Assessments

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Namibia

South Africa

Tanzania

Zambia

People wearing masks gather in a granite quarry in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for an Easter celebration.

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Current disruptions may provide only a short-term challenge for the region’s lucrative mining operations. But they will come just ahead of a longer-term blow to revenue caused by the pandemic-induced global recession.

COVID-19 Shakes Up Southern Africa’s Mining Sector 

COVID-19

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

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

<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>

2020 Annual Forecast

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

2019 Annual Forecast

2018 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2018 Second-Quarter Forecast

2018 Annual Forecast

2017 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2017 Third-Quarter Forecast

Politics

Approximately 400 protesters rushed the Namibian parliamentary building ahead of the National Assembly vote on a $1.34 billion German reparations package for a colonial-era genocide against the Herero and Nama ethnic groups, Reuters reported Sept. 21.

Namibia: Protesters Bombard Parliamentary Building Before Vote on Reparations

Namibian President Hage Geingob said Oct. 1 that his country should consider expropriating land to boost black ownership because the policy of allowing owners to willingly offer their property for sale has not worked, Reuters reported.

Namibia: President Considering Land Expropriation

Old Leaders in a New Africa

China

Japan

North Korea

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

In an effort to put additional pressure on North Korea and its expanding missile programs, the Cabinet Office of Japan has approved new sanctions on four Chinese companies, two Namibian firms and one individual each from China and North Korea, Japan Times reported Aug. 25.

Japan: Sanctions Imposed On Chinese And Namibian Companies With North Korea Ties

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

Sudan

Eswatini

Togo

Uganda

Zimbabwe

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Barbados

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Bahamas

Trinidad and Tobago

United States

Uruguay

Venezuela

Greenland

Jamaica

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Indonesia

Kiribati

Laos

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Eurozone

Economics and Finance

Energy

After two weeks of negotiations, representatives of nearly 200 countries have approved the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the extent of climate change in the coming decades, The Telegraph reported Dec. 12.

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

Namibia: Vast Aquifer Found On Angolan Border

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan: Presidents Meet

Saudi Arabia: Saudis Held In Syrian Jails

Iraq: Tribes Sign Agreement

Afghanistan

Algeria

Luxembourg

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Armenia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

India

Iran

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Germany

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Libya

Russia

Czech Republic

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Denmark

Moldova

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Holy See (Vatican City)

Qatar

Greece

Saudi Arabia

France

Mongolia

Female

Male

South African and African National Congress President Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC's 110th anniversary celebrations Jan. 8, 2022, at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Divisions within the ANC are likely to inhibit Ramaphosa's ability to pass structural economic reforms but in our baseline scenario, South Africa will avoid a major debt crisis before 2024.

Reforms Continue Under the ANC, but With Little Progress

ANC Divisions Deepen, Reforms Stall

A United ANC Implements Structural Reforms

A Divided ANC Shifts Toward Populism

The ANC Fractures, Reforms Stall

How Does the ANC Political Crisis Affect South African Economic Policy by 2024?

The influential region may not be able to hold onto the modest gains it has made for much longer.

Over the past half-century or so, South Africa has earned the reputation as the economic powerhouse of Africa. While most of the continent has struggled to develop effective institutions and competitive industries, South Africa's unique geographic and historical advantages have enabled its economy to outshine the rest. Along with a handful of its neighbors that boast similar advantages, South Africa has leveraged its economic success to expand its reach north, gaining influence over large swaths of the continent. Today, geography continues to underpin South Africa's strength -- as well as its ambitions -- in spite of its many challenges ahead.

Southern Africa: A Sputtering Powerhouse

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

SITUATION REPORTS

Namibia: Protesters Bombard Parliamentary Building Before Vote on Reparations

Namibia: President Considering Land Expropriation

Japan: Sanctions Imposed On Chinese And Namibian Companies With North Korea Ties

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

Namibia: Vast Aquifer Found On Angolan Border

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan: Presidents Meet

Saudi Arabia: Saudis Held In Syrian Jails

Iraq: Tribes Sign Agreement

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