Africa Program

The Africa Program analyzes key trends shaping Africa’s present, future, and the continent’s evolving role globally. By centering African knowledge and agency, the program conducts forward-thinking research to foster debate and inform U.S. policy toward African countries.

Through examining the complex and rapidly evolving trends shaping Africa’s present and future, the CSIS Africa Program works to address the most pressing public policy issues facing Africa and U.S.-Africa relations. The Africa Program produces balanced and forward-thinking analysis to inform policy, foster solutions, and deepen understanding of Africa’s role in global affairs and its relations with the United States and the rest of the world. We achieve our mission through public convenings, working group discussions, publications, and partnerships with African think tanks and academic institutions. This work aims to foster dialogue that brings together key practitioners, policymakers, private sector leaders, and subject matter experts to analyze and develop practical options for addressing important challenges and opportunities in Africa as well as the continent’s evolving geostrategic role.

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Focus Areas

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People, Power, Politics

From the evolving security and governance landscape to the rapid pace of demographic shifts, digitization, and urbanization, Africa is undergoing a profound emergence as an integral part of the new global order.

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Financing Africa's Future

Africa’s development pathway requires creative thinking and bold international cooperation that recognizes the continent’s unique challenges and opportunities. Innovative financing and strategic foresight are integral to bridging Africa’s infrastructure financing gap.

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Africa, the United States, and the World

The relationship between the United States and Africa is undergoing a vital evolution amidst a shifting geopolitical landscape. This moment calls for nuanced and adaptive approaches that balance U.S. interests with African priorities.

Featured Projects

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African Elections Tracking and Analysis

This project seeks to track, analyze, and report on elections across Africa, many of which shape the continent’s trajectory in global politics in the coming decades.

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Africa Policy Accelerator

The Africa Policy Accelerator (APA) is a professional network that meets monthly to discuss current political, economic, and security developments shaping U.S.-Africa relations. Through discussions and guest speakers, APA addresses challenges and provides career insights.

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Latest Publications

Photo: MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images

False Choices: Balancing Democracy and Development in U.S. Africa Policy

The shift in U.S. foreign policy to prioritize commercial diplomacy over democracy support presents a false dichotomy. As African partners adjust to the U.S. retreat as an advocate for democracy, this approach risks long-term consequences for U.S.-Africa relations.

Commentary by Oge Onubogu and Khasai Makhulo — October 21, 2025

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Recent Events

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Into Africa

Into Africa Banner

Fearless music activists. Savvy tech entrepreneurs. Social disrupters. Into Africa shatters narratives that dominate U.S. perceptions of Africa. With the world’s youngest population, the decisions made across Africa today—good or bad—will shape the world’s future. Featuring in-depth interviews, the CSIS Africa Program sits down with policymakers, journalists, academics, and other trailblazers in African affairs to shine a spotlight on the people and stories shaping cultural, political, and economic trends across the continent today and for decades to come.

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Africa in the Wider World: Africa Opening or Closing?

All but unknown and little discussed by the foreign policy community in Washington are two related phenomena playing out in Africa and other parts of the Global South: the opportunities of the open agenda and the formidable challenges of closing space around civil society.

Report by Richard Downie — July 24, 2014

Africa in the Wider World

The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit, being hosted by President Barack Obama in August 2014, acknowledges the increasing strategic, economic, and diplomatic importance of Africa and signals a desire by the United States to step up its engagement with one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.

Report by Richard Downie, William M. Bellamy, Heather A. Conley, Jennifer Cooke, Talia Dubovi, Nicole Goldin, Sarah O. Ladislaw, Robert D. Lamb, Haim Malka, Carl Meacham, Sarah Mendelson, J. Stephen Morrison, Jean-Francois Pactet, Richard M. Rossow, Daniel F. Runde and CSIS Africa Program — July 22, 2014

Security and Nigeria's National Elections

Panelists examine the security situation at the national level and highlight innovative strategies being employed on the ground in violence-prone communities to anticipate, prevent, and militate against conflict. 

Event — July 14, 2014