<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

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

Economics

Energy

Military & Security

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

United States

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

Egypt

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

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. 

Politics

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

Iran

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

Supporters of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate and opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, gather to attend a campaign rally in Kampala, on Nov. 24, 2025. 

President Museveni's expected reelection is set to trigger opposition protests, but a heavy-handed crackdown will likely restore order within weeks, enabling him to resume focus on infrastructure projects and mitigating intra-elite tensions.

Previewing Uganda's General Elections

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

Israel-Hamas Conflict

As elections reshape political incentives worldwide, 2026 will see major powers recalibrate diplomacy and conflict, raising the risk of fragile deals, regional instability and sudden escalation.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast: An Excerpt

Columns

On Geopolitics

A NASA satellite image shows the city lights of Europe. 

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our hits and misses in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2025 Annual Forecast

U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, Deutsche Welle reported Feb. 4.

U.S., Africa: Trump Authorizes One-Year Extension to African Growth and Opportunity Act

U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos announced that the Quad, which regroups the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had agreed on a peace document acceptable to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan Tribune reported Feb. 4.

Sudan: U.S. Advisor Claims Progress Toward Humanitarian Truce, Despite Ongoing SAF-RSF Clashes

Head of the U.S. Africa Command General Dagvin R.M. Anderson said that the United States had dispatched a small number of U.S. forces to Nigeria, Reuters reported Feb. 3.

Nigeria, U.S.: Africom Chief Confirms Dispatchment of U.S. Troops to Nigeria 

South African state-owned utility company Eskom called for an urgent meeting with creditors Feb. 2 to discuss recently proposed changes to its unbundling strategy, News24 reported Feb. 2.

South Africa: Eskom Calls For Urgent Talks With Creditors Amid Pushback Against New Unbundling Plans    

An ad hoc committee of bondholders said that it would take legal action against the Ethiopian government before U.K. courts to "enforce payment of the outstanding principal and interest due," Reuters reported Feb. 2.

Ethiopia: Eurobond Holders Plan Legal Action After Official Creditors Reject Preliminary Deal 

Clashes broke out inside Somalia's federal parliament when opposition lawmakers physically blocked a scheduled session to debate proposed constitutional amendments, leading to injuries and the cancellation of proceedings, Garowe Online reported Feb 2.

Somalia: Lawmakers Clash Over Controversial Constitutional Changes

Chief Administrator of Tigray's Interim Regional Administration Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede announced that Tigrayan authorities were open to talks with Ethiopia's federal government following recent clashes and that the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF) had withdrawn from the Tselemti area as a "confidence-building measure," Addis Standard reported Feb. 1.

Ethiopia: Tigray Administration Announces Withdrawal from Tselemti, Warns of New Escalation 

Ethiopian security forces withdrew from the Tigray region's southern towns of Korem and Alamata on Jan. 28, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, subsequently seized them, BBC Amharic reported on Jan. 30 based on reports from several local residents.

Ethiopia: Army Reportedly Withdraws From Southern Tigray Following Clashes With TPLF in Tselemti 

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Africa: Trump Authorizes One-Year Extension to African Growth and Opportunity Act

Sudan: U.S. Advisor Claims Progress Toward Humanitarian Truce, Despite Ongoing SAF-RSF Clashes

Nigeria, U.S.: Africom Chief Confirms Dispatchment of U.S. Troops to Nigeria

South Africa: Eskom Calls For Urgent Talks With Creditors Amid Pushback Against New Unbundling Plans

Ethiopia: Eurobond Holders Plan Legal Action After Official Creditors Reject Preliminary Deal

Somalia: Lawmakers Clash Over Controversial Constitutional Changes

Ethiopia: Tigray Administration Announces Withdrawal from Tselemti, Warns of New Escalation

Ethiopia: Army Reportedly Withdraws From Southern Tigray Following Clashes With TPLF in Tselemti

Forecasts

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