Africa program

Since the early 2010s, Africa has been undergoing significant changes that are impacting nearly every region of the continent. In West Africa, the Horn of Africa, and both Eastern and Southern Africa, an increasing number of states, backed by large-scale popular protests, are asserting their sovereignty amidst a backdrop of shifting relationships with external partners, whether bilateral or multilateral. Security dynamics—including jihadism and armed extremism, organized crime, politico-military rebellions, the rise of vigilantism and self-defense groups, military coups, and the creation of ad hoc security arrangements that bypass institutional mechanisms within the African Union’s African Peace and Security Architecture and subregional organizations—are driving profound geopolitical shifts. At the same time, new alliances and cooperation programs with international actors, diverse and numerous, are contributing to these transformations.

Additionally, the emergence of new political, civil, militant, entrepreneurial, media, religious, and cultural movements is part of the structural changes reshaping African societies, institutions, and states. To explore the complexity of these processes, the articles, conferences, and training courses offered by the WFES “Africa” program aim to deepen the understanding of the continent. By shifting perspectives, the program seeks to grasp Africa’s challenges and opportunities while prioritizing the vision that Africans themselves have for their future.