Africa in Focus

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for its Fall 2023 discussion series—Africa in Focus: Reframing U.S.-Africa Policy.

Following the announcement of a new U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa in August 2022, and a second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, the goal of this discussion series is to take stock of U.S.-African relations to date, including unpacking key components of the U.S. strategy, and understanding African perspectives on the current and future trajectory of U.S. engagement on the continent.

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for its Fall 2023 discussion series -- Africa in Focus: Reframing U.S.-Africa Policy.  Following the announcement of a new US Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa in August 2022, and a second US-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, the goal of this discussion series is to take stock of US-African relations to date, including unpacking key components of the US strategy, and understanding African perspectives on the current and future trajectory of US engagement on the continent.

This session will feature Chidi Blyden, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Before joining MCC, Ms. Blyden served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, where she managed the Department of Defense's (DOD) relationships with 53 African nations. She has held various roles, honing her policy, national security, and practitioner skilled throughout her career in the government, academia, and non-profit sectors.

Registration: This event is in-person. RSVP required.
Speaker: Chidi Blyden, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Moderator: Natalie Colbert, Executive Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Refreshments will be provided.

Speaker Bio:
Chidi Blyden is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). As Deputy CEO, Ms. Blyden supports the CEO in the daily management of the agency and delivering on MCC’s mission to reduce global poverty through economic growth.

Before joining MCC, Ms. Blyden served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, where she managed the Department of Defense’s (DOD) relationships with 53 African nations. She has held various roles, honing her policy, national security, and practitioner skills throughout her career in the government, academia, and non-profit sectors. Ms. Blyden is an expert and socio-cultural advisor on Africa’s conflicts, security, and development issues. Her work has focused on the impact of culture in developing policy and community-centric approaches to security challenges in African nations. She was the first Africa Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, where she led the design and implementation of culture-specific training for the Nigerian Armed Forces on civilian harm.

Ms. Blyden has over 15 years of government service and served in the Obama Administration as a Special Assistant in DOD’s Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy – African Affairs and as the Africa Peacekeeping Advisor in DOD’s Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy – Stability and Humanitarian Affairs. She served as a Professional Staff Member in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee, advising on Africa and South America’s defense equities. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in the Security Studies Program and is an alumnus of Texas A&M University and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.

Ms. Blyden is affiliated with the Leadership Council for Women in National Security and the Truman National Security Project and serves on the Leadership Council for Memunatu Magazine, a nonprofit that promotes literacy and leadership for teen girls in Africa and the diaspora.

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for its Fall 2023 discussion series -- Africa in Focus: Reframing U.S.-Africa Policy.  Following the announcement of a new US Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa in August 2022, and a second US-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, the goal of this discussion series is to take stock of US-African relations to date, including unpacking key components of the US strategy, and understanding African perspectives on the current and future trajectory of US engagement on the continent.

This session will feature Judd Devermont, the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC). He most recently served as the special advisor for Africa strategy at the NSC from 2021-2022. Prior to the NSC, he served as the director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and as the National Intelligence Officer for Africa, leading the U.S. intelligence community’s analytic efforts on sub-Saharan Africa.

Registration: This event is in-person for attendees.  Guest will be virtual. RSVP required.
Speaker: Judd Devermont, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC)
Moderator: Natalie Colbert, Executive Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Lunch will be provided.

Speaker Bio:

Judd Devermont is the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC). He most recently served as the special advisor for Africa strategy at the NSC from 2021-2022. Prior to the NSC he served as the director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) from 2018 to 2021. Mr. Devermont previously was national intelligence officer for Africa from 2015-2018. In this position, he led the U.S. intelligence community’s analytic efforts on sub-Saharan African issues and served as the DNI’s personal representative at interagency policy meetings. Mr. Devermont also was the Central Intelligence Agency’s senior political analyst on sub-Saharan Africa from 2013-2015. Prior to this role, he served as the National Security Council director for Somalia, Nigeria, the Sahel, and the African Union from 2011 to 2013. In this position, he contributed to the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, signed by President Obama in 2012, and managed the process that resulted in U.S. recognition of the Somali government for the first time since 1991. Mr. Devermont spent two years abroad working at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria from 2008 to 2010.

