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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 07/10/2026

Welcome, Idrissa! 🎉We're delighted to welcome Idrissa Aya to the Megatrends Afrika team. He will be with us for three months from September, focusing his #research on economic #vulnerability and #resilience, and their links to political #instability.

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 05/10/2026

Exciting news! We're delighted to welcome Sheila Ronoh to the #Megatrends Afrika team. Sheila joins us for three months from mid September, focusing her research on political participation of youth and #genZ #protest in #Kenya. Welcome, Sheila! 🎉

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 01/10/2026

#GenZ protests 🤝 civil society organizations ❓ Drawing on 🇰🇪 Kenya and 🇲🇬 Madagascar, @lenagutheil.bsky.social examines how social movements and #CSOs interact and finds they have particular strengths that can be harnessed with a sufficient level of #autonomy from each other. 📃 t1p.de/3ajvk

megatrends-afrika.de

Gen Z Movements and CSOs in Kenya and Madagascar: Friends or Foes?

Gen Z movements in Kenya and Madagascar both worked with civil society organizations (CSOs) to achieve political change, but collaboration...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 25/09/2026

Plot twist: Europe is Africa’s largest holder of conventional FDI. 🇪🇺🌍 Marvellous Ngundu examines not only the volume of foreign #investment, but also the sectors to which it flows and its development impact to give recommendations as to how #FDI can work better for #Africa. 📖 t1p.de/ftir0

megatrends-afrika.de

Africa Needs Better Investment, Not Just More Investment

China, Europe and the US rank differently as investors in Africa, depending on what is measured. But the development impact of FDI depends on...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 24/09/2026

At the UN General Assembly, Donald Trump claimed to have "made peace". But has he? Narine Karapetyan @berghoffnd.bsky.social and Karoline Eickhoff analyse #transactional approaches in #peace mediation 🕊️, looking at the US-brokered Washington Accords between the #DRC and #Rwanda 🇨🇩 🇷🇼 📃 t1p.de/nuh6v

megatrends-afrika.de

Transactional Deal-Making: The Promise and Perils for Peace Mediation

Transactionalism elicits strong views on both its utility and impact on peace mediation. Narine Karapetyan and Karoline Eickhoff argue that in...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 17/09/2026

🌍As Gulf rivalries extend into the #RedSea, African states are gaining strategic value while facing growing pressure on their room for manoeuvre. #PriyalSingh examines what this evolving security order means for Africa’s agency & Europe’s regional role. www.megatrends-afrika.de/publikation/...

megatrends-afrika.de

Africa’s Evolving Red Sea Security Dynamics and Implications for Europe

As Gulf rivalries extend into the Red Sea, African states are gaining strategic value while facing new pressures on their room for manoeuvre....

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 09/09/2026

🌍 What’s wrong with the world map? The #UN General Assembly decided to adopt the Equal Earth projection instead of the former #Mercator map. Karoline Eickhoff explains the differences between the two and why maps matter for how we perceive global power relations. 👀 t1p.de/6wka6

megatrends-afrika.de

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...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 03/09/2026

🇨🇳 What does #China’s scientific cooperation with #Africa look like? From digital transformation and #agriculture to public #health and #satellite technologies, cooperation spans a wide range of fields but follows no centrally coordinated strategy explain Hangwei Li and Han Cheng. 📖 t1p.de/tnr9i

megatrends-afrika.de

China’s Scientific Cooperation with Africa

Chinese scientific cooperation with Africa is shaped by both state-led initiatives and actor-driven partnerships, spanning digital...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 01/09/2026

Critical Raw Materials: While the #EU 🇪🇺 seeks to reduce dependencies on China, #SouthAfrica 🇿🇦 aims to create jobs and retain more value locally. @fraumuellerbln.bsky.social explains in her spotlight how the interests of both sides can be aligned. 📖 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

megatrends-afrika.de

How South Africa and the EU Can Strengthen Cooperation on Minerals

Both the EU and South Africa seek to reshape critical raw materials supply chains. The EU aims to reduce dependencies on China, while South...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 31/08/2026

One of the key promises of the G20 Compact with Africa #CwA was to encourage more private investment in Africa. But has this goal been achieved? @rthiele.bsky.social and Tomke Necker analyse and highlight the initiative’s strengths, weaknesses and unresolved issues. 📖 t1p.de/kzgdt

megatrends-afrika.de

‘Compacts with Africa’: An Effective Lever for Private Investment?

