African futures: key trends to 2035

Things are getting better in Africa, but not everywhere and not for everybody.

Africa is undergoing several major transitions, including demographic, economic, technological, urban and socio-political. These transitions are all connected, and together they will shape the future of the continent. Looking to the future, Africa’s overall story reveals a positive trend. Yet this trend is neither stable nor even. Things are getting better in some places, but not everywhere, not for everybody.


About the authors:

Julia Bello-Schünemann, Senior Researcher, African Futures and Innovation, ISS

Jakkie Cilliers, Head, African Futures and Innovation, ISS

Zachary Donnenfeld, Researcher, African Futures and Innovation, ISS

Ciara Aucoin, Researcher, ENACT: Enhancing Africa’s response to transnational organised crime

Alex Porter, Research Consultant, African Futures and Innovation, ISS


Picture:  Mark Fischer

Development partners
This policy brief was commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office and was prepared by the African Futures and Innovation programme at the ISS. The views expressed in this policy brief do not represent the official positions of the German Federal Foreign Office. The ISS is also grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA.
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