West Africa

Blog Posts

July 26, 2020, Boston, Massachusetts, USA: A Black Lives Matter protester holds "Black Lives Matter" sign during a rally at Nubian Square in Boston. (Photo by Keiko Hiromi/AFLO) No Use China. No Use Taiwan. No Use Korea. No Use Japan.

Up Front

Can protests lead to meaningful changes in government policy, particularly around economic redistribution?

Belinda Archibong

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

A site engineer stands to take picture across a building at the site of a collapsed building in Ikoyi district in Lagos, Nigeria, 02 November 2021. The Lagos State emergency rescue agency confirmed that No fewer than 21 people have been confirmed dead, while six of the nine survivors are currently undergoing treatment, three have been discharged in the 21-storey building that collapsed on Monday on Gerrard Road, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State. (Photo by Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE

Africa in Focus

Quantifying frequent building collapse and disaster risk reduction in Nigeria

Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Future Development

African governments are turning to cryptocurrencies but can they team up?

Bright Simons

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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Events

Related Books

Formal and Informal Enterprises in Francophone Africa: Moving Toward a Vibrant Private Sector

Edited by Ahmadou Aly Mbaye, Stephen S. Golub, and Fatou Gueye

2020

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Experts

Belinda Archibong

David M. Rubenstein Fellow - Global Economy and Development

belindaarch

Aloysius Uche Ordu

Director - Africa Growth Initiative

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development

AloysiusOrdu

Landry Signé

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative

Professor and Managing Director - Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University

Distinguished Fellow - Stanford University

LandrySigne

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Multimedia

Wind turbines produce renewable energy outside Caledon, South Africa, May 20, 2020. Picture taken May 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Podcast Episode

Five trends to expect in Africa for the rest of 2022

Ryan Short and Aloysius Uche Ordu

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

The reception in the Co-Creation Hub in Yaba, Lagos, an area in Nigeria's economic capital once nicknamed "Yabacon Valley" because of the number of tech start-ups in the area. (Photo by Sally Hayden / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

Podcast Episode

Connecting Africa’s tech talent with the world

Cecilia Värendh Månsson and Aloysius Uche Ordu

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

An employee of online retailer Jumia sorts packages for delivery at the company's warehouse in Lagos February 16, 2015. The growth of Africa's middle class has created demand for products that conventional retail struggles to satisfy due to a shortage of malls and grinding traffic in many cities that deters shoppers. The sector is still in its infancy. The internet's contribution to Africa's gross domestic product stood at 1.1 percent in 2013, much lower than other emerging markets. But this could rise to 10 percent, or $300 billion, by 2025, according to a report by consultants McKinsey's & Company. REUTERS/Joe Penney (NIGERIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)

Podcast Episode

Lessons from Lagos state in addressing youth unemployment

Tejumola Abisoye and Aloysius Uche Ordu

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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More on West Africa

Farmers plow the field in Saulawa village, on the outskirts of Nigeria's north-central state of Kaduna May 15, 2013. When President Goodluck Jonathan was elected two years ago, he pledged reforms that would transform the lives of tens of millions of farmers who live on less than $2 a day despite occupying some of Africa's most fertile land. Oil remains the main source of foreign currency and state revenues, but agriculture is by far the biggest contributor to GDP, making up 40 percent of Africa's second largest economy. With 170 million mouths to feed and a growing food import bill thanks to the disarray in the farming sector, agriculture ministry officials say there's no time to lose. Picture taken May 15, 2013. To match Insight NIGERIA-AGRICULTURE/ REUTERS/Joe Brock (NIGERIA - Tags: AGRICULTURE SOCIETY BUSINESS)

Managing existential risk and climate resilience: The case of Nigeria

Amara Nwankpa

Monday, March 14, 2022

Malian army soldiers are seen at the Independence Square after a mutiny, in Bamako, Mali August 18, 2020. Picture taken August 18, 2020. REUTERS/Moussa Kalapo

Political turmoil in the Sahel: Does climate change play a role?

Ahmadou Aly Mbaye and Landry Signé

Friday, March 11, 2022

South Africa's Ambassador to the UN Mathu Joyini speaks during the 11th emergency special session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Figure of the week: African countries’ votes on the UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Abraham White and Leo Holtz

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Signage for Sarafu on the streets of Mukuru Kayiaba slum in Nairobi, Kenya, July 28, 2020. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Kagondu Njagi

Challenges in the post-COVID global economic recovery

Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly and Fred Dews

Friday, March 4, 2022

A researcher works inside a laboratory at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya May 11, 2020. Picture taken May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Jackson Njehia

Investment in science and technology is key to an Africa economic boom

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Landry Signé, and Aloysius Uche Ordu

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Workers look for abnormal holes in mosquito netting at the A to Z Textile Mills factory producing insecticide-treated bednets in Arusha, Tanzania, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Katy Migiro

African solutions to African health system challenges

Dr. Olusoji Adeyi and Aloysius Uche Ordu

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

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Reports

How should the Biden administration approach Africa?

Regional integration in West Africa: Is there a role for a single currency?

Fragility in Chad and counterterrorism strategies in West Africa

David M. Rubenstein Fellow - Global Economy and Development

Director - Africa Growth Initiative

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative

Professor and Managing Director - Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University

Distinguished Fellow - Stanford University