An Africanist Perspective

An Africanist Perspective

Home
Notes
Chat
Research
Archive
Leaderboard
About
What does the rise and decline of STEM enrollment in Kenyan universities tell us about the Kenyan economy?
A pitch to increase STEM enrollment (and fix higher education in Kenya)
 • 
Ken Opalo
How to (more reliably) electrify Africa for economic growth and development
Deepening energy access must be complemented by an aggressive pro-growth agenda; with sufficient attention to economic and political incentives
 • 
Ken Opalo
6
Straight talk on African elites’ complacency: the case of Kenya
Figuring out how to get things done is a major constraint to African development
 • 
Ken Opalo
27
Most Popular
View all
On American aid cuts/disruptions
 • Ken Opalo
15
What explains the “ambition gap” among Africa’s (ruling) elites?
 • Ken Opalo
21
Kenyan Protests, Part One: The political education of President William Ruto
 • Ken Opalo
29
African countries must urgently start the process of ending aid dependency
 • Ken Opalo
9
What will become of international development after the end of the aid paradigm?
 • Ken Opalo
13
Africa in 2025
 • Ken Opalo
15
America’s tariff wars present no upside opportunities for African economies
The tariff’s most important negative impact will be via the coming global economic slowdown
 • 
Ken Opalo
3
The problem of organizing weak states; and why Africa needs a new model of Pan-Africanism
Africa’s regional hegemons must step up in the management of Continental affairs; doing so would not necessarily violate the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
 • 
Ken Opalo
15
How reflexive catastrophizing inhibits policy imagination in African states
On the need for a grounded understanding of contemporary challenges and progress in African states
 • 
Ken Opalo
9
African countries must urgently start the process of ending aid dependency
On why African countries must seize this moment to start the journey towards self-sufficiency
 • 
Ken Opalo
9
What will become of international development after the end of the aid paradigm?
Some thoughts in response to questions I get from students and young professionals
 • 
Ken Opalo
13
On American aid cuts/disruptions
When the music stops, those who’ve outsourced their ambitions get exposed
 • 
Ken Opalo
15
What explains the “ambition gap” among Africa’s (ruling) elites?
On the drivers of African elites’ addiction to muddling through developmentalism
 • 
Ken Opalo
21
An Africanist Perspective
An Africanist Perspective
African political economy, foreign affairs, and general commentary.
Recommendations
View all 21
Kibao
Kibao
Rose M. Mutiso
User's avatar
This Week in Africa
Jeffrey Paller
Sawahil
Sawahil
Alex Thurston
Post Strategy
Post Strategy
Judd Devermont
The Great Gender Divergence
The Great Gender Divergence
Alice Evans

An Africanist Perspective

AboutArchiveRecommendationsSitemap
© 2025 Ken Opalo
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture