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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika
@megatrends-afrika.de
1.4K followers 420 following 210 posts
Research and policy advice on the effects of megatrends in Africa. We are a joint project by Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Thanks again to all authors for their contributions! @wlacher.bsky.social @denistull.bsky.social @ltschoerner.bsky.social @phemelo-tamasiga.bsky.social @rthiele.bsky.social @jleininger.bsky.social @dnowack.bsky.social @avonschiller.bsky.social @idos-research.bsky.social h.bsky.social @kiel.institute
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Find the study, here

👉 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...
Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the New Multipolarity
Africa is entering a new era of multipolarity, with global powers competing to become key partners to the continent. This study analyses the...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Multipolarity is shaping Africa and Africa is shaping its role in the new multipolar world.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
In #urban development, Addis Ababa showcases hybridisation and pragmatism and how global actors are interconnected rather than divided into opposing blocs.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
In #digital policy it is more mixed: governments choose among offers by the US, EU and India, often pursuing multi-alignment, though risking dependency and fragmentation.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Critical #minerals offer African states leverage in the energy transition, through export bans and contract reviews.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
In #infrastructure China dominates the scene, but also because local African actors value the Chinese speed, scale, and discretion.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
In #trade the US unilateralism restricts access, but also spurs competition and new opportunities like EU reforms.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Polls show that, in the field of external #democracy support, African citizens welcome support equally from both the EU and China.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
Western peacekeeping is declining while non-Western interventions rise, creating a “market for foreign #security assistance”, but more options don’t always mean more peace.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
External powers such as the US, EU, China, Russia, Turkey, UAE and others are more and more engaged on the continent. At the same time, African actors actively shape their partnerships, policy choices, and outcomes.
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 1d
📢 New study alert!

Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the New #Multipolarity explores how #Africa navigates a new world order.

18 authors, 8 chapters, and 1 deep dive into security, democracy, trade, infrastructure, minerals, digital policy and urban development. 🧵
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 3d
Is #multipolarity a curse or blessing for #Africa? 🌍

Our new study "Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the New Multipolarity" finds answers in 7️⃣ policy fields, highlighting how African #agency is limited and enhanced through geopolitical competition and partnerships.

Out tomorrow!
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 7d
🚨 Launching next week: “Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the New #Multipolarity“. 🌍

18 authors, 8 chapters, and a deep dive how #Africa navigates a world of rising global #competition and multiple #partners.

Stay tuned!
megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 9d
In #Nigeria 🇳🇬, efforts to #disarm, #rehabilitate and #reintegrate former Boko Haram members are meant to counter violent #extremism. Joshua Akintayo explains how agency rivalries over budgets and influence weaken efforts instead.

👉 Find his brief and policy recommendations, here: t1p.de/8fjmh
Fragmented Approaches, Missed Opportunities: Security Coordination Challenges in Nigeria’s DDRR Efforts
Disengagement, disassociation, reintegration, and reconciliation programmes are central to Nigeria’s counter-terrorism, but rivalries among...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 19d
Friday Read 📘
To send you into the weekend with something compelling.

Exactly two years after #Mali, #Burkina Faso and #Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States, Maÿlis Dudouet unpacks the symbolic of the #AES #flag in The Africa Report.

🔗 www.theafricareport.com/390688/from-...
From Pan-Africanism to Sahel unity: What Africa’s flags reveal - The Africa Report.com
From anti-colonial resistance to new confederations, flags of African countries embody the ideals of independence. Our infographics trace what they symbolise, and how they have changed.
www.theafricareport.com
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 21d
🌍 The #AU is calling for a new world #map that shows Africa’s real size 👉 #CorrectTheMap campaign.

Ahead of the #EUAU summit, @karolineeickhoff.bsky.social explains how maps shape our view of the world and urges the European side to review its use of visualizations.

📃 t1p.de/6wka6
Africa’s Place on the World Map
World maps are not neutral and marginalize Africa, says the “Correct the Map” campaign. The European side should therefore review its map...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 26d
Friday Read 📘
To send you into the weekend with something compelling.

Today: On #Ethiopia ’s #GERD dam, expected to double the country’s #electricity output, its financing and the 1959 #Nile Waters Agreement between Egypt and Sudan, written by Privilege Musvanhiri.

🔗 www.dw.com/en/deaths-do...
Deaths, dollars, disputes: Ethiopia's GERD mega dam – DW – 09/09/2025
Did 15,000 people die during GERD's construction? DW unpacks some key facts about Ethiopia's mega dam, including why Addis Ababa does not recognize the 1959 Nile Water treaty between Egypt and Sudan.
www.dw.com
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 28d
By externalizing border control, the EU has helped #Libya to turn #migrants into cash, write wlacher.bsky.social and Jérôme Tubiana in Le Monde diplomatique. An analysis of how counter-migration became an attractive business model for Libyan #militias.
mondediplo.com
Le Monde diplomatique in English @mondediplo.com · Sep 9
The EU’s push to curb Mediterranean crossings didn’t create Libya’s extortion economy, but has supercharged it, making migrants pawns in a lucrative game between the country’s rival governments.

By @wlacher.bsky.social
The extortion state: how the EU helps Libya to turn migrants into cash
Subscribers // by Wolfram Lacher & Jérôme Tubiana (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, September 2025)
mondediplo.com
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 29d
We're delighted to welcome Dr Godfrey Maringira at @swp-berlin.org and in the #MegatrendsAfrika team! #ResearchFellowship #AfricanScholars
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 29d
2️⃣ @phemelo-tamasiga.bsky.social identifying challenges and opportunities for an equitable energy #transition in South Africa

📃 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...
Challenges and Opportunities for Just Energy Transition Partnerships in Africa
For Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) to be truly “just” they must prioritize social equity and inclusivity. This policy brief...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 29d
1️⃣ Cobus van Staden analysing JETP agreements in Senegal and South Africa and how climate-related #cooperation feeds into broader trends of #multipolarity

📃 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...
Climate Collaboration in Multipolar Times
The G7's Just Energy Transition Partnership agreements with Senegal and South Africa aim to help these economies to become less...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 29d
While the #AfricaClimateSummit is beginning today in Addis Ababa, our researchers have shared their insights on Just Energy Transition Partnerships #JETPs and climate collaboration in a multipolar world, drawing on examples from South Africa and Senegal. 🧵
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · Sep 5
Friday Read 📘
To send you into the weekend with something compelling.

Today: The dangerous business of keeping Burundi moving by Désiré Nimubona (The Continent) on $7/litre fuel that smugglers risk their lives for and how today’s crisis traces back to 2015.

🔗 continent.substack.com/p/the-danger...
The dangerous business of keeping Burundi moving
As legal fuel imports collapse, citizens risk their lives to keep the country running: the black market is booming, with a litre of fuel now costing almost $7.
continent.substack.com
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megatrends-afrika.de
Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · Sep 4
📣Debating Trump 2.0 and Implications for Africa: civil society organizations face a double crisis: #funding cuts and narratives undermining their #legitimacy.

As @lenagutheil.bsky.social notes, #CSOs must diversify their funding and Europe must back an independent civil society.

👉 t1p.de/z9iym
Debating Trump 2.0 and Implications for Africa – The Multiple Pressures on Civil Society Organizations
The USAID cuts put strain on Africa’s underfunded civil society organizations and fuel debates about their legitimacy. While CSOs need to...
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