<p>Sub-Saharan Africa is a study in diversity. Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, the region is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources. It&rsquo;s no surprise that it captured the imagination of Europe&rsquo;s earliest explorers &mdash; and that it continues to capture the imagination of current world powers eager to exploit it. And yet despite the region&rsquo;s diversity, Sub-Saharan African countries have common challenges &mdash; transnational terrorism, rapid population growth, endemic poverty and corruption &mdash; that prevent them from capitalizing on their economic potential. The coming years will be critical for the region, especially as its political institutions mature in a rapidly globalizing world.</p>

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

The Politics of Pipelines

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Nigeria: Obstacles to Prosperity

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Crossing Borders

A Crude Recovery

Globalization

China in Transition

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Assessments

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sits in his office as he speaks to journalists at Villa Somalia, the palace and principal workplace of the president, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia.

Military & Security

Politics

President Mohamud's attempt to extend his term could prompt opposition forces to form a parallel administration and lead to a federal military intervention in Jubaland state.

Somalia Descends Into Another Constitutional Crisis

South Asia

IMF officials participate in an economic outlook briefing in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026.

Economics

Energy

The sharp increase in global oil and fertilizer costs will force import-reliant, low-income nations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to choose between fiscal discipline and maintaining social stability.

Iran War Price Shocks Will Hit Low-Income Energy Importers Hardest

The Dangote petroleum refinery plant is seen in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 6, 2026.

Nigeria will enjoy a short-term revenue boost from elevated oil prices, but the potential for renewed instability in the Niger Delta could undermine efforts to increase oil production.

Nigeria's Oil Gains From Iran War Face Old Challenges

Media

United States

France

Podcasts

How have dynamics evolved since France and the United States withdrew from the region? 

The Decision Advantage: Jihadist Insurgency in the Sahel and West Africa

Columns

On Geopolitics

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Social Issues

Demographic decline, driven by falling fertility rates worldwide, is likely irreversible but will also increasingly differentiate countries based on their ability to adapt through sound immigration, labor, technological and fiscal policies.

Adapting to Demographic Decline: Policy Tradeoffs and Global Divergences

Iran

Israel

China

Taiwan

Vietnam

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Environment, Science & Technology

As competition for natural resources and critical raw materials intensifies, companies -- not just countries -- must be more mindful of risks in their physical supply chains.

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources: An Introduction

Cyber

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The second quarter will test global resilience as lingering conflicts and energy shocks converge to heighten economic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

A general view of power lines near the Lethabo power station between Vereeniging and Sasolburg, South Africa, on April 17, 2024.

Although South Africa's power sector reforms remain years from completion, their gradual advancement will still attract investment in energy projects that support the country's long-term energy security and decarbonization goals.

The Outlook for South Africa's Power Sector Reforms and Energy Security

While far from deterministic, demographics plays a key role in influencing a country's domestic and international politics, as well as its economic and financial development.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: Politics and Economics

A commission of inquiry instructed by the Tanzanian government to investigate violence during and after Tanzania's October 2025 elections found that a total of 518 people had died of "unnatural causes," including 502 civilians and 16 members of the security forces, The Citizen reported on April 23. 

Tanzania: Government-Backed Inquiry Finds 518 Died of 'Unnatural Causes' in Election-Related Violence

Angola's Minister of State for Economic Coordination Jose de Lima Massano said the Angolan government was foreseeing a windfall of around 3.2 trillion kwanza ($3.5 billion, or around 2.4% of GDP) in 2026 assuming an average price of $80 per barrel of oil by the end of 2026, Ver Angola reported on April 22.

Angola: Government Foresees $3.5B Windfall in 2026 From Higher Oil Prices

Niger's junta is considering introducing compulsory military conscription in efforts to boost troop numbers and strengthen national defense capacity amid a worsening jihadist insurgency, Bloomberg reported on April 22. 

Niger: Junta Considers Military Conscription Amid Strained Counterinsurgency Capacity

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, said it will reestablish Tigray's executive and legislative institutions in an apparent attempt to restore elements of the region's pre-2020 war governance structure, Addis Standard reported on April 20.

Ethiopia: TPLF Calls for Reinstatement of Pre-2020 War Government

Siaya county Gov. James Orengo, a prominent figure within the Linda Mwananchi faction of the Orange Democratic Movement, or ODM, announced at a campaign rally plans to hold protests on June 24-26 to denounce "bad governance" and "make this country ungovernable" to end "this regime [of President William Ruto] now," Daily Nation reported on April 19.

Kenya: Divisions Grow Within ODM Party Amid Calls for Mass Protests 

Saudi Arabia

Pakistan

Pakistan has put on hold the provision of a $1.5 billion weapons shipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, after Saudi Arabia said it would not finance the purchase and that the agreement should be terminated, Reuters reported on April 21, quoting three Pakistani officials.

Sudan: Pakistan Reportedly Halts $1.5B Weapons Shipment to SAF Amid Saudi Objection

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group reached an agreement in Montreux, Switzerland, to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access and the release of detainees, including arrangements for the transfer of captured soldiers to state authorities within 10 days, Jeune Afrique reported on April 19.

Congo: Government and M23 To Facilitate Humanitarian Access and Prisoner Release

Turkey

Nigeria and Turkey concluded a military cooperation agreement to strengthen defense ties through training, joint production and broader defense industry collaboration, Jeune Afrique reported on April 19.

Nigeria: Abuja Signs Defense Deal With Turkey Amid Escalating Jihadist Insurgency

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Tanzania: Government-Backed Inquiry Finds 518 Died of 'Unnatural Causes' in Election-Related Violence

Angola: Government Foresees $3.5B Windfall in 2026 From Higher Oil Prices

Niger: Junta Considers Military Conscription Amid Strained Counterinsurgency Capacity

Ethiopia: TPLF Calls for Reinstatement of Pre-2020 War Government

Kenya: Divisions Grow Within ODM Party Amid Calls for Mass Protests

Sudan: Pakistan Reportedly Halts $1.5B Weapons Shipment to SAF Amid Saudi Objection

Congo: Government and M23 To Facilitate Humanitarian Access and Prisoner Release

Nigeria: Abuja Signs Defense Deal With Turkey Amid Escalating Jihadist Insurgency

Forecasts

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