Programs

The Atlantic Council’s Africa Center promotes dynamic geopolitical partnerships with African states and helps redirect US and European policy priorities toward strengthening security and bolstering economic growth and prosperity on the continent.

Content

Event Recap

Jan 11, 2012

Repercussions of developments in Nigeria for US interests and regional stability

By Africa Center

On January 11, 2012, the Atlantic Council organized a conference call briefing with J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center, to discuss the extremist militant sect Boko Haram and rising security challenge it poses to Nigeria. Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson moderated discussion. As the most populous country in Africa, the fourth […]

Extremism Nigeria

New Atlanticist

Jan 3, 2012

The Islamist threat to Africa’s rise in 2012

By J. Peter Pham

The biggest story out of Africa last year did not occupy the headlines the way dramatic revolutions in the Maghreb, civil strife in West Africa, the independence of South Sudan, famine in the Horn of Africa, piracy off the Somali coast, fraud-ridden elections in the ironically-named Democratic Republic of the Congo, and various other developments […]

Extremism Sahel

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2011

A (Slightly) Merrier Christmas in Mogadishu

By Peter Pham

While billions of people around the world join in Christmas celebrations this weekend, there will be few outward signs of holiday cheer, religious or otherwise, in the onetime Somali capital of Mogadishu.  

Somalia
Briefing and Discussion with Sheikh Hersi Mohamed Hilowle

Event Recap

Dec 16, 2011

Briefing and Discussion with Sheikh Hersi Mohamed Hilowle

By Adrienne Chuck

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted an off-the-record briefing and discussion for US government officials and academic experts working on Somalia with Sheikh Hersi Mohamud Hilowle “Laba-Garre,” chairman of Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a (ASWJ), a Somali military and political group with a strong following among the country’s Sufis.

Somalia
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security

Event Recap

Dec 13, 2011

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security

By Adrienne Chuck

On December 13, the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a panel discussion on “Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security,” chaired by Atlantic Council Board Director Admiral Henry G. Ulrich III, USN (Ret.).

Maritime Security North & West Africa

Event Recap

Nov 9, 2011

Ripples across the sands: The impact of the fall of Gaddafi on security in the Maghreb and Sahel

By Africa Center

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a panel discussion, “Ripples Across the Sands: The Impact of the Fall of Gaddafi on Security in the Maghreb and Sahel,” featuring remarks by Geoff D. Porter, President, North Africa Risk Consulting, Inc.; Fadel Lamen, President, American Libyan Council; Roger J. Peña, Senior Legislative Assistant for Defense and […]

Libya Sahel
Towards Regional Security Cooperation in North and West Africa: Mali, Mauritania, and Niger

Event Recap

Nov 8, 2011

Towards regional security cooperation in North and West Africa: Mali, Mauritania, and Niger

By Africa Center

On Tuesday, November 8th, the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a luncheon roundtable. The discussion, moderated by Center director J. Peter Pham, featured remarks from H.E. Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali; H.E. Aminata Djibrilla Maïga Touré, Counselor to the Foreign Minister of […]

Libya North & West Africa
Famine in the Horn: Assessing the US Response

Event Recap

Oct 27, 2011

Famine in the Horn: Assessing the US Response

By Adrienne Chuck

On October 27, the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a discussion on the US response to the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa, featuring remarks by Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for democracy, conflict, and humanitarian assistance at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

East Africa

Event Recap

Oct 5, 2011

Whither South Sudan?

By Adrienne Chuck

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a high-level off-the-record briefing and discussion on the challenges facing the Republic of South Sudan, which achieved its independence as Africa’s fifty-fourth sovereign state on July 9, 2011.

East Africa

Event Recap

Sep 23, 2011

From North Korea to South Sudan: The Path of Crisis and the European Response

By Jason Harmala

On September 23, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Relations Program hosted a conversation with Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. The Commissioner discussed the EU’s role in disaster response and the current challenges faced by her office. As Commissioner, she has overseen the EU response to humanitarian crises such as […]

East Africa European Union

Experts