The Elite Africa Project is a global network of scholars working to shift how Africa and its elites are understood.

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The Elite Africa Project

Watch a video introduction to the project and database.

Featured Posts

Introducing: The Elite Africa Project Database

Learn more about the Elite Africa Project and our Online Database!

Dafe Oputu

Scholar Spotlight: Sishuwa Sishuwa - Part 2

Part 2 of our interview with Zambian historian Sishuwa Sishuwa.

Elite Africa Roundup - 22 November 2024

Uganda's opposition leader abducted, artist Shonibare at Art Basel

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Elite Africa Roundup - 1 November 2024

A big week for art in W. Africa, SA supports ICJ case against Israel

Domains of Elite Power

The mechanics of how power—the essential condition of elite status—is meaningfully generated and exercised

Economic

Economic and business elites

Coercive

Military elites and those in security agencies

Ritual

Royalty, nobles, “traditional” rulers

Aesthetic

Art, literature, music- and media-based elites including new online influencers, clothing designers, architects, etc.

Religious

Religious and spiritual leaders, and intellectual/academic elites

Political

State-based or state-focused elites including international techno/bureaucrats

The Elite Africa Project

is a Canadian-based global network of scholars working to challenge predominant understandings of Africa and its elites.

Both in academia and in wider public discourse, African elites have either been ignored or depicted as grasping and self-interested. This framing perpetuates negative depictions of the continent and its peoples and draws on a simplistic understanding of what power is and how it is wielded. Our work aims to counter these perceptions by initiating global conversations about “who leads” in Africa and how they do so.

We seek to disrupt and renew both academic and public discussions of African leadership, refocusing attention on a wider, qualitatively different set of elites from those that have predominated in the past (such as the parasitic “Big Men” of neo-patrimonial politics).

Burna Boy, Nigerian musician, rapper and songwriter; in 2021, his album Twice as Tall won the Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, and he enjoyed back to back Grammy award nominations in 2019 and 2020.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian economist, fair trade leader, environmental sustainability advocate, human welfare champion, sustainable finance maven and global development expert. Since March 2021, Okonjo-Iweala has been serving as Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

This project focuses on Africa’s elites, defined as those who operate at the highest level across a range of domains, wield significant power, and possess expert knowledge, skills, and personal strengths that are deployed in strategic, creative, and generative ways. While elites are those who possess the most consequential and powerful agenda-setting and decision-making capacity, Africa’s elites have either been sidelined in many of our analyses or rendered monotonal. When we switch frames to consider the continent as embodying and projecting new, generative forms of power, it changes our view of Africa. It may also change how we understand power itself.

We look at six domains of elite power, from the political to the aesthetic, and ask how we might shift how we think about and study Africa, and how this shift would impact our conceptualization of power and its exercise. Our goal is to contribute to popular conversations about Africa and to highlight the achievements of the astonishing new generation of leaders for a broader public audience.

This website will serve as a hub for collaborative activity by scholars, activists, and practitioners working on Elite Africa and house a searchable database of primary and secondary materials on African elites.

Kofi Annan (1938-2018), Ghanaian-born diplomat, trained in economics, international relations and management; was the first UNSG to be elected from within the ranks of the UN staff itself and served in various key roles before becoming Secretary General.

Namwali Serpell, Zambia award-winning novelist and writer; Recognised early on with the Caine prize, her numerous subsequent awards include the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize, one of the world’s richest literary prizes.

Mohammed "Mo" Ibrahim, Sudanese billionaire businessman. He worked for several telecommunications companies, before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries.

The Elite Africa Project

is a Canadian-based global network of scholars working to challenge predominant understandings of Africa and its elites.

Both in academia and in wider public discourse, African elites have either been ignored or depicted as grasping and self-interested. This framing perpetuates negative depictions of the continent and its peoples and draws on a simplistic understanding of what power is and how it is wielded. Our work aims to counter these perceptions by initiating global conversations about “who leads” in Africa and how they do so.

We seek to disrupt and renew both academic and public discussions of African leadership, refocusing attention on a wider, qualitatively different set of elites from those that have predominated in the past (such as the parasitic “Big Men” of neo-patrimonial politics).