Mr. Devermont has lived in South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire, and he has traveled widely across the continent. He has a master’s degree in African studies from Yale University and bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Spring 2023, Africa in Focus: African Agency in International Climate Policy and Energy Geopolitics. This series centers African voices in discussing the causes, consequences, and policy solutions for global climate change. 

This event will examine the challenges and opportunities for African states, and the continent at large, in transitioning to cleaner energy sources and the role that the U.S can play in supporting a just energy transition. 

Registration

This event is hybrid and RSVP is required. In-person participation is open to Harvard ID holders only. Members of the public are welcome to join online. 

Speakers

Rashid Ali Abdallah, Executive Director, African Energy Commission

Katie Auth, Policy Director, Energy for Growth Hub

Moderator

Henry Lee, Director of Environmental and Natural Resource Program & HKS Senior Lecturer in Public Policy

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A recording of the event is available here. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen recent surge in violence, but very limited international attention. Reports of foreign mercenaries, competition for access to critical natural resources, and changing political dynamics complicate peace efforts. This panel will look at the humanitarian impact and the political and economic consequences of the conflict to the Great Lakes Region and globally. 

Registration:

This event is in-person only. Guests are required to show Harvard ID to access the facility. 

Speakers:

Dr. Yvan Yenda Ilunga, Assistant Professor, Political Science and International Relations, Salve Regina University

Emmy-Lou Nicolaï, Emergency Officer, UNICEF

Joshua Walker,  Director of Programs at the Congo Research Group

Moderator:

Dr. Jocelyn Kelly, Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s (HHI) Gender, Rights and Resilience (GR2)

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Spring 2023, Africa in Focus: African Agency in International Climate Policy and Energy Geopolitics. This series centers African voices in discussing the causes, consequences, and policy solutions for global climate change. 

This event will examine the challenges and opportunities for African states, and the continent at large, in securing and deploying finance to tackle climate change.

Registration:

This event is virtual and open to the public. RSVP is required. 

Speakers:

Chavi Meattle, Senior Analyst, Climate Policy Initiative

Muthoni Nduhiu, Climate Finance Specialist (East Africa), African Development Bank 

Daouda Sembene, CEO Africatalyst; fmr.  Director, IMF Executive Board

Moderator:

Natalie Colbert, Executive Director, Belfer Center 

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A recording of the session is available here. 

The 2022 Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan virus in Uganda has been challenging and further complicating the country’s recovery efforts from COVID-19. This seminar will cover how Uganda has handled the outbreak that began in September 2022, its effect on the country’s social and economic recovery, and how global public health institutions are assisting in combating this new outbreak.

Join Belfer Fellow Dr. Syra Madad in conversation with Dr. Amy Boore, Dr. Henry Kyobe, Dr. Joel Montomery, and Corti Paul Lakuma.

While this virtual event is on the record, the event organizers prohibit any attendees, including journalists, from audio/visual recording or distributing parts or all of the event program without prior written authorization.

Join Africa in Focus for a lunch roundtable debrief on the COP27 negotiations and what the agreement signifies for collective action on climate cooperation, finance, and support for developing economies on the continent and around the world. The event will include perspectives from members of the HKS community who participated in COP27.  

Registration

This event is in-person only and limited to members of the HKS community. Space is limited on first come, first serve basis. RSVP required. 

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is touted as a game changer for its potential to raise both competitiveness and productivity as corporations take advantage of economies of scale associated with one of the largest free trade areas in the world.  Africa in Focus, in partnership with the Center for African Studies, Africa Caucus, Africa Policy Journal and the Business and Government PIC, welcomes Afreximbank Chief Economist Hippolyte Fofack for a discussion on the potential of the landmark AfCTA to accelerate African economies and position the continent as one of the most attractive investment destinations.  

Registration:

This event is hybrid and open to the public. For those attending in-person, HUID must be shown to gain entrance into the building. 

Speaker:

Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist, African Export-Import Bank 

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Fall 2022, Africa in Focus: African Agency in International Climate Policy and Energy Geopolitics. This series centers African voices in discussing the causes, consequences, and policy solutions for global climate change. 