The G20’s “Compacts with Africa” initiative aimed to create the necessary conditions, through reforms, for increased private investment in...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 20/08/2026

New Policy Brief🚨 “China in the Classroom of an African Cadre School” Who shapes a school run by six of Southern Africa’s ruling parties? Amélie Wurl's fieldwork in Tanzania looks into China's role 🇨🇳 within an African-owned institution. 🔗 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

megatrends-afrika.de

China in the Classroom of an African Cadre School

The Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School serves as a platform for regional and ideological connection for socialist “sister parties” in...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 12/08/2026

🌍 What will the global order look like in 2050? Collin Meisel looks to the past and present to envision the future. 🚨 spoiler alert: the world will get warmer, older, more African and less European. 📖 Read his spotlight, here: www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

megatrends-afrika.de

Toward a “Mini-Polar” Future: Where Do Africa and Europe Stand?

In 2050, the world will be warmer, older, more African, less European and with a ‘mini-polar’ world order. Collin Meisel explains how political...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 11/08/2026

Zambia 🇿🇲 heads to the polls this Thursday. Ahead of the vote, revisit our research on Zambia and the interplay between domestic and foreign policy. 📚 Three perspectives on Zambia’s foreign policy, economic resilience and bureaucratic practices 🧵

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 10/08/2026

Mehr Privatinvestitionen in Afrika – eines der zentralen Versprechen des G20 Compact with Africa #CwA. Doch wurde dieses Ziel erreicht? @rthiele.bsky.social und Tomke Necker ziehen Bilanz und zeigen Stärken, Schwächen und offene Fragen der Initiative. 📖 www.megatrends-afrika.de/publikation/...

megatrends-afrika.de

„Compacts with Africa”: Wirksamer Hebel für Privatinvestitionen?

Die „Compact with Africa”-Initiative der G20 wollte mittels Reformen die nötigen Voraussetzungen schaffen, um private Investitionen für...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 06/08/2026

Xenophobic violence in #SouthAfrica 🇿🇦 is reaching new heights. Who is behind the movement? @fraumuellerbln.bsky.social analyses how social grievances are being channelled into anti-migrant mobilisation, the role of Jacob Zuma and the influence of social media. Now in English, here: t1p.de/4l309

megatrends-afrika.de

Anti-Migration Protests in South Africa: Winning Votes on the Backs of the Most Vulnerable

Xenophobic violence is escalating across South Africa. Melanie Müller examines who is behind the protests, how hardship is being exploited, and...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 05/08/2026

🗺️ Where are the eastern #DRC 's conflict #minerals located? Our map shows artisanal and small-scale mining sites for #gold and the "3Ts", #tin, #tungsten and #tantalum – minerals that help finance armed groups and sustain #conflict. Read Karoline Eickhoff's full policy brief, here: t1p.de/b587a

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 03/08/2026

The Hormuz crisis is increasing economic pressure across #NorthAfrica while accelerating the region's emergence as a strategic hub. @idos-research.bsky.social's Annabelle Houdret and Mark Furness explain why North Africa is becoming important for energy, trade and logistics. 📖 More: t1p.de/69kky

megatrends-afrika.de

Between Shock and Opportunity: Hormuz and Deepening North Africa–Europe Relations

With the world’s attention fixed on the Strait of Hormuz, developments in North Africa have made fewer headlines in Europe. The crises in the...

