Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

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.

South Sudan: ‘A Problem Child’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Years of conflict, a dysfunctional government, and the international community’s failure to impose tough and meaningful sanctions have contributed to the crippling food insecurity that has caused tens of thousands of people to flee South Sudan, according to the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham. “No rational farmer anywhere in the world is going to plant […]

Briefing on post-election Niger

By Africa Center

On Tuesday, March 29, the Africa Center hosted a briefing with Her Excellency Hassana Alidou, Ambassador to the United States of the Republic of Niger, who provided an update on the country’s recent presidential election. Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham welcomed attendees and introduced Alidou. In her remarks, Alidou identified several successes relating to […]

Senegal Consolidates Its Constitutional Democracy

By J. Peter Pham

While a number of African rulers—most notably Joseph Kabila of the rather ironically named Democratic Republic of the Congo whose ham-fisted attempts to prolong his presidency threaten to reignite the continent’s most bloody conflict—have been trying to extend their tenures by all possible means, fair or foul, voters in Senegal were asked in a March […]

Roundtable Discussion with the Foreign Minister of Somalia

By Africa Center

 On Wednesday, March 23, the Africa Center hosted a roundtable discussion with His Excellency Dr. Abdusalam H. Omer, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion of the Federal Republic of Somalia.