<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>

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

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

The Politics of Pipelines

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Nigeria: Obstacles to Prosperity

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Crossing Borders

A Crude Recovery

Globalization

China in Transition

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Assessments

Senior members of Ethiopia's armed forces attend a ceremony in Guba on Sept. 9, 2025.

Military & Security

The Ethiopian government's military buildup near Tigray suggests that fresh clashes with the TPLF are likely in the coming months, which could quickly morph into a major, protracted conflict that draws in neighboring Eritrea.

Assessing the Risk of Conflict in Northern Ethiopia: Short-Term Scenarios

Columns

On Geopolitics

United States

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Libya

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Politics

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

Palestinian Territories

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) inspect the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on June 22, 2022.

Economics

After years of discord, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are finding common ground as they increasingly position themselves against Emirati- and Israeli-backed regional initiatives. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's New Regional Alignment

Snapshots

Destroyed vehicles are strewn outside Sudan's finance ministry building in the capital Khartoum on Jan. 17, 2026, after nearly three years of devastating war in the country.

Ethiopia's apparent tilt toward the RSF paramilitary group in neighboring Sudan could trigger deadly border clashes and prompt the Sudanese military to deepen ties with Tigrayan forces.

Ethiopia Discreetly Dips Into Sudan's Civil War

A Rwandan policeman (R) and a Rwandan soldier (L) guard TotalEnergies' Mozambique LNG project in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, on Sept. 29, 2022.

Energy

Mozambique's LNG projects will likely progress in 2026 amid a safer security environment, but the economic windfall remains years away.

Mozambique's LNG Sector Turns a Corner Amid Megaproject Reboot

Structures destroyed in U.S. strikes on jihadist targets in Offa, Nigeria, are seen on Dec. 27, 2025.

New U.S. military action would most likely target jihadist groups, especially in West Africa, but limited strikes in Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo to force belligerents there to de-escalate also cannot be ruled out.

The Outlook for New U.S. Strikes in Africa

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

A column of Tanzanian soldiers drives past electoral posters of incumbent Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi in Stone Town on Oct. 30, 2025. 

The Tanzanian government's harsh repression of opposition voices will maintain risks of civil unrest and siphon security forces away from outer regions, creating power vacuums in the south for jihadists to exploit.

Ongoing Repression in Tanzania Shows No Signs of Letting Up

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Greenland

China

Taiwan

Europe

Norway

Ukraine

Russia

India

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Canada

Denmark

The Greenlandic flag on Jan. 8, 2026, on the roof of Tivoli Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ukraine security talks and a Gaza peace plan will be in the spotlight at Davos.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Uganda and Benin, Canada's Carney Goes to China

Kenya's National Assembly approved the government's National Infrastructure Fund bill, which aims to mobilize 5 trillion Kenyan shillings ($38.7 billion) in public and private sector investments into a national infrastructure fund, or NIF, to support the construction of development projects such as transport, energy and digital infrastructure, The Kenya Times reported on March 6.

Kenya: Lawmakers Pass Bill Setting Up Infrastructure Fund Aiming To Mobilize Close to $40B

Somalia's parliament approved constitutional changes shifting the country's electoral model from clan-based voting to indirect universal suffrage and extending lawmakers' and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's terms by one year, effectively postponing the general election scheduled this year to 2027, Reuters reported on March 5.

Somalia: Federal Government Approves Constitutional Changes, Postpones Elections by a Year 

The average price of gasoline at Nigerian fuel stations rose from around 860 naira per liter to 970 naira per liter ($0.70 per liter or $2.65 per U.S. gallon) in the first few days of March, a close to 13% increase, after the country's Dangote refinery increased the price of its gantry by 100 naira per liter, BusinessDay reported on March 4.

Nigeria: Iran-Driven Energy Price Increases Showcase Mixed Outlook for the Economy

Sudan's Sudanese Armed Forces-backed government accused Ethiopia of allowing its territory to be used to conduct drone attacks inside Sudan and said such actions represented "a clear act of aggression," Sudan Tribune reported on March 2.

Sudan: SAF Denounces Drone Strikes From Ethiopian Territory

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed financial sanctions on the Rwandan Defense Force, or RDF, and four senior Rwandan military officials for their role in supporting the M23 movement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Reuters reported on March 3.

Rwanda: U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Rwandan Defense Force for Support to M23

The minister of information for the Ruweng administrative area of South Sudan's Unity state, James Monyluak, said a least 90 civilians and 79 security forces were killed in an attack on Abiemnom county, located along the border with Sudan, which he blamed on youths from the neighboring Mayom county and elements of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition, or SPLM-IO, Reuters reported on March 2. 

South Sudan: Deadly Attack Near Sudan Threatens Escalation With Opposition, Disruptions to Oil Production

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding according to which Washington will provide up to $900 million in assistance for Congo's health care sector over 2026-31, while Congo will increase its domestic health expenditure by $300 million over the same period, Reuters reported on Feb. 26.

Congo: Kinshasa Signs $1.2B Health Deal With Trump Administration, Despite Africa CDC Warnings

South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced during his presentation of the country's 2026 budget that South Africa's debt-to-GDP ratio would decline from fiscal year 2026-27 onward after peaking at 78.9% in 2025-26, the planned introduction of principles-based "fiscal anchor" legislation, as well as forecasts for South Africa's economic growth to stand at 1.6% in 2026 and rise to 2.0% in 2028, News24 reported on Feb. 25.

South Africa: 2026 Budget Announcement Includes Debt-to-GDP Ratio Stabilization, DA Endorsement

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Kenya: Lawmakers Pass Bill Setting Up Infrastructure Fund Aiming To Mobilize Close to $40B

Somalia: Federal Government Approves Constitutional Changes, Postpones Elections by a Year

Nigeria: Iran-Driven Energy Price Increases Showcase Mixed Outlook for the Economy

Sudan: SAF Denounces Drone Strikes From Ethiopian Territory

Rwanda: U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Rwandan Defense Force for Support to M23

South Sudan: Deadly Attack Near Sudan Threatens Escalation With Opposition, Disruptions to Oil Production

Congo: Kinshasa Signs $1.2B Health Deal With Trump Administration, Despite Africa CDC Warnings

South Africa: 2026 Budget Announcement Includes Debt-to-GDP Ratio Stabilization, DA Endorsement

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