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2015 was an eventful year for Africa. The continent faced persistent and newly-emerging challenges, like the continuing crisis in South Sudan and stalled progress on land reform in South Africa, but also experienced breakthroughs and steady progress, like the Nigerian elections, the reauthorization of AGOA, and Tunisia’s democratic consolidation. As we look ahead to 2016, it’s clear the future holds both promise and risk for the continent.

The Wilson Center Africa Program asked African and international experts, policymakers, and practitioners to share their perspectives on the most important developments across the continent in 2015, and what they meant for the future of U.S.-Africa relations. They responded with brief and insightful essays on topics across the realms of governance, security, trade, and international partnerships.

Please see below for a link to the Wilson Center Africa Program’s first annual year in review publication, Africa Year in Review 2015.

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Authors

Getachew Zeru Gebrekidan

Getachew Zeru Gebrekidan

Former Southern Voices Network Scholar;
Lecturer, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University
Ambassador Nureldin Satti Headshot

Ambassador Nureldin Satti

Global Fellow and Co-Chair, Wilson Center's Sudans Working Group;
Retired UN Senior Official; Former Ambassador of Sudan to the United States, France, Portugal, Switzerland and the Vatican

Ms. Florizelle Liser

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Ambassador David Shinn

Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University
Arsène Brice Bado

Arsène Brice Bado

Former Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Scholar;
Associate researcher, CERAP

Vivian Lowery Derryck

President and CEO of the Bridges Institute, Former Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID

Dr. Mima Nedelcovych

President & CEO, Initiative for Global Development
Dr. Raymond Gilpin speaks at SWF 2022

Raymond Gilpin

Chief Economist, Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme, New York

Ambassador Donald Gips

Principal, Albright Stonebridge Group; Advisory Council Member, Wilson Center Africa Program; and former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa

Bernadette Atuahene

Author of We Want What’s Ours: Learning from South Africa’s Land Restitution Program (Oxford University Press, 2014)

Major General Darryl A. Williams

Commander, U.S. Army Africa

Ann L. Phillips

Former Public Policy Scholar;
Former Professor of International Security Studies Director, Program in Security, Stability, Transition and Reconstruction, George C. Marshall Center, Germany

Dr. Jacqueline Wilson

former Senior Program Officer, Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, United States Institute for Peace

Sophia Moestrup

Deputy Director, Central and West Africa at the National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Olusegun Sotola Headshot

Olusegun Sotola

Senior Researcher, Initiative for Public Policy Analysis (IPPA)

Nii Akuetteh

Former Executive Director, African Immigrants Caucus, and Former Lecturer, George Washington University

Africa Program

The Africa Program works to address the most critical issues facing Africa and US-Africa relations, build mutually beneficial US-Africa relations, and enhance knowledge and understanding about Africa in the United States. The Program achieves its mission through in-depth research and analyses, public discussion, working groups, and briefings that bring together policymakers, practitioners, and subject matter experts to analyze and offer practical options for tackling key challenges in Africa and in US-Africa relations.    Read more