AfricaSource

Will events in Chad force a reset of Sahel strategy?

By Cameron Hudson

In the last week, several columns of rebel fighters have entered Chad from neighboring Libya with the intention of unseating long-time strongman and friend of the West Idriss Déby Itno, Chad’s ruler for the past thirty years. How France and the United States respond may cause repercussions for years to come.

The digital infrastructure imperative in African markets

By Aubrey Hruby

Over the past two decades, Chinese companies have come to dominate the telecom infrastructure landscape in emerging markets. The United States can slow and possibly erode these Chinese gains by promoting innovative US technologies and providing resources to help unleash the second wave of the internet revolution in African countries.

Keys to African recovery: Vaccines, debt, and commodities

By Rabah Arezki

In the wake of COVID-19, African markets are consumed by uncertainty about the economic recovery. Because of its large population—1.2 billion people—developments in Africa will weigh heavily on the world. The recovery from COVID-19 in Africa will depend on three factors—vaccines, debt, and commodities.

Africa’s real strategic import for the green economy

By J. Peter Pham

Among its efforts to address climate change, the Biden administration has laid out an ambitious agenda for a clean energy revolution. This will require significant quantities of raw materials. And here the African continent has an important role to play.

Financing post-COVID recovery in Africa: Lessons from the AFC-DFC partnership

By Africa Center

How can African economies recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? Sanjeev Gupta of the Africa Finance Corporation and Danielle Montgomery of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation join Senior Fellow Aubrey Hruby to discuss a recent partnership to address Africa's infrastructure deficit and spur economic growth.

The unintended consequence of Ethiopia’s civil war might be a border war with Sudan

Ethiopia is at war with itself—and the international community is struggling to respond. The stakes in Tigray are high and the civilian toll could be considerable. But there’s another scenario, with the potential to exact an even higher toll, that many observers are overlooking: conventional war that could break out at any moment between Sudan and Ethiopia and their many allied proxies.

African outlook 2021: The Africa Center reflects on 2020 and looks ahead

By Africa Center

African nations have mostly escaped the heavy death toll and hospital bed shortages faced by Western countries, but the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a disproportionately severe blow to the continent’s economic ambitions. Fortunately, robust collaboration between African public and private sectors, and particularly innovative financing measures from African development institutions—including members of the Africa Center’s […]

What Sudan’s terror delisting really means

The announcement today that the forty-five day notification period to Congress had elapsed and Sudan was finally off the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list is historic. It validates the new direction of the country, which it was set upon nearly two years ago by nationwide, peaceful street protests. More importantly, it represents a definitive break with Sudan’s troubled past—the true end of the Bashir era, which began more than thirty years ago—and holds out the hope for a more prosperous future for all Sudanese. The weight of the moment cannot be understated.

Startup Acts are the next form of policy innovation in Africa

By Jordan Wolken

Africa's COVID recession certainly hasn’t hit the continent's tech industry. In fact, as countries adapt to the expanding digital universe created by COVID-19, technology ecosystems across the continent are booming—and global investors have noticed. Attempting to cash in, African countries are trying to bolster their own innovation ecosystems through supportive legislation.

Data remains a weak spot for African elections, but Ghana can lead the way

By Luke Tyburski

Ghana, with elections slated for December 7, may be the most robust environment for domestic election monitoring on the African continent. But fieldwork conducted in January 2020 confirmed that most stakeholders still find that data is a “weak spot.” This is not to say that peace and credibility are in doubt in Ghana’s election, but by better leveraging existing data resources, Ghana has an opportunity to champion transparency and set an example for regional peers.