An Africanist Perspective

How Sahelian (and African) militaries can get better at fighting and winning wars

African states will continue to struggle against non-state armed actors unless the region’s militaries undertake significant organizational and…

Jun 23 • Ken Opalo

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Book Review (2/26): How Africa Works by Joe Studwell

On the past and future of African growth and development

Jun 12 • Ken Opalo

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May 2026

A caution against faddist approaches to industrial policy (the old industrial policy rules still apply)

It’s a good thing that World Bank is finally OK with industrial policy, but policymakers shouldn’t let themselves be constrained by the coming…

May 29 • Ken Opalo

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March 2026

African policymakers should be clear-eyed about the short and medium term impacts of the U.S./Israel-Iran war

Policymakers should prepare for the fact that the coming shocks to have long lags; and that the cadence of global crises will likely pick up.

Mar 17 • Ken Opalo

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February 2026

Conflict in the Horn of Africa isn’t inevitable. People can choose peace.

Ideas matter. And it's high time key players in the Horn (politicians, academics, journalists, analysts, and military strategists) chose to escape the…

Feb 28 • Ken Opalo

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How African policymakers should prepare for the coming commodity boom

Projections point to elevated commodity prices in important sectors. Here's how African policymakers can avoid mistakes of the past.

Feb 17 • Ken Opalo

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Book Review (1/26): Mahmood Mamdani’s Slow Poison

A journey through Uganda’s stunted political development

Feb 4

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January 2026

The international development community isn’t adapting fast enough to official aid cuts. That’s a big problem.

On the urgent need for a pivot to spending more time trying to supporting specific countries interested in boosting their state capacity; and catalyzing…

Jan 27 • Ken Opalo

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Africa in 2026

The 11 trends/factors that will shape African affairs in 2026

Jan 8 • Ken Opalo

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2025: Year in Review

Political and economic divergence on the Continent continues apace

Jan 1 • Ken Opalo

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December 2025

Book Review (12/25): The Second Emancipation

Explorations in African leadership

Dec 20, 2025 • Ken Opalo

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Firms or Families? Another installment in the Mission 300 electrification debate

On the politics and logics of policy tradeoffs

Dec 8, 2025 • Ken Opalo

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