Africa Program
The Africa Program works to address the most critical issues facing Africa and U.S.-Africa relations, build mutually beneficial U.S.–Africa relations, and enhance knowledge and understanding about Africa in the United States. The Program achieves its mission through in-depth research and analyses, including our blog Africa Up Close, public discussion, working groups, and briefings that bring together policymakers, practitioners, and subject matter experts to analyze and offer practical options for tackling key challenges in Africa and in U.S.-Africa relations.
Connect With Us

Black History Month 2021: A Celebration of Black Culture and Resilience in America
To honor and celebrate Black History Month, here is a compilation of Wilson Center content on the history, culture, and resilience of Black people in America.
The Quest for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the U.S. Workplace
Africa Program staff member Shahrazad Hired, Michael Forster, and Karen Dale discuss how the Black Lives Matter movement has redefined and renewed focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives in both the public and private sector.

President-elect Biden and Africa: Perspectives from the Next Generation
Africa Program staff share their perspectives on what the incoming Biden administration could mean for Africa.

Africa Program: Stafford Capacity Building Internship Program
The goal of the Africa Program Capacity Building Internship Program is to develop and build the professional capacities of the next generation of Africanists. Applications for the summer internship term are open until March 18, 2021.
EXPLORE OUR PROJECTS

The Brown Capital Management Africa Forum
Launched in September 2015, the Brown Capital Management Africa Forum provides a premier platform for substantive and solution-oriented dialogue on key trade, investment, and development issues in Africa, and in U.S.-Africa relations.

The Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding
The Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) is a consortium of research and policy organizations from across Africa. The network seeks to foster dialogue and increase the visibility of African perspectives within the U.S. policy arena.

Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) 10 Year Anniversary
To celebrate and commemorate YALI’s ten-year anniversary, the U.S. Department of State in partnership the Wilson Center Africa Program will host a Virtual Summit and Livestream Event in 2021. Check this page for more details.
Sudans Working Group
Through high-level working groups, the Africa Program provides a platform for in-depth, candid discussions and offers real-time options and actionable ideas for addressing pressing issues confronting Africa and U.S.-Africa relations.
Program Staff, Scholars, Fellows, and Interns

Monde Muyangwa

Hannah Akuiyibo

Shahrazad Hired

Gamuchirai Mhute

Ian Gorecki

Amandine Spencer-Goncalves

John Dashe

Adesoji Adelaja
John A Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Ambassador Alan Goulty
Former British Ambassador to Sudan and Tunisia

Terence McNamee
Independent
Khalid Medani
Associate Professor of Political Science, McGill University

Maria Repnikova
Assistant Professor of Global Communication, Georgia State University

James A. Schear
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense
Aili Mari Tripp
Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Olufemi Vaughan
Alfred Sargent Lee and Mary Ames Lee Professor of Black Studies, Amherst College

Monde Muyangwa
For too long, U.S.-Africa relations were defined by Cold War calculations, humanitarian crises, and conflict and insecurity, while economic and development matters were largely on the periphery of U.S. engagement with the continent. Since 2014, there has been an effort to re-position U.S.-Africa relations by bringing business and economic relations squarely into the center of U.S.-Africa relations.
YALI alumni—this is your chance to use your creative skills to share how YALI has impacted your life, community, an… t.co/4woJjQwSz3
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