Region
Africa
African economies, strategic resources, political trajectories, trade, security and regional integration.
24 published articles
Overview
Africa is playing an increasingly important role in global economic, demographic and geopolitical balances. This section examines the continent’s transformations through its different regions, development models, resources, trade dynamics, institutions, security challenges and relations with major powers. Particular attention is given to national trajectories, regional interdependencies and the structural changes likely to shape the continent’s future.
Featured
Libya: The Economics of Division
Fifteen years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains trapped in a political transition with no clear end. Behind the rivalry between Tripoli and the country's eastern authorities, institutional fragmentation has produced a political economy in which hydrocarbons, armed
AnalysisRecent publications
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AfricaWestern Sahara: The Break
On October 30, 2026, the United Nations Security Council failed to renew MINURSO's mandate. Russia vetoed a US-sponsored draft resolution supported by eleven members, before a competing proposal from Moscow was rejected for lack of a majority. Hours later, Morocco's Royal Cabinet
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AfricaBotswana: The Limits of Success
When Botswana gained independence on September 30, 1966, it displayed few of the characteristics usually associated with a future economic success story. Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, it had limited infrastructure, a small population, an embryonic industrial
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AfricaAlgeria–Niger: Military Power, Strategic Resources and the New Geopolitical Battle for the Sahel
Algeria's decision to deploy military forces to Niger marks a potentially historic shift in Algiers' security doctrine. Behind this development lies a much broader transformation: the redistribution of power between North Africa and the Sahel, competition over energy and mineral
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AfricaSudan: The Cross-Border Economy of War
From fuel transported across borders to gold exported through regional trading networks, Sudan’s war depends on an economy extending far beyond its national territory. A deadly attack on a market near the border with South Sudan reveals a deeper reality: commercial networks, logi
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AfricaWestern Sahara: Washington Moves to Rewrite the Rules
With the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara approaching expiration, the United States is seeking to fundamentally reshape the political and institutional framework governing the dispute. After introducing an ambitious initial draft, Washington softened several provisions in a revised version circulated on October 26, 2026.
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AfricaMauritania: The Rise of a Power Between the Atlantic and the Sahara?
Long regarded as a transitional territory between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritania now occupies a distinctive position in the continent’s geopolitical and economic transformation. Its mineral resources, emerging natural gas industry, renewable energy potential, and
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AfricaAfrica: The 4.5% Trap
Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow by 4.5% in both 2026 and 2027, according to the International Monetary Fund's latest projections. Behind this resilience to global turbulence, however, lies a less reassuring reality: a regional economy that continues to expand without trans
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AfricaAfrica: The Battle for Resources Enters a New Era
For more than a century, much of Africa's mining economy has followed a relatively simple geographical pattern. Resources were extracted on the continent, transported to ports, and shipped to foreign industrial centers, where they acquired most of their added value.
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AfricaDangote: The Refinery Faces the Market
It took nearly $20 billion, more than a decade of construction and an industrial ambition rarely seen on the continent to build the Dangote refinery.
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AfricaKenya: Ambition Under Pressure
Kenya occupies a singular position on the African map. It is neither the continent’s most populous country, nor its dominant economy, nor a major military power.
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AfricaMorocco: The Theatre of the Ballot Box
Morocco is three weeks away from a legislative election. Political parties are finalising their lists, candidates are entering constituencies, manifestos are beginning to emerge, alliances are being tested and the country has once again adopted the familiar vocabulary of representative democracy.
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AfricaEgypt: The Weight of the World
Some countries derive their importance from wealth, others from military power, technology, or their ability to project influence beyond their borders. Egypt belongs to a different category. Its importance begins with geography.