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Abstract
This article ties the main issues raised in research notes that have been published by African Affairs. Research notes are dedicated to discussions of issues that arise in producing knowledge on Africa. These notes, drawn from rich experiences, tackle the above and other questions from various angles. The arguments and proposals presented are crucial for understanding the mutability of approaches and also raise important questions about how to sustain observed improvements and consolidate accrued gains towards a more fruitful, ethical, and fairer endeavour of studying Africa. These notes will inform and challenge academics in their thinking about issues ranging from methods and research design to negotiating their stakes in policy research partnerships. Africanists researchers will have to reflect deeply and selectively on what methodological approaches would best answer Africa's peculiar problems. Africanists can engage in meaningful research when critique is deployed in selecting the methodology and possibly in getting the right research question. The insights from the notes might play a useful role on syllabi to help train and socialize the next generation of Africanists in the values of practical ethics and sustainable research engagements. Heterodox research methodologies will dominate the field of African studies for many years to come. And Africanists researchers should not allow their disciplinary or epistemic rules hold them back from using innovative methodologies to contribute to the intellectual output of the continent.

"Activism of Political Parties in Africa" published on by Oxford University Press.

This paper has two main aims. First, it explores the return of young Ghanaian migrants from Libya following the uprising in 2011. Secondly, the paper is interested in the role state agencies played in the repatriation and resettlement of returnees. Migrants from some 120 countries living in Libya were directly affected by the conflict. The breakdown of law and order saw Ghanaian migrants become targets when the rebels accused the Gaddafi regime of recruiting mercenaries from Sub-Saharan Africa to help put down the rebellion. The conflict brought up the issue of migration management in times of crisis. What was the response of the government of Ghana to its citizens caught up in the crisis? Through a qualitative study of official documents, newspaper reports and in-depth interviews, the paper discusses migration and state responses within a political economy perspective. It posits that Ghanaian migration patterns show no significant difference between the various time periods. However, the characteristics of migrants have changed. Thus, it appears the country has witnessed an increased emigration of young people during the last two decades.

ABSTRACTCompetition for the executive leadership of a political party and the distribution of state patronage in Ghana is influenced by factional alignments and group interests. In December 2008 the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regained political power, and within months rifts appeared over the allocation of ministerial portfolios. The intra-party murmurings became public when two factions supported rival candidacies for the party's presidential nomination. The pro-Rawlings faction supported the candidacy of Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, and the anti-Rawlings bloc backed President John Evans Atta Mills. Drawing on Boucek's (2009) typology of factionalism, this article argues that factionalism within the NDC is a dynamic and complex process of informal groupings competing and jockeying for power to satisfy members' interests. It draws three conclusions: party factions are ad hoc groupings that are nurtured into a power bloc, and are constellated around particular individuals; factional conflicts are not rooted in ideology, but are based on differences in policy goals, interests and patronage; and, finally, factionalism fluctuates between cooperative and competitive phases.

This paper has two main aims. First, it explores the return of young Ghanaian migrants from Libya following the uprising in 2011. Secondly, the paper is interested in the role state agencies played in the repatriation and resettlement of returnees. Migrants from some 120 countries living in Libya were directly affected by the conflict. The breakdown of law and order saw Ghanaian migrants become targets when the rebels accused the Gaddafi regime of recruiting mercenaries from Sub-Saharan Africa to help put down the rebellion. The conflict brought up the issue of migration management in times of crisis. What was the response of the government of Ghana to its citizens caught up in the crisis? Through a qualitative study of official documents, newspaper reports and in-depth interviews, the paper discusses migration and state responses within a political economy perspective. It posits that Ghanaian migration patterns show no significant difference between the various time periods. However, the characteristics of migrants have changed. Thus, it appears the country has witnessed an increased emigration of young people during the last two decades. ; George M. Bob-Milliar