Harvard University Center for African Studies
H.E. Obasanjo—Former President of Nigeria, Africa’s Elder Statesman, and the African Union’s High Representative to the Horn of Africa—visits CAS
Drawing on more than six decades of experience in peacekeeping and diplomacy, President Obasanjo reflected on conflicts across the continent, from Sudan and Ethiopia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The CAS student conversation with H.E. Obasanjo emphasized the role of students and the African diaspora in shaping the continent’s future. The evening JFK Forum explored the importance of African leadership and international partnerships, the need to include women in peace negotiations, and the value of subsidiarity and regional support in peace and mediation.
News Stories
Student Lens: Reflections from H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo's Visit to CAS
Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio at the JFK Jr. Forum: Africa and the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
Student Lens: Reflections from Sierra Leone’s Presidential Visit to Harvard and CAS
CAS convenes a Faculty Research Roundtable with Harvard Professors and Key Ministers of Sierra Leone
CAS at UNGA: High-Profile Africa Convenings on the Sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly
Welcome to the 2026-2027 Academic Year
Chidi Blyden Hired as New Executive Director of Harvard Center for African Studies
Six projects chosen for Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa
The Motsepe Fund was established in 2020 to support faculty-led and student-driven research projects that focus on advancing key challenges and opportunities facing Africa, with a focus on projects falling within the STEAM rubric (the application of the...
Upcoming Events
Cancelled: Financing Africa’s Future with the CEO of Ghana's Gold Board
Fighting for a Different Heart and Mind: African Soldiers, Psychological Warfare, and Competing Internationalisms in the First Indochina War, 1946–1954
Who You Know, Who You Recommend: Referrals and Occupational Gender Segregation in Uganda.
Faculty & Student Research at CAS
Exploring Pathways for Sustainable Human-Lion Coexistence in Kenya
Improving Livelihoods for Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Ethiopia
Bridging Education and Technology: Exploring Rwanda’s School Data Management System
Below is the written report from HGSE student, Ayo Arowolo, who travelled to Rwanda for her research project in Spring 2025.
The Role of Food Vendors in School Food Environments: A Qualitative Study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Journals, Research, & Working Papers
This new section highlights recent outputs from the Harvard University Center for African Studies, featuring journals, research contributions, and working papers generated through CAS conferences, workshops, and symposia. It offers a curated space for showcasing emerging scholarship, ongoing intellectual projects, and newly released papers that reflect the breadth of academic work across the continent and the global African diaspora.