Since 2011 and the end of the post-election crisis, Côte d’Ivoire has returned to impressive economic growth. The country and its capital are drawing attention from a growing number of investors, and the “Abidjanian middle classes” are widely publicised and sought after.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Founded in 2007, the African Studies Center of the French Institute of International Relations - Ifri works to address the cross-disciplinary issues that the African continent is facing. The Center achieves its mission through quality analyses available in various formats.
Aimed at renewing interpretative frameworks and nurturing public debate, the Center’s expertise offers helpful tools for policy-makers in Africa. The Center also provides analyses for some key actors in Africa such as the French Ministry of the Armed Forces (Ministère des Armées), the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères), International Crisis Group, the OECD or the World Bank.
Launched in 2008, l’Afrique en questions covers topics of broad and current interest. In addition, the Policy Papers and Reports published by the Center provide more comprehensive analyses. These publications are combined with public events where politicians, academics, companies and civil society can promote dialogue about Africa and share analytical tools.
Afrique Décryptages, the African Studies Center’s blog, provides information regarding the Center's activities, publication announcements, conference reports, and links to the Center's research fellows’ public appearances. Afrique Décryptages also works as a forum where the research fellows share their opinions about topical issues and stimulate debates and discussions.
Research Fellow, Director of Ifri's African Studies Center
...Research Fellow, Ifri's African Studies Center
...Associate Research Fellow, Africa Studies Center / Center for Energy and Climate
...Associate Resarch Fellow, African Studies Center
...Associate Research Fellow, African Studies Center
...Associate Resarch Fellow, African Studies Center
...How can we define Emmanuel Macron’s foreign policy since he took office? After Nicolas Sarkozy’s brazen style of “gutsy diplomacy” and François Hollande’s “normal diplomacy”, the eighth president of the Fifth Republic seems to have opted for an agile classicism. In substance, he makes no claim...
Since 2015 and the refugee crisis, the dialogue between the European Union (EU) and African countries on migration issues has assumed a new intensity.
In a matter of months, Luanda politics became unrecognizable. The reasons why, and the ways in which, João Lourenço, President of Angola since september 2017, proceeded to these substantial and unexpected changes will be analyzed in detail in the pages that follow.
In September 2015, Addis Ababa introduced the first Light Rail Transit system (LRT) in sub-Saharan Africa. This tram, a symbol of Ethiopian renewal, was nevertheless barely used by the capital’s residents during the first few months. However, at the time of our research trip in April 2017,...
For about 20 years, security sector reform (SSR) has emerged as an essential tool for crisis recovery and reconstructing weak and failed states at the heart of the security-development continuum. It is time to take stock of the lessons learnt about SSR and to offer an analysis of good...
The President, Jacob Zuma, replaced his respected Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, on the 30th March 2017. It was the second attempt in two years (this time successful) to put an official in this key position who is "acquiescent" to the president's projects.
Between 15-21 November 2017, a day short of one week, Africa’s second longest-serving leader, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was forced out of office through a spectacular coup d’État. The collapse of Mugabe is hardly surprising, with the country having experienced close to two decades of...
In the week following Trump’s election, Ifri published a study to identify the likely changes in U.S. foreign policy. From the outset, this election appeared as a change in the U.S.’ trajectory, with consequences on the power relations and functioning of the international system.
The aim of this paper is to assess how an African country deals on the long run with the decline of international aid and foreign direct investment. This paper is a contribution to the debate about the effectiveness of the international sanctions system.
Punching Below Their Weight? Critical Reflections on Anglo-French Cooperation in Africa
By
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Punching Below Their Weight? Critical Reflections on Anglo-French Cooperation in Africa
by
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Fragile States, the ultimate frontier. African cases
Event organised in association with the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), OECD.
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Fragile States, the ultimate frontier. African cases
Event organised in association with the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), OECD.
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Francophonie in Africa: What Future?
Colloque organisé à l"Assemblée Nationale sous le haut patronage de Bernard Accoyer, Président de l"Assemblée nationale, en partenariat avec l"Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri) dans le cadre du Cinquantenaire des indépendances africaines.
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Obama administration's Strategy for Africa
Event organized in partnership with the French-American Foundation
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Obama administration's Strategy for Africa "Promoting Stability and Democracy in Africa: Through Collaborative Diplomacy"
Event organized in partnership with the French-American Foundation
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Zuma Administration: Drift or Shift?
On the 10th of May, controversial Jacob Zuma will celebrate his first year as President of the Republic of South Africa; position where many analysts did not think he would fit the job. What is the situation one year later? While he claims to be in Nelson Mandela's tradition, Marianne Séverin...
Zuma Administration: Drift or Shift?
On the 10th of May, controversial Jacob Zuma will celebrate his first year as President of the Republic of South Africa; position where many analysts did not think he would fit the job. What is the situation one year later? While he claims to be in Nelson Mandela's tradition, Marianne Séverin...
The Sub-Saharan Africa program and its Associate Fellows are accustomed to sharing their expertise with the media. Our experts mainly speak French, but they can also intervene in English. Consult our researchers’ geographic and thematic specialties on their profile.