<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

Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are seen on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum. 

Military & Security

While the likelihood of a humanitarian truce between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF is rising, meaningful progress beyond a tentative permanent ceasefire currently appears unlikely.

Sudan Slips Toward De Facto Partition

The Geopolitics of Trade

Economics

Global Trade

Politics

Kenya and Tanzania's infrastructure buildup will support East Africa's industrialization but will also depend on a range of other factors, including regional integration, shifts in the international trading system and technological changes.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Race to Unlock East Africa, Part 2

United States

China

Japan

Europe

Over the next decade, Kenya and Tanzania will compete for the title of East Africa's leading trade gateway, particularly as global demand for Central Africa's critical minerals grows. 

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Race to Unlock East Africa, Part 1 

Malian trucks carrying fuel are seen waiting to cross the border between Cote d'Ivoire and Mali on Oct. 31, 2025. 

Energy

In the likely case that the junta fails to lift the blockade on Bamako by force, rising internal tensions could ultimately fragment the country's security forces, potentially enabling the al Qaeda affiliate JNIM to assert control over the capital.

Mali's Junta Fights for Its Life as Jihadists Tighten Their Noose on Bamako

A Nigerian soldier stands guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 4, 2025. 

Trump wants Nigeria to take action against the armed groups targeting Christians in the country, but Abuja will face challenges in sustaining such operations, which could lead to unilateral U.S. military action if there are fresh instances of intercommunal violence.

Will the United States Take Military Action in Nigeria?

Columns

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Chile

Ecuador

Peru

Jordan

Lebanon

Morocco

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Turkey

Indonesia

Philippines

Thailand

Serbia

Bangladesh

Nepal

Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025, after youth protesters set fire to the building. 

Recent events in Nepal, Madagascar and elsewhere show how digitally coordinated, leaderless protests can succeed, but eventually face even larger challenges in sustaining the momentum for change.

Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success

Media

Podcasts

Why are certain countries and regions more susceptible to youth protests?

Essential Geopolitics: Implications of the Growing Gen Z Protests in Africa

Argentina

South Korea

Netherlands

Supporters of Argentine President Javier Milei's Liberty Advances (LLA) party wave flags during a campaign rally in Rosario, Argentina, on Oct. 23, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina Holds Midterm Elections, Trump Travels to Asia

U.S.-China Relations

Kenyan forces stand next to the coffin of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a funeral mass at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology on October 19, 2025 in Bondo, Kenya.

Social Issues

The death of veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga creates a significant power vacuum, fundamentally altering the political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.


What Raila Odinga's Death Means for Kenyan Politics

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party reacts on stage during a rally in Dar es Salaam on Aug. 28, 2025, to officially launch the CCM's campaign ahead of the Tanzanian general election. 

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is highly likely to be reelected in the Oct. 29 ballot, which is unlikely to turn violent but could portend wider governance challenges in the medium term.

Previewing Tanzania's General Elections

Global Elections

Principal Secretary at Kenya's Ministry of Finance Chris Kiptoo said the Kenyan government was targeting a fiscal deficit of 4.9% of gross domestic product for fiscal year 2026/2027, Reuters reported on Nov. 19.

Kenya: Government Halts Fiscal Consolidation Push in Runup to General Election

The Nigerian government has yet to present the country's 2026 budget and its Medium Term Expenditure and Fiscal Strategy Paper for 2026-28, less than six weeks before the start of the new fiscal year, The Punch reported on Nov. 18.

Nigeria: 2026 Budget Yet To Be Submitted Amid Doubts Regarding Implementation of 2025 Budget

Chief of the South African navy Vice Adm. Monde Lobese slammed the South African government's curbs on defense spending, questioning whether the decision had been "directly or indirectly" influenced by drug cartels and other criminal groups benefiting from weaker maritime security, Independent Online reported on Nov. 17.

South Africa: Navy Chief Slams Government Over Defense Budget Cuts, Questions Potential Criminal Capture

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

Environment, Science & Technology

Rare earth yttrium oxide prices have reached $126 per kilogram, which is roughly a 1,400% increase since the beginning of 2025, when prices were about $8 per kilogram, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 17, citing Asian Metal data.

Global: Yttrium Oxide Prices Increase by 1,400% in 2025

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group signed a framework agreement for a peace deal on Nov. 15 in Qatar, Reuters reported the same day. 

Congo: Clashes Between Army and M23 Continue Despite Framework Agreement for Peace Deal 

Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson unveiled the country's 2026 budget before Parliament, which he said would ensure a primary budget surplus of 1.5% of gross domestic product, an overall budget deficit of 2.2% of GDP, and the allocation of 30 billion cedis ($2.74 billion) in 2026 to fund infrastructure projects, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 13.

Ghana: Government's 2026 Budget Portends Accelerating Economic Recovery

South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement that South Africa's effective inflation target would be reduced from 4.5% to 3% with a 1% "tolerance band," News24 reported on Nov. 12. 

South Africa: Finance Minister Confirms Reduction of Inflation Target, Curbs on Spending in Budget Speech

The political bureau of Senegal's ruling Patriots of Senegal party, or PASTEF, rejected a Nov. 11 decision by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to remove an ally of Prime Minister and PASTEF leader Ousmane Sonko from the helm of his "Diomaye President" coalition on the basis that Faye did not "have the power" to make such a decision, Radio France Internationale reported on Nov. 12.

Senegal: Tensions Escalate Between President and Prime Minister as Bonds Tumble

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Kenya: Government Halts Fiscal Consolidation Push in Runup to General Election

Nigeria: 2026 Budget Yet To Be Submitted Amid Doubts Regarding Implementation of 2025 Budget

South Africa: Navy Chief Slams Government Over Defense Budget Cuts, Questions Potential Criminal Capture

Global: Yttrium Oxide Prices Increase by 1,400% in 2025

Congo: Clashes Between Army and M23 Continue Despite Framework Agreement for Peace Deal

Ghana: Government's 2026 Budget Portends Accelerating Economic Recovery

South Africa: Finance Minister Confirms Reduction of Inflation Target, Curbs on Spending in Budget Speech

Senegal: Tensions Escalate Between President and Prime Minister as Bonds Tumble

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