CSASE is committed to preparing and equipping a new generation of dynamic leaders for a new Africa.
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Professor Ruth L. Okediji, Executive Faculty Director, CSASE
Dear Faculty, Alumni, Students, Partners, and Friends:
On May 30, 2025, we celebrated Harvard’s 374th commencement and had the opportunity to see many of you and to celebrate with families. As the 2024-2025 academic year concludes, we take this opportunity to reflect with deep gratitude and joy for all that we have accomplished together.
The past year has been marked by remarkable growth and deepened engagement with governments, leading policy and research institutions, the private sector, regional organizations, and networks of stakeholders in and affecting Africa. The Center’s faculty affiliates, researchers, and student fellows have advanced critical projects and data-driven research to enhance the wellbeing of African societies across a broad spectrum of vital areas, including economic diversification, public health, education, digital technologies, regional trade, and the creative sector. The results – measured by government uptake of key insights in our work and private sector partnerships – speak to the strength of CSASE’s interdisciplinary approach and to the tremendous dedication and creativity of our core team, Advisory Board and community.
We are especially proud of this year’s launch of the African Creative Economies (ACE) Initiative, an alumni-led platform focused on ensuring that Africa retains and expands the tremendous economic value generated by its creative industries, including music, film, TV, arts, literature, fashion and sports. This spring, we partnered with a new initiative – Harvard Hope – a servant-leadership program that supports Harvard students who pledge a portion of their time to serve rural communities and to work on development projects of their choosing on the African continent. Students have been thrilled by the opportunity to gain first-hand experience on the continent, and they report fulfilling experiences in serving the needs of others in the most difficult environments. These projects and partnerships reflect CSASE’s mission to channel Harvard’s vast intellectual endowment toward tangible, real-world contributions that have measurable impact.
Throughout the year, we hosted a variety of events—from research workshops and distinguished lectures to the Africa Alive alumni reunion—that fostered dialogue across disciplines and reinvigorated the community of Harvard faculty, alumni, and students passionate about Africa’s future. As part of our Distinguished Lecture Series program, we hosted, most recently, Dr. Kealeboga Masalila, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Botswana, who delivered two lectures on the challenges of economic diversification and Africa’s youth dividend, respectively. On April 25-26, 2025, we hosted a roundtable of African economists examining resource allocation in agricultural communities, with Burkina Faso as a central case study.
CSASE is committed to preparing and equipping a new generation of dynamic leaders for a new Africa. Harvard boasts a deep, wide, and intellectually gifted cadre of students representing the continent’s geographic breadth across Harvard’s 12 Schools and the College. In partnership with new Africa-focused Harvard student organizations, two important conversations on Bridging the Skills Gap: Aligning Education with Workforce Needs in Africa and Informal Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa took place in April 2025 at the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Design, respectively. These were pioneering events at Harvard, addressing issues of critical importance for Africa’s sustainable growth and human development. We are proud of the graduate students who worked hard to make these conferences successful. A group of researchers and policymakers continue to transmit key findings and insights from the discussions to governments and institutions seeking fresh approaches to address these challenges, particularly those affecting Africa’s large youth population.
As we close the year, we are delighted to share about major new initiatives that are underway at CSASE, including a key region-wide project focused on the deployment of AI and implications for Africa’s labor market. Another initiative focuses on region-wide trade policy strategies for CSASE’s government partners seeking expertise and support as they adjust to a new global economic landscape.
Looking ahead to the coming year, CSASE will continue building on our incredible momentum. An inaugural gathering of leaders of Africa Research Centers will be hosted here at Harvard in the fall, as will a global strategic session focused on Africa’s economic opportunities in minerals trade and investments in agricultural productivity. In addition, we will launch the CSASE report on the Africa’s Afrobeats Industry in collaboration with several research centers and private sector partners. If you are interested in receiving information and notification about the launch, please sign up for updates on our homepage.
We invite you to stay connected, share your ideas, and continue to be part of the dynamic and pathbreaking work happening at CSASE.
On behalf of our entire team at Harvard and beyond, thank you for your engagement, support, and partnership.
Warmly,
Ruth L. Okediji
Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Executive Faculty Director, CSASE