This event will examine the consequences of climate change on food security on the continent and how water and food scarcity impacts and is impacted by local and global conflict.  

Registration:

This event is virtual and open to the public. RSVP is required.  

Speakers:

Simeon Ehui, Regional Director for Sustainable Development for Africa, World Bank 

Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director - Africa and Global Partnerships, World Resources Institute 

Dhesigen Naidoo, Climate Adaptation Lead, South Africa Presidential Climate Commission & Senior Research Associate - Climate Risk and Human Security Programme, Institute for Security Studies Africa 

Moderator:

Robert Paarlberg, Associate, Sustainability Science Program, Harvard Kennedy School & Betty F. Johnson ‘44 Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Wellesley College 

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A recording of the session is available here. 

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Fall 2022, Africa in Focus: African Agency in International Climate Policy and Energy Geopolitics. This series centers African voices in discussing the causes, consequences, and policy solutions for global climate change. 

This event will examine African states priorities and goals in the lead-up to COP27 with a focus, amongst others, on the status of NDC, climate financing, and the role of non-governmental actors in assisting states with their negotiation strategies and the eventual implementation of climate agreements.   

Registration: This event is hybrid and open to the public. RSVP is required.

Speaker: Alice Ruhweza, Africa Region Director for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 

Moderator: Salina Abraham, Global Landscape Forum Africa Regional Manager, Harvard Kennedy School MPP Candidate 

Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Spring 2022 to examine the factors driving recent political transitions as well as geostrategic relations in Africa. This third and final session will delve into the nexus of political, security, and economic interests between African governments, China, and the United States, as well as how external actors are reacting to African governments’ evolving foreign policies and priorities.

We will be joined by the following panelists:

• Dr. Folashadé Soulé, Senior Research Associate at the Global Economic Governance programme (Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford)  
• Dr. Shirley Yu, Senior Practitioner Fellow with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation (Harvard Kennedy School) and Director of the China-Africa Initiative (Firoz Lalji Institute, London School of Economics) 
• Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Studies (Council on Foreign Relations) and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, 2005-2009
• Natalie Colbert (Moderator), Executive Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) 

While this virtual event is on the record, the event organizers prohibit any attendees, including journalists, from audio/visual recording or distributing parts or all of the event program without prior written authorization.

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, in partnership with the HKS Africa Caucus, is pleased to host His Excellency Dr. Martin Kimani, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, to share his perspective on current global crises.  Ambassador Kimani made headlines earlier this year for his public rebuke of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a speech at the UN Security Council, demonstrating the powerful role Africa can play in global affairs, in a new era of great power competition.

While this event is on the record, the event organizers prohibit any attendees, including journalists, from audio/visual recording or distributing parts or all of the event program without prior written authorization.

About the Series: Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Spring 2022 to examine the factors driving recent political transitions as well as geostrategic relations in Africa.  This discussion series will focus on political processes and competition, civil society demands, civil-military relations, and the recent rise in coup d’états, particularly in West African countries, Sudan, and Ethiopia.  We will also consider the challenges facing African governments and the African Union in coordinating an African foreign policy, highlighting relationships with the US and China, among other actors.

This session will focus on coup d’états, civil-military relations, and political transitions in West Africa with speakers Dr. Naila Salihu, Program and Research officer at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), Dr. Joseph Sany, Vice President of the Africa Center at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and moderated by Dr. Zoe Marks, Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

About the Series: Join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in a workshop series in Spring 2022 to examine the factors driving recent political transitions as well as geostrategic relations in Africa.  This discussion series will focus on political processes and competition, civil society demands, civil-military relations, and the recent rise in coup d’états, particularly in West African countries, Sudan, and Ethiopia.  We will also consider the challenges facing African governments and the African Union in coordinating an African foreign policy, highlighting relationships with the US and China, among other actors.

This session will focus on Civil Society and Populism in Sudan and Ethiopia with guest speakers Hala Al-Karib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), and Michael Woldemariam, Director of the African Studies Center at Boston University, and moderated by Awab Elmesbah, an international development professional from Sudan.