<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

Mexico

China

South Korea

United Kingdom

Security personnel walk on a road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest in Seoul on Jan. 6. If Yoon is not arrested, the opposition could again seek to impeach the country's acting president due to his insufficient support for the arrest efforts, worsening foreign perceptions of political instability in South Korea.

Economics

Politics

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mozambique's President Takes Office, the U.K. Chancellor Visits China

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

Ecuador

United States

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Taiwan

Ukraine

Belarus

Russia

Pakistan

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Cyber

Energy

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, US President Donald Trump, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn pose on May 27, 2017 in Taormina, Sicily.

The Trump administration's more zero-sum approach to countering Chinese influence in Africa may find some success but risks alienating several African states, potentially enabling China to strengthen its foothold.

What to Expect From Trump 2.0's Approach to Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Trade disruptions, shifting military conflicts and domestic political turbulence will shape global affairs in 2025. 

2025 Annual Geopolitical Forecast: An Excerpt

Venezuela

Lebanon

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waits for the arrival of other heads of state of members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America regional trading bloc during the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 14, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Inaugurations in Ghana and Venezuela, Yoon's Potential Arrest in South Korea

Columns

On Geopolitics

Cargo containers painted with Chinese and U.S. flags.

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our hits and misses in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2024 Annual Forecast

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Protesters in Maputo prepare to burn a flag of Mozambique's ruling Frelimo party on Oct. 24, 2024. 

The growing economic toll of the unrest will increase the incentives for President-elect Chapo to reach a deal with opposition leader Mondlane, though this would risk triggering infighting within the ruling Frelimo party.

Mozambique's Post-Election Crisis Reaches a Critical Juncture

France

Anti-riot police officers with dogs walk past burning barricades made by protesters in Maputo, Mozambique, on Nov. 7, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: A New French Government, a Ruling on Mozambique's Disputed Election

Media

Podcasts

What is the future trajectory of the peace process?

Essential Geopolitics: Implications of Cancelled Peace Talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda

Cargo containers painted with Chinese and U.S. flags. Trade disruptions, shifting military conflicts and domestic political turbulence will shape global affairs in 2025.

Environment, Science & Technology

Social Issues

Trade disruptions, shifting military conflicts and domestic political turbulence will shape global affairs in 2025.

2025 Annual Forecast: A Global Overview

Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar announced that Nigeria would expand defense cooperation with China regarding domestic weapons production and military training, The Punch reported on Jan. 10.

Nigeria: Government To Strengthen Defense Cooperation With China, Seek Expanded Yuan Currency Swap

Earth's average surface temperature in 2024 was 1.60 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Service confirmed on Jan. 10. 

Global: Average Surface Temperatures Breached 1.5-Degree Threshold in 2024

The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group gained 30% more territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo between April and November 2024, Jeune Afrique reported Jan. 8, citing a U.N. report.

Congo: M23 Rebels Expanded Territorial Control by 30% in 2024, Says U.N.

One soldier was killed and three others were injured after a group of roughly two dozen assailants, armed with machetes and knives, tried to attack Chad's presidential complex palace in N'Djamena on the evening of Jan. 8, RFI has reported.

Chad: Attack on Presidential Palace Leaves 19 Dead

Opposition leader and former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane returned to Mozambique following a two-month exile from the country, Reuters reported Jan. 9.

Mozambique: Opposition Leader Venancio Mondlane Returns Following Two-Month Exile 

Presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as Ghana's president, Reuters reported on Jan. 7.

Ghana: New President Convenes Emergency Meeting Over Power Crisis After Inauguration

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and allied militias had committed genocide in Sudan, Reuters reported on Jan. 7.

Sudan: U.S. Accuses Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of Committing Genocide

French President Emmanuel Macron said France had decided to withdraw from military facilities in West and Central Africa on its own initiative, triggering spats with Senegal and Chad, Radio France Internationale reported on Jan. 7.

France, Africa: Macron Stresses France Initiated Military Drawdowns, Outlines New Approach to Africa  

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Nigeria: Government To Strengthen Defense Cooperation With China, Seek Expanded Yuan Currency Swap

Global: Average Surface Temperatures Breached 1.5-Degree Threshold in 2024

Congo: M23 Rebels Expanded Territorial Control by 30% in 2024, Says U.N.

Chad: Attack on Presidential Palace Leaves 19 Dead

Mozambique: Opposition Leader Venancio Mondlane Returns Following Two-Month Exile

Ghana: New President Convenes Emergency Meeting Over Power Crisis After Inauguration

Sudan: U.S. Accuses Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of Committing Genocide

France, Africa: Macron Stresses France Initiated Military Drawdowns, Outlines New Approach to Africa

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