The US has pledged support for the construction of a $10 billion international airport in Ethiopia south of Bole, amid Ethiopia’s growing alignment with Russia, reflecting Washington’s interest in reconnecting with key partners across the continent africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...

Rooting for you B’more!

Ghana’s President John Mahama has inaugurated a Joint Cyber Security Committee (JCC), a new body that unites representatives from key security and intelligence agencies to ensure coordinated responses and proactive defense against cyber threats www.myjoyonline.com/mahama-inaug...

Nigeria announces N250bn in funding for the development of modern light rail systems in Kaduna and Kano States. This is part of broader reforms to empower Nigeria’s subnational governments with greater financial autonomy and stronger governance. allafrica.com/stories/2025...

Alright folks. You can only live & travel within one region of DC for the rest of your life. What are you?

Excited to announce that our family is reaching personal replacement fertility rate. There’s gonna be another passenger for the Madsen bike, coming this December. This time it’s gonna be a girl!

“Governors of three states — Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia — are sending members of their state National Guards to D.C. The FBI reported that fully 43 cities in those three states had higher rates of violent crime in 2024 than did DC” www.pbump.net/o/more-peopl...

“I don’t see anything being done here,” said longtime Anacostia resident Tina Harris as she walked along Marion Barry Ave. “I think it’s clearly a diversion from the real issues,” including Trump's budget cuts for local social services & police, she said. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Listening to last week's Compound & Friends and just want to point out that, in my effort to invest in Africa, I've been investing in the AFK ETF since 2014! Unfortunately, I am still down 18.39%. @downtownjoshbrown.bsky.social @michaelbatnick.bsky.social

“Somaliland no longer needs to appeal for sympathy; it must impose itself as a necessity on international agendas, making its absence costlier than its inclusion in regional calculations,” argues Suhaib Mahmoud www.geeska.com/en/invisible...

“Charles Munyao, a business owner in Nairobi’s central business district, said that people looted his shops during demonstrations on June 25. Goons, not protesters, he said, had ruined his inventory, and this time, he added, gesturing to some of the men wielding sticks, he needed his own security.”

“Our country is free, open to one and all. You are welcome to come and invest. Otherwise, other countries might come instead of you,” Gabon’s president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema warned Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/u...

“Our country is free, open to one and all. You are welcome to come and invest. Otherwise, other countries might come instead of you,” Gabon’s president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema warned Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/u...

“Charles Munyao, a business owner in Nairobi’s central business district, said that people looted his shops during demonstrations on June 25. Goons, not protesters, he said, had ruined his inventory, and this time, he added, gesturing to some of the men wielding sticks, he needed his own security.”

“We can use this Saba Saba to make a reform in this country. I’m here for the youngsters. We have to fight for what our parents started.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/w...

To unlock the full value of Ethiopia’s gold sector, it needs to ensure that formal participation is viable & competitive for miners & traders. Reforms should focus on simplifying licensing, harmonizing policies, and creating incentives for formal trade. www.thereporterethiopia.com/45827/

In honor of the Fleetwood Mac Dreams meme, here is my son and I riding along the Anacostia River trail to get dinner at the Wharf

Ethiopia loses almost two-thirds of its gold production to informal and illegal channels, seriously undermining Ethiopia’s foreign exchange earnings and weakening its position in the global export market. www.thereporterethiopia.com/45827/

Weekly grocery run on my Madsen

Over the past few months, a confluence of crises has been simmering in #Zimbabwe: a heated succession battle within ZANU-PF, the most divided opposition in two decades, intensified repression of civil society & a worsening economic crisis. In @foreignpolicy.com , I examine the implications.

“Fearing a coming together of popular movements in their nations inspired by the successes of Kenya’s Gen Z movement, the Kenyan, Tanzanian & Ugandan governments are forming their own informal alliance, sharing not intelligence, resources, political fears & tactics” www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

I’m at the Africa AI Village at the AI+ Expo and just learned about Nkenne, an app devoted exclusively to learning African languages. So excited to try this app out! apps.apple.com/us/app/nkenn...

Extreme car dependence is affecting Americans’ quality of life, with a new study finding that having to drive for more than 50% of the time for out-of-home activities is linked to a decrease in life satisfaction. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...

The next U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit will focus on trade & investment. “It won’t be a summit to talk solely about politics and war. It will prioritise exchange between partners and relations between equals," Troy Fitrell tells @julianpecquet.bsky.social www.theafricareport.com/383817/trump...

If she would have started playing from the Pinkerton album I would have been really impressed.

Just passed Lee Montessori school where the kids are playing outside and a girl that’s like 6 or 7 years old is blasting Weezer’s Island in the Sun from a Bluetooth speaker and dancing to it. The kids are alright.

“It’s all in the numbers: presidents who meet with more African leaders launch more initiatives, introduce more policies, & engage more Africans on global issues. Everything flows from the Oval Office.” Who wins? @jdevermont.bsky.social crunches the data: poststrategy.substack.com/p/on-the-ova...

The Africa CEO Forum is bringing together 3,000 leaders in Abidjan to explore private sector & state cooperation. The US Chamber’s Africa Business Center will host a side summit with West African AmChams on strengthening U.S.-Africa business ties. www.theafricareport.com/383483/us-af...

Now at @cgdev.org learning how African countries should navigate current challenges (including US abandonment). You can follow along here: www.cgdev.org/event/how-sh...

A 60% tariff could have a 6% impact on Lesotho's GDP and a 57% tariff could have a 2.2% impact on Madagascar's GDP both who export textiles to the U.S. "With a 20% tariff, Kenya is now relatively more competitive," says @cgdev.org's Karen Mathiasen and Nico Martinez www.cgdev.org/blog/new-us-...

Africa policy often takes a back seat for many administrations, and will likely be the case in Trump's second administration. But the Trump administration is prioritizing critical minerals, which will involve Africa, says Aubrey Hruby

Excellent Invest in Africa virtual panel happening in 5 minutes: Navigating U.S. - Africa Relations in Trump's Second Term with Aubry Hruby, Cameron Hudson, and Gyude Moore www.investafrica.com/invest-afric...

To secure critical minerals and strengthen supply chains, the U.S. must engage African nations as key partners—prioritizing genuine government partnerships over transactional, hard-nosed deals, says Richard Morrow of @brenthurstf.bsky.social www.cfr.org/article/why-...

Again: this is not your grandparents’ Africa. When will European businesses finally start paying attention?

Space programs are growing in Africa because of the valuable data it produces. 20 African countries have launched satellites, 27 countries have a space program. A continental space program has been started to help countries share data, says Temidayo Oniosun of Space in African

Democratic resilience depends on the willingness of citizens to support democratic norms and institutions. @afrobarometer.bsky.social surveys have consistently found widespread support among Africans for these norms and institutions, says @joeasunka.bsky.social

On the Africa Supply Chains & Economic Integration panel, Habiba Ben Barka of @unctad.bsky.social says that COVID-19 was a wakeup call for African countries who realized their external dependence on supply chains and a need to grow supply chains on the African continent.

At the Lauter Institute's Africa Futures Symposium, Financing Transformation panel: China has provided $57 billion of aid and credit to countries around the globe related to transition mineral operations and $15 billion of that aid has gone to African countries, says Sheng Zhang of AidData.

I don’t think Trump has injected bleach into the economy. It’s more like carbon monoxide — it’s filling up the room but a lot of people haven’t felt it yet.

At the end of Cold War, Clinton realized that aid had run its course, and we needed to trade with Africa, which led to AGOA. British Robinson said that Prosper Africa wouldn’t have existed without PEPFAR. But PEPFAR would not have existed without AGOA, says Witney Schneidman

The chambers of commerce across Africa were critical partners in the success of PEPFAR, helping us connect with the private sector, says British Robinson, the former PEPFAR Director of Private Sector Engagement, at Lauder Institute’s Africa Futures Symposium.

Very excited to attend the Lauder Institute’s Africa Futures Symposium today and tomorrow in Philly! Lots of timely conversations on the theme of Navigating Global Uncertainty, exploring topics related to data governance, food security, geostrategic industries, & global competition!

Sen. Booker most recently mentioned this bet. It is in any country's long-term interests to invest in the African continent. bsky.app/profile/ryan...

“Pennsylvania, with its rich industrial and agricultural sectors, has benefited from USAID funds. Local companies have secured contracts to support international development projects, providing jobs and stimulating economic growth.” www.centredaily.com/opinion/lett...

“Utah’s economy thrives on international trade, with exports totaling $17B. USAID’s initiatives open markets for Utah businesses particularly in tech & ag. Suddenly stopping these programs jeopardizes global partnerships leading to economic downturns & job losses” www.deseret.com/opinion/2025...

"We risked our lives for this country. I risked my life & my family's lives only to land in the US and be under attack in a completely different way. Musk and his supporters call us radical Marxists who hate America? We love America more than anybody.” abcnews.go.com/US/usaid-off...

At a meeting with USAID staff and a GOP member of Congress, I was surprised at how much her office knew about the deteriorating situation of NGO partners going under and the whole system of aid unraveling. They were concerned and trying to move the White House. (thread)

Tough but necessary

A recent report showed that the destruction of just one USAID program, the anti-AIDS PEPFAR initiative, would lead to the deaths of one million people *every year* www.vox.com/future-perfe...

Planning to make this bet the rest of my life.