Mvemba Phezo Dizolele

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Africa Program
Mvemba Phezo Dizolele

Mvemba Phezo Dizolele is a senior associate with the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, he was a senior fellow and director of the Africa Program. He is also a lecturer in African studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Prior to CSIS, he was the Africa senior adviser at the International Republican Institute. Previously, he served as the course coordinator for central and southern Africa at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. He was also a Peter J. Duignan distinguished visiting fellow and a national fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Dizolele has testified for both chambers of the U.S. Congress, as well as at the UN Security Council. He has served as an international election monitor and delegate in several countries, including Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he was also embedded with UN peacekeepers in Ituri and South Kivu as a reporter. Dizolele’s analyses have been published in the Journal of Democracy, New York Times, Newsweek International, International Herald Tribune, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, New Republic, Forbes, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and other outlets. A frequent commentator on African affairs, he has been a guest analyst on PBS’s NewsHour and Foreign Exchange; NPR’s Tell Me More, On Point, and the Diane Rehm Show; BBC’s World News Update; and Al Jazeera’s The Stream, NewsHour, and Inside Story. Dizolele holds an international MBA and an MPP from the University of Chicago. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and is fluent in French, Norwegian, Spanish, Swahili, Kikongo, and Lingala and proficient in Danish and Swedish. He is the author of the forthcoming biography, Mobutu: The Rise and Fall of the Leopard King (Random House).

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Into Africa

Bridging Africa’s Health Financing Crisis

Mvemba is joined by Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa CDC, to discuss the importance of good governance, private sector investment, and strategic planning in strengthening Africa’s domestic resource mobilization.

Podcast Episode by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele and Dr. Jean Kaseya — June 26, 2025

CSIS Into Africa

Africa’s Complicated Democratic Landscape

Africa’s upcoming year of elections signals both great promise and potential peril. Despite its growing population’s increasing demands for responsive governance, economic opportunity, and equitable treatment, many of their aspirations remain unmet.

Report by Cameron Hudson, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, and Khasai Makhulo — June 17, 2025

Into Africa

Peter Obi on Leadership with Integrity

Peter Obi joins Into Africa to stress that tackling Nigeria’s challenges starts with leaders of integrity and youth-focused reforms.

Podcast Episode by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — June 5, 2025

CSIS Into Africa
Audio Briefs

Why Citizens Should Shape the Future of the Democratic Republic of Congo

An audio version of “⁠Why Citizens Should Shape the Future of the Democratic Republic of Congo⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Albert Zeufack, Ruxandra Burdescu, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, James Robinson, and Jonathan Weigel. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Albert Zeufack, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, James Robinson, and Jonathan Weigel — May 23, 2025

Audio Briefs

Why Citizens Should Shape the Future of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Citizen engagement can unlock the Democratic Republic of Congo’s potential by leveraging its vibrant civil society and inclusive governance to build peace, mend the social contract, and drive development.

Commentary by Albert Zeufack, Ruxandra Burdescu, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, James Robinson, and Jonathan Weigel — May 23, 2025

Into Africa

Solving Africa’s Housing Deficit

Thierno-Habib Hann joins to explore how finance and partnerships are reshaping Africa’s urban future.

Podcast Episode by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — May 22, 2025

CSIS Into Africa
Into Africa

The Congo, the Cold War, and Capitol Hill

Steve Weissman discusses Cold War-era U.S.-Africa ties, authoritarianism, and Congress’s role in principled foreign policy.

Podcast Episode by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — May 8, 2025

CSIS Into Africa
Into Africa

Navigating Africa's Environmental Dilemma

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu joins to explore Africa’s climate challenges, carbon markets, and global environmental influence.

Podcast Episode by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — April 24, 2025

CSIS Into Africa