This project focuses on Africa’s elites — those who operate at the highest level across a range of domains, wield significant power, and possess expert knowledge, skills, and personal strengths that are deployed in strategic, creative, and generative ways. When we switch frames to consider the continent as embodying and projecting new, generative forms of power, it changes our view of Africa. It may also change how we understand power itself.

This website is the hub for collaborative activity by scholars, activists, and practitioners working on Elite Africa and will house a searchable database of primary and secondary materials on African elites.

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ELITE AFRICA PROJECT DATABASE

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Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Sizwe Nxasana

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: May 23, 2017
Summary:

Sizwe Nxasana discusses his extensive career journey in apartheid-era South Africa, highlighting the challenges he faced as a Black professional, his contributions to transforming state-owned companies like Telkom, his role in improving efficiency and expanding services in the banking industry, and his current efforts in higher education reform to position South Africa for the fourth industrial revolution.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Sizwe Nxasana

Creating Emerging Markets
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Sizwe Nxasana's interview covers his career in apartheid-era South Africa, including professional challenges, corporate transformations, banking, and higher education reform.

Economic

Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Louisa Mojela & Gloria Serobe

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: November 7, 2022
Summary:

Louisa Mojela and Gloria Serobe, co-founders of WIPHOLD, discuss their journey in founding and growing a Black women-owned investment company in post-apartheid South Africa. They highlight the obstacles they overcame and their commitment to empowering women in the country through economic opportunities.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Louisa Mojela & Gloria Serobe

Creating Emerging Markets
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Louisa Mojela and Gloria Serobe discuss founding WIPHOLD, an investment firm empowering women in post-apartheid South Africa.

Economic

Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Savannah Maziya

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: April 17, 2015
Summary:

Savannah Maziya discusses her career journey, including her transition from media to mining in post-Apartheid South Africa. She highlights the Bunengi Group's focus on de-risking projects and its appeal to foreign investors. Maziya also addresses challenges faced by women in business and the importance of self-confidence and mentorship for women in various industries.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Savannah Maziya

Creating Emerging Markets
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Savannah Maziya discusses her career journey in post-Apartheid South Africa, from media to mining, and the challenges and opportunities she encountered.

Economic

Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Eva Muraya

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: November 1, 2013
Summary:

Eva Muraya shares her entrepreneurial journey in Kenya, starting with her screen printing and embroidery business, overcoming financial challenges and navigating turbulent times like the 2007 crisis. She also discusses the unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Kenya and efforts to create a more supportive environment for women-led businesses.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Eva Muraya

Creating Emerging Markets
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Eva Muraya discusses her entrepreneurial journey in Kenya, including challenges and efforts to support female entrepreneurs.

Economic

Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Mo Ibrahim

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: September 15, 2017
Summary:

Mo Ibrahim discusses his career transition from telecommunications with Celtel to philanthropy with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. He highlights Celtel's unique approach to addressing corruption, its positive impact in Africa, and the foundation's governance index and Ibrahim Leadership Prize aimed at promoting good governance and democracy in Africa.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Mo Ibrahim

Creating Emerging Markets
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Mo Ibrahim, from his telecommunications venture with Celtel to philanthropy through the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, focuses on promoting good governance and democracy in Africa.

Political

Creating Emerging Markets: Interview with Mohamed Jaffer

Creating Emerging Markets

Date: May 15, 2019
Summary:

Mohamed Jaffer, Chairman of MJ Group, traces his family's trading legacy back to the 1860s, sharing his entrepreneurial journey from car dealership to bulk grain handling in Mombasa. He highlights the critical need for improved transportation infrastructure in East Africa and advocates for the standard gauge railway project, addressing topics like corruption, diversification, workforce focus, and the recognition of Asians of Kenyan origin as Kenya's 44th tribe.

Read about the interview here.

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Creating Emerging Markets: Mohamed Jaffer

Creating Emerging Markets
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Mohamed Jaffer, Chairman of MJ Group, discusses his family's trading history, entrepreneurial journey, and the importance of transportation infrastructure in East Africa.

Economic
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