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: Jeanne-Marie Jackson - Part 2

Part 2 of our interview with Professor of English Jeanne-Marie Jackson

Elite Africa Roundup - 7 May 2025

DRC-Rwanda peace deal, remembering Congolese prof. Mudimbe, