Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

Obama’s Upcoming Visit to Ethiopia Recognizes Country’s ‘Enormous Importance’

Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham applauds decision to add Ethiopia to African itinerary Nearly 112 years after the United States and Ethiopia established diplomatic ties, US President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American leader ever to visit the East African nation—a visit the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham says is long overdue. “This […]

Roundtable with Côte d’Ivoire’s first lady

By Africa Center

On Monday, June 22, the Africa Center hosted a luncheon roundtable discussion with Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, to speak about her country’s work toward eradicating the child trafficking, exploitation, and labor. After a welcome and introduction from Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham, Mrs. Ouattara discussed both the progress and obstacles to […]

Boko Haram and Escalating Regional Terror

By Dafe Oputu and Kelsey Lilley

Bottom Line Up Front: • A multinational joint task force consisting of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger has driven Boko Haram from key territorial strongholds in northeastern Nigeria; on June 18, the Chadian military conducted airstrikes against six Boko Haram bases in Nigeria • But the terror group continues to launch deadly, near-daily attacks throughout […]

Free Trade Pact Highlights Egypt’s Pivot Back towards Africa

By J. Peter Pham

On Wednesday, presidents and other leaders representing twenty-six African countries meeting at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh signed an agreement to launch a “Cape to Cairo” free trade zone spanning the length of the continent. The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), as it will formally be known, will embrace three of Africa’s […]

Discussion with new ambassador of Niger

By Africa Center

As a key actor in West Africa and the Sahel, the Republic of Niger faces a number of regional challenges. The country has been impacted by conflicts in neighboring Libya, Mali, and Nigeria. At home, the Nigerien government struggles to bring economic and educational opportunities to the country’s rapidly expanding youth population.   On June […]

Crisis in Burundi: The Missed Ethnic Dimension

By J. Peter Pham

Reading recent pronouncements about the crisis in Burundi issued by the US State Department, one would think that the ambitions of incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza for a third term are the only real issue. Of course, the question of whether he can and should seek another five years in office raise, respectively, serious, distinct issues […]

Kabila’s Plan B for the Congo

By J. Peter Pham

In power for more than a decade and a half with precious little to show for it and yet facing the possibility of a one-way ticket to the International Criminal Court at The Hague should he ever yield the presidency, it is no wonder that Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) […]

The Cost of Kenyan Corruption

In Swahili, a language spoken throughout East and Central Africa, “kitu kidogo” means “a little something.” In Kenya, the phrase is shorthand for the small bribes necessary to navigate virtually any encounter with Kenyan officialdom. In Nairobi, the country’s capital, it is wise to factor in extra time, and a lot of extra patience, for […]

Reasons for Cheer in Election of African Development Bank’s New President

By J. Peter Pham

On Thursday, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina, was elected the new President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) during the fiftieth annual meeting of the multilateral financial institution in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The choice of the dapper, bow tie-sporting 55-year-old economist is not only a personal victory of the man, but […]

Women, Water, and Youth: Roundtable with Dr. Susan Mboya, President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation

By Africa Center

Across Africa, water is a vital resource for the development of healthy and prosperous communities. Too often, however, communities find that safe water for drinking, sanitation, and hygiene is either too scarce or too expensive to access, a burden which disproportionately affects women and youth. On May 21, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center, in cooperation […]