net