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Reposted by Megatrends Afrika

Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) @swp-berlin.org · 22/07/2026

Bei seiner Afrikareise trifft Außenminister Wadephul heute den Präsidenten der ECOWAS-Kommission. @franziskaehlert.bsky.social & @denistull.eurosky.social sprechen im SWP-Podcast über Herausforderungen in Westafrika & darüber, wie Europa sich positionieren sollte🎙️🎧 www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...

swp-berlin.org

Megatrends Afrika: ECOWAS und AES zwischen Konfrontation und Kooperation

Anfang 2025 traten Mali, Burkina Faso und Niger aus der ECOWAS aus und gründeten die Allianz der Sahel-Staaten AES. Seitdem hat sich die...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 22/07/2026

🌍 Critical #minerals are reshaping relations between #Africa and #Europe. As African countries seek greater #valueaddition and Europe looks to build resilient #supplychains, new industrial partnerships are becoming possible, explains Jonathan Kaupenjohann ▶️ www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

megatrends-afrika.de

Critical Minerals Will Reshape European-African Relations

Critical raw materials are shaping the global geoeconomic landscape. For European industry, access to these materials is essential to maintain...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 20/07/2026

📌 Climate Collaboration in Multipolar Times. The European Union and China as Energy Transition Partners to African Countries (EN) von Cobus van Staden www.megatrends-afrika.de/publikation/...

megatrends-afrika.de

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...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 20/07/2026

Bundesaußenminister Johann #Wadephul reist derzeit nach #Mauretanien, #Nigeria und #Südafrika. Im Fokus stehen Fragen der regionalen Sicherheit, Migration, wirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit sowie der Energie- und Klimapolitik. Dazu haben wir zehn Analysen von #MegatrendsAfrika zusammengestellt 🧵

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 17/07/2026

Xenophobe Gewalt in #Südafrika erreicht ein neues Ausmaß, mitunter weil Gruppen wie "March and March" soziale Not zur Mobilisierung nutzen. Wer steckt genau hinter der Bewegung? @fraumuellerbln.bsky.social analysiert politische Interessen, die Rolle Jacob Zumas und sozialer Medien ▶️ t1p.de/niln5

t1p.de

Anti-Migrationsproteste in Südafrika: Wahlkampf auf dem Rücken der Schwächsten

In Südafrika verschärft sich landesweit xenophobe Gewalt. Melanie Müller analysiert, wer hinter den Protesten steht, wie soziale Not...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 15/07/2026

#Europe has a visibility problem in #Tunisia. European-funded bridges, dams and water #infrastructure often go unnoticed, while Chinese-backed projects receive widespread public recognition. Read Isabelle Werenfels' take on why that is and how to change it: www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

megatrends-afrika.de

Europe’s Visibility Dilemma in Tunisia

In Tunisia, European-funded projects frequently remain under the radar, whereas Chinese initiatives are highly visible and welcomed. Isabelle...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 13/07/2026

🎧 New Podcast Alert 🎧 Hört rein, wenn @franziskaehlert.bsky.social und @denistull.eurosky.social regionale Zusammenarbeit und diplomatische Bestrebungen zwischen #ECOWAS und #AES Staaten vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen sicherheitspolitischen Herausforderungen im #Sahel diskutieren.

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 02/07/2026

🌍 The Future of African-European Relations In our second spotlight in this series David Kipp, Emma Landmesser, @heidland.bsky.social ask: How can emerging migration corridors between sub-Saharan Africa and Germany become fair and mutually beneficial? Read their spotlight, here: t1p.de/b0gra

megatrends-afrika.de

The Untapped Potential of Labour and Education Migration from Africa to Germany

While public debate on migration in Europe focuses mainly on irregular migration, regular routes for labour and education migration from Africa...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 29/06/2026

#ECOWAS at a crossroads. The planned 1,650-strong counter-terrorism unit signals a bid to redefine its role in West Africa’s security landscape. But funding, coordination, training gaps, and raise doubts about its viability, explains franziskaehlert.bsky.social. Read more: t1p.de/qcrpj

megatrends-afrika.de

The ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Force: New Ambitions, Old Constraints

The Economic Community of West African States’ creation of a “counter-terrorism” force reflects its determination to retain a leading role in...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 26/06/2026

How much room for manoeuvre does #Trump leave #Tinubu? Facing Washington's demands and pressure by potential voters, #Nigeria has exercised what Joshua Akintayo calls bounded agency: the ability to shape the terms, timing and framing of its compliance. Read more, here: t1p.de/mpszo

megatrends-afrika.de

Trump in Africa: Nigeria's Bounded Agency and Structural Dependence Under US Pressure

Since last October, the United States has been exerting coercive pressure on Nigeria. President Tinubu’s response is constrained by religious...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 24/06/2026

And * Jakkie Cilliers, Chairman of the Board and Head of African Futures & Innovation, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) * Anne Lauenroth, Senior Expert Raw Materials; Federation of German Industries (BDI)

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 24/06/2026

Our speakers will be: * @phemelo-tamasiga.bsky.social, Senior Researcher, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) * Melanie Müller, Deputy Head of Research Division Africa and Middle East, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 24/06/2026

🌍 How are critical raw materials reshaping European–African relations? Join our panel discussion which we will co-host with Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and the Institute for Security Studies. 📅 2 July 2026, 10:00–11:30 CET ➡️ RSVP t1p.de/t4zg1 See you there!

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Reposted by Megatrends Afrika

IDOS_research @idos-research.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

How do African actors, especially bureaucrats, shape Chinese-financed digital projects? What happens when political leadership changes? And what are the implications for Digital Global Gateway? 💡 A new @megatrends-afrika.de #PolicyBrief by IDOS expert Hangwei Li explores this question.

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 17/06/2026

🎓 #China is now #Africa’s largest scholarship provider. Analysing LinkedIn data on 33,000 Africans educated in China, Carolin Formella and @heidland.bsky.social suggest how education mobility is used as a soft #power tool. Read the full Spotlight: t1p.de/rfl3o

t1p.de

African Scholars in China: Education Mobility as Soft Power?

China pledged more scholarships to African students than Western governments combined. Using LinkedIn data, we show that they study engineering...

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 12/06/2026

Why do #energy transition ambitions fall short of delivery? Comparing 🇧🇼 #Botswana and 🇺🇬 #Uganda shows how institutional, regulatory and infrastructure gaps can undermine implementation. Read the analysis by @phemelo-tamasiga.bsky.social and Benard Musekese Wabukala here: t1p.de/uyask

megatrends-afrika.de

The Implementation Gap and Energy Transition Pathways in Africa

Africa's energy transition will be won or lost in implementation. Botswana and Uganda show that targets matter only when matched by credible...

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Reposted by Megatrends Afrika

Denis Tull @denistull.eurosky.social · 12/06/2026

#Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa’s 2030 power bid hits the barracks, writes Africa confidential. Behind the constitution debate is a struggle over the post-Mugabe state with presidential allies, disgruntled #generals and a fragmented opposition testing their strength. Check out G. Maringira's Policy Brief !!

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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 11/06/2026

🌍 The Future of African-European Relations In our new spotlight series we are analysing which policies can foster mutually beneficial cooperation between Africa and Europe. Read the first take by Collin Meisel on how “US Demographic Decline Could Reshape Global Power Dynamics”, here: t1p.de/8h1hu

t1p.de

US Demographic Decline Could Reshape the Global Balance of Power

Demographic change is becoming an increasingly important driver of global power shifts. As America's demographic advantage narrows, Africa and...

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Reposted by Megatrends Afrika

IDOS_research @idos-research.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Wie junge Menschen in Afrika zur #Demokratie stehen, haben die Forscher*innen Christine Hackenesch und Godfred Bonnah Nkansah in einer Metastudie (lnkd.in/eD2FWp4i)) für @megatrends-afrika.de (lnkd.in/e8XsfETy) untersucht. ⤵️

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