Africa & Global Power

A frica is no longer a passive recipient of foreign interest — it is the arena where 21st-century great power competition is being decided. The original Scramble for Africa, formalised at the 1884 Berlin Conference, took less than two decades to partition an entire continent among European powers. Today’s competition is less cartographic but no less consequential. It is being fought across port concessions, military basing agreements, debt instruments, and diplomatic votes in multilateral institutions. The actors have multiplied. The stakes — for Africa’s sovereignty, development, and strategic autonomy — are higher than they have been in generations. This piece is the first in a 30-day series examining the forces shaping Africa and the world. There is no better place to begin than the question that underlies almost every other: who wants what from Africa, and what are Africans doing about it? China: Infrastructure as Influence China’s engagement with Africa over the past t...

Introduction             Africa, long marginalized in global affairs as a peripheral actor defined by poverty, conflict, and dependency, is undergoing a profound transformation. By 2025, the continent—home to 1.4 billion people, vast untapped resources, and the world's youngest and fastest-growing population—is no longer a passive recipient of external agendas but an active shaper of international dynamics. This shift is driven by a confluence of demographic dividends, economic integration efforts, and intensified great-power competition, positioning Africa as a geopolitical fulcrum in a multipolar world. As the African Union (AU) gains permanent membership in the G20 and BRICS expands to include African nations, the continent's agency is amplifying, challenging outdated narratives of victimhood and enabling strategic recalibrations that prioritize self-reliance and mutual partnerships. Historical Context: From Colonial Periph...