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Ken Opalo

@kopalo.bsky.social

15K followers 80 following 270 posts

Associate Professor at Georgetown University. Washington, DC. More here: https://www.africanistperspective.com/

www.africanistperspective.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · Nov 20

I blog on African political economy, foreign affairs, and other topics here: www.africanistperspective.com

An Africanist Perspective | Ken Opalo | Substack

African political economy, foreign affairs, and general commentary. Click to read An Africanist Perspective, by Ken Opalo, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

www.africanistperspective.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 2d

If the U.S. were a low-income country, right around now they'd have been hit with a range of economic sanctions designed to impoverish Americans into rising up to defend their democracy -- with predictable results.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 2d

The best thing is happening on the Substack!!! The share of subscribers based on the Continent is growing!

www.africanistperspective.com

An Africanist Perspective | Ken Opalo | Substack

African political economy, foreign affairs, and general commentary. Click to read An Africanist Perspective, by Ken Opalo, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

www.africanistperspective.com

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks John for the kind words.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 6d

Featuring @adamtooze.bsky.social, @danielagabor.bsky.social, @dandrezner.bsky.social, and others in Foreign Policy’s Fall 2025 issue.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 6d

The geopolitics of international development (after foreign aid): www.africanistperspective.com/p/the-geopol...

The geopolitics of international development (after foreign aid)

You can't have nice things without strategic independence and policy autonomy

www.africanistperspective.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 9d

How to build trust and capabilities for effective governance in Africa: world-bank-afronomics.captivate.fm/episode/how-...

How to build trust and capabilities for effective governance in Africa - Afronomics

In this episode of Afronomics, host Andrew Dabalen speaks with Dr. Ken Opalo, a leading scholar on African political economy and governance. Opalo,...

world-bank-afronomics.captivate.fm

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 10d

It’s an odd time for anyone to be doubling down on deranged Islamophobia.

www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Islam was the world’s fastest-growing religion from 2010 to 2020

From 2010 to 2020, the number of Muslims increased by 347 million people to 2.0 billion people.

www.pewresearch.org

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 11d

Agreed.

Reposted by Ken Opalo

Lee Crawfurd @leecrawfurd.bsky.social · 12d

Great to see that the UK Development Minister is reading @cgdev.org NRF @kopalo.bsky.social & Stefan Dercon fabians.org.uk/publication/...

Promising development | Fabian Society

Fabian Society

fabians.org.uk

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 12d

What a graph.

via @semafor.com

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Reposted by Ken Opalo

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 13d

I've bored on before about my view that the hidden assumption of the Left is that economics is bad and nasty, therefore the worse and nastier you're being, the better economics you're doing.

The worst boss is always a squishy liberal acting how she thinks a hard nosed capitalist would.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 13d

Overcoming the underwhelming history of America's Africa Policy #UNGA80

kenopalo.substack.com/p/overcoming...

Overcoming the underwhelming history of America's Africa Policy

Africa Foreign Policy - Part 3

kenopalo.substack.com

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 13d

The Future of Africa-China Relations #UNGA80

kenopalo.substack.com/p/the-future...

The Future of Sino-Africa Relations

African Foreign Policy - Part 2

kenopalo.substack.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 13d

African Foreign Policy in a Multipolar Age #UNGA80

kenopalo.substack.com/p/african-fo...

African Foreign Policy in a Multipolar Age

African Foreign Policy - Part 1

kenopalo.substack.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 17d

What I told you that even with the recent increase in the cost of power in the U.S., Kenyans still face a higher price than in the U.S.?

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 17d

Energy use per person. African states MUST do better.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 18d

Absolutely glorious.

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Reposted by Ken Opalo

Mike Murphy @mjamurphy.bsky.social · 19d

This is an important argument that folk focused on climate and development would do well to engage with

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 19d

The most unlikely degrowthers: open.substack.com/pub/kenopalo...

The most unlikely degrowthers

On why the World Bank and other multilaterals should recalibrate their climate projects in low-income countries

open.substack.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 19d

It’s per person per year. These countries have higher than average access rates. 600m Africans lack access to power.

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 19d

The most unlikely degrowthers: open.substack.com/pub/kenopalo...

The most unlikely degrowthers

On why the World Bank and other multilaterals should recalibrate their climate projects in low-income countries

open.substack.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 20d

“It can’t happen here” … yeah right.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 21d

On the rise and fall of STEM education in Kenya: www.africanistperspective.com/p/what-does-...

What does the rise and decline of STEM enrollment in Kenyan universities tell us about the Kenyan economy?

A pitch to increase STEM enrollment (and fix higher education in Kenya)

www.africanistperspective.com

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 24d

One day writers and editors in major international magazines will learn that the Continent has 54 countries with lots of variation.

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Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · Sep 8

Mission 300, championed by the World Bank & the AfDB, among others, needs a new mission.

Electrifying African firms for growth and development:

open.substack.com/pub/kenopalo...

Electrifying African firms for growth and development

On the urgent need to rethink the core goals of Mission 300

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Ken Opalo

Isaac Samuel @rhaplord.bsky.social · Sep 6

Tomorrow's article is on the history of Yoruba cities

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