In the project "Megatrends Africa: Implications and Options for German and International Policy", we explore how megatrends affect African states and societies. We seek to develop ideas for German and European cooperation with African partners that help to make ongoing transformations fairer and more sustainable. This is all the more important as Africa is rising on the agenda of German and European policymakers, as does their need for evidence-based policy advice.

In the initial phase of the project in 2022, we focus on three thematic areas:

• Conflicts, statehood, and violent actors
• Megatrends and political authority
• New external actors

Megatrends Africa is a joint project of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) ), and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). Our project cooperates with the Kiel Institute Africa Initiative. As an interdepartmentally financed research and advisory project, we receive funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Federal Ministry of Defence.

We produce policy-relevant research on major political, social, and economic trends in Africa. The team brings together scholars from both continents and different disciplines. Our aim is to exchange, take on, and critically question different perspectives. We do so at workshops with representatives from academia, politics, and civil society, through our publications, as well as on the blog of our website. This way, we wish to contribute to a more nuanced public debate on Africa.