<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

Media

Podcasts

Military & Security

What does Somalia's security landscape look like for the next five to 10 years?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Somalia

Assessments

Brazil

United States

Iran

Israel

Tunisia

Germany

Ukraine

A man in Maputo walks past a wall covered with electoral posters in support of Daniel Chapo, the ruling party candidate in Mozambique’s presidential election, on Oct. 4, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Germany as Mozambique, Tunisia and Brazil Hold Elections

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

China

Europe

Russia

Frelimo electoral posters are plastered on a wall in Maputo, Mozambique, on Aug. 24, 2024, the first day of the presidential campaign season ahead of the general election on Oct. 9, 2024.

Economics

Energy

Mozambique's upcoming general election will likely bring another five years of Frelimo rule, though an independent candidate is drawing LNG contracts to the forefront of the campaign season.

Mozambique's General Election Brings LNG Contracts Centerstage

Global Elections

Internally displaced people walk past the Tigrayan flag at the Tsehaye camp in Ethiopia's Shire, Tigray region, on July 16, 2024. 

Factionalism within the Tigray region's ruling party raises the prospect of resurging clashes in the region, threatening to undermine Ethiopia's recent peace and economic gains.

Tigray's Leadership Tussle Bodes Ill for Ethiopia

Rwandan troops guard an LNG project in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province on Sept. 29, 2022. 

The resurgence of the Islamic State Mozambique insurgency in Cabo Delgado portends more potentially destabilizing attacks that could deter investment in the resource-rich region.

The Future of Counterterrorism Efforts in Northern Mozambique

Mexico

A special session of the U.N. General Assembly is held on the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on May 10, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: Mexico Ratifies a Controversial Judicial Reform, the U.N. Votes on a Palestinian Resolution

Snapshots

A man holds cedis, the Ghanan currency, notes in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 1, 2022.

Social Issues

Ghana's adherence to its IMF program will likely see it enjoy rebounding economic growth in 2025, even if the country's upcoming elections and reliance on commodity exports pose short- and long-term risks.

Despite Downside Risks, Ghana Is Poised for a Progressive Economic Recovery

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and leaders from African nations assemble for a group photo at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China, on Sept. 5, 2024.

In a recent speech, Chinese President Xi laid out a $51 billion funding pledge for Africa, but fiscal and security constraints make a return to the heavy Chinese engagement of the mid-2010s highly unlikely.

China Commits to Long-Term Africa Ties, Even if Belt and Road Remains Muted

Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

A column of armed vehicles from the Malian army and Russia's paramilitary Wagner Group turned back without a fight from an operation against the northern town of Tinzaouaten, which is held by Tuareg rebels of the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad, or CSP-DPA, Jeune Afrique reported on Oct. 10.

Mali: Pro-Government Military Operation Turns Back From Tinzaouaten

Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia agreed to advance joint security cooperation at a trilateral summit of the three countries' heads of state, Reuters reported on Oct. 10.

Africa: Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia Advance Tripartite Security Partnership

Opposition presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane unilaterally declared victory in Mozambique's Oct. 9 general election despite the absence of official results from the National Election Commission, Club of Mozambique reported on Oct. 10.

Mozambique: Opposition Candidate Unilaterally Declares Victory in General Election

A government spokesperson announced that the Ethiopian government had increased the price of diesel and gasoline by around 8% and 10%, respectively, due to the birr's devaluation but that the government would continue to cover 75%-80% of the price difference caused by the birr's depreciation through subsidies, Addis Standard reported on Oct. 9. 

Ethiopia: Government Hikes Fuel Prices as Ethio Telecom Prepares To Sell Stake 

Kenya's National Assembly voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua 282-44, Nation reported on Oct. 8.

Kenya: National Assembly Impeaches Deputy President Gachagua

Nigeria's state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd., or NNPC, will supply the Dangote refinery with around 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil through the end of November, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 7.

Nigeria: NNPC To Supply Dangote Refinery With 400,000 Barrels per Day Through November

The National Transmission Company of South Africa, or NTCSA, unveiled its priorities at its official launch ceremony, including the delivery of reliable access to power, the creation of a competitive electricity market and the expansion of South Africa's transmission grid, ESI-Africa reported on Oct. 8.

South Africa: NTCSA Unveils Strategic Priorities for Transmission Grid

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began an mpox vaccination campaign in the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province, Voice of America reported on Oct. 6.

Congo: Mpox Vaccination Campaign Begins

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Pro-Government Military Operation Turns Back From Tinzaouaten

Africa: Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia Advance Tripartite Security Partnership

Mozambique: Opposition Candidate Unilaterally Declares Victory in General Election

Ethiopia: Government Hikes Fuel Prices as Ethio Telecom Prepares To Sell Stake

Kenya: National Assembly Impeaches Deputy President Gachagua

Nigeria: NNPC To Supply Dangote Refinery With 400,000 Barrels per Day Through November

South Africa: NTCSA Unveils Strategic Priorities for Transmission Grid

Congo: Mpox Vaccination Campaign Begins

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