Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

Update on Recent Developments in the DRC

By Africa Center

On Thursday, April 21, the Africa Center hosted Richard Gittleman, President and Executive Director of United for Africa’s Democratic Future, for a luncheon roundtable on recent developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham welcomed participants and set the stage for the discussion, explaining that presidential elections in […]

South Sudan: Paging Dr. Riek

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Vice President’s absence from Juba speaks to a lack of trust in President Salva Kiir, says Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham Riek Machar’s failure to return to Juba this week to take up his duties as Vice President of South Sudan has been met with statements of dismay from the international community, but his no-show […]

Urban Africa’s Big Chance

By Kelsey Lilley and Stephanie Sparrow

In popular imagination of Africa, the continent is more famous for its savannahs than its skyscrapers. Sub-Saharan Africa’s total urbanized population is just 37 percent, compared to nearly 75 percent of European Union citizens who live in cities. Africa’s rural population has always been larger than its urban population. But that is changing, and in […]

Harnessing Africa’s Demographic Dividend

By Julian Wyss and Erina Iwami

As the global downturn in commodity prices and the decreasing demand and investment from China begin to stymie Africa’s historical drivers of economic growth, one of the continent’s largest potential assets—its workforce—is taking off. Africa’s high fertility rates are leading to a demographic shift that will have profound consequences for the region’s long-term economic outlook.

Briefing by Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Toby Lanzer

By Africa Center

On Friday, April 15, the Africa Center hosted Toby Lanzer, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, for a luncheon roundtable on peace and security in the Sahel region.

Millions in Nigeria are Starving, Warns UN Official

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram insurgency seen as main factor in humanitarian crisis Millions of people are starving in northeastern Nigeria and efforts to reach out to Boko Haram—the Islamist militant group directly responsible for their plight—to ensure a space to deliver humanitarian aid have been met by silence, a senior United Nations official said on April 15. […]

Africa’s ‘Perfect Storm’

By Kelsey Lilley

Opportunity seen to embrace reforms in period of slow growth A combination of rapidly declining commodity prices and an economic downturn in the world’s emerging markets has created a “perfect storm” of economic troubles for African countries, said panelists at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center on April 14. J. Peter Pham, […]

Launch of ‘Embracing Impact’

By Africa Center

On Thursday, April 14, the Africa Center hosted a panel discussion occasioned by the publication of the new Atlantic Council issue brief, Embracing Impact: How Africa Can Overcome the Emerging Market Downturn, by Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham and Senior Fellow Aubrey Hruby.

Impressions from a Trip to Japan

For one week in February, an Atlantic Council team and peers from Washington-based academic institutions and think tanks visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Saijo, and Miyajima to learn about the culture, traditions, and international policies of Japan. We attended meetings with representatives of government agencies, private companies, and local think tanks. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored […]

Breakfast Roundtable in Honor of The President of the Gabonese Republic

By Africa Center

On Thursday, March 31, the Africa Center hosted a breakfast in honor of His Excellency Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic.