Africa: Year in Review 2024 Launch

Access the Africa: Year in Review 2024 landing page here.

Opening remarks were provided by Oge Onubogu, Director of the Wilson Center Africa Program. Panel discussion followed, with contributors to the publication discussing events of the past year and connecting them to US and African policy looking into 2025. 

Florie Liser, President and CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa, discussed the ability of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to strengthen a continental-wide market and shift global value chains. She connected implementation of the AfCFTA with US-Africa trade policy and stressed the importance of seizing the opportunity to coordinate policy between the AfCFTA and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 

Alex Vines, Head of the Africa Program at Chatham House, reflected on the significance of the African Union (AU) attending the G20 for the first time as a full member in November 2024. The opportunities this presents for the AU’s global leadership are significant, Alex observed. He stressed the need to coordinate policy with South Africa’s presidency of the G20 and remain grounded in focused, actionable goals to advance Africa’s interests on the global stage. 

Jide Okeke, Coordinator of the Regional Program for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme, joined the discussion virtually and reflected on the state of multilateralism on the continent. He addressed uncertainty at the departure of Niger, Mali, and Burkina from the Economic Community of West African States but maintained that there were promising developments as well, such as South Africa’s accession to the presidency of the G20 and the continued implementation of the AfCFTA. 

Abigail Kabandula, Director of the Africa Center at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, addressed rising tensions in the Horn of Africa and the potential for further instability in 2025. She discussed the role of foreign powers in mediating the conflict and the urgency of preventing further deterioration of relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. Finally, she reflected on the potential for external actors, including the US and the AU, to promote regional stability going forward. 

The panel discussion was followed by a Q and A with questions from the audience in-person and online.