Africa Up Close

Given the rate at which young populations in many African countries are expanding, the continent promises to emerge as a major consumption market in the coming decades. Over 75% of Africa’s current population is under the age of 35, and by 2030, 42% of the world’s young people are expected to reside in African nations. These statistics point to the potential for the continent to develop itself and contribute largely to innovative spaces and the world economy. However, for the continent to compete in world markets, technology will be critical to help this emerging population of leaders and doers reach their full potential and take their rightful place in the world.

Climate change has thrown East Africa into its worst drought in over four decades, contributing to widespread acute food insecurity and displacement. While climate change is not the sole contributor to these calamities—socio- and geopolitical factors are also to blame—it acts as a threat multiplier, aggravating underlying socio-political tensions and increasing communities’ susceptibility to political and economic insecurity.

This blog was originally posted on NewSecurityBeat, a blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.

On February 25, Nigeria will hold its presidential election. The stakes of this ballot could not be any higher—especially for the climate. Climate change is an existential and current reality in Nigeria, and the coming decade will be crucial to meet the nation’s sustainable development goals. It will take political will to make climate justice a reality, and Nigerians now have the opportunity to choose leaders who will either make or mar the action to address this threat.

One of the most interesting accounts on Twitter may be a relatively new one: that of His Excellency Mohammed El Senussi, the pretender to the throne of Libya, who established a presence on Twitter earlier this month. Twitter has thus far had little resonance in Libya, which is home to one of the lowest Twitter account numbers per capita in the Arab world. Yet, his account has been surprisingly successful, with some posts getting thousands of interactions.

This blog was originally posted on NewSecurityBeat, a blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.

When a military-led or military-influenced coup d’état occur in a foreign country, does evidence from demographic research merit consideration in the U.S. foreign policy response? It’s a question that U.S. policymakers should be asking as deteriorating political conditions in West Africa come increasingly into confluence with the limited tools available either to deter or respond to illegal and extra-legal forms of political succession.

On November 2, 2022, representatives from Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a cessation of hostilities agreement, ending an almost two-year war that had devastated the country. The agreement, which was brokered in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, was the result of several days of mediation talks led by the African Union (AU) and facilitated by a team comprised of the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa: former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, and former Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

In 2022, Kenya shipped car batteries and tea to Ghana, its first deliveries in a pilot program of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

The world’s largest free-trade pact, which took effect in January 2021, aims to facilitate and increase trade across Africa. Kenya and Ghana are among eight countries taking part in the AfCFTA pact’s trial phase.

The battery shipment marked Nairobi-based Associated Battery Manufacturers Ltd.’s entry into the West African market, according to finance manager Nixon Paloma. He said the company, which specializes in automotive and solar batteries, previously had traded only with other East and Southern Africa regional blocs.  

On January 3, 2023, the Africa Program at the Wilson Center formally welcomed Ms. Oge Onubogu as its new Director.

Onubogu most recently was the Director of the West Africa Program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where she led the strategic development and expansion of USIP’s portfolio in Nigeria and Coastal West Africa. In this position, she oversaw the design and implementation of projects to mitigate violent conflict, promote inclusion, and strengthen community-oriented security by partnering with African and U.S. policymakers, civic leaders, and organizations.

Introduction

Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe are some of the countries with either the most pressing security situations or the longest-standing democratic regressions or stagnations in Africa. The countries in the Sahel have been afflicted by continuous internal and cross-border security challenges, such as intense armed conflict and severe terrorist attacks spearheaded by Jihadist groups like Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and Ambazonia separatists as well as Islamic State-linked groups. Political instability characterized by a slow pace of reforms, economic malaise, and public discontent marred Sudan’s democratic transition. South Sudan has been struggling with the effects of civil war to attain stability. Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe have all seen different variations of coups and growing authoritarianism in the last couple of years. Libya is in the throes of armed conflict between two rival administrations. Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, government forces are mired in an intractable conflict with Tigrayan nationalists. Mozambique is only just managing to contain an Islamist insurgency in its Cabo Delgado region.

This blog was originally posted on NewSecurityBeat, a blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.

Often cast into the backwaters of U.S. foreign policy, sub-Saharan Africa now looms large as the Biden Administration grapples with a wide range of global challenges. President Biden will soon host the upcoming Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, that acknowledges the U.S. government must do much more in Africa in order to advance U.S. interests and global prosperity.

Africa will play an increasingly important role in the global economy in this century. The war in Ukraine and China’s increasingly aggressive international posture have wiped away Western somnolence. Seeking to counter Russian and Chinese influence on the continent, the U.S. and its Western partners now are scrambling for Africa’s resources and diplomatic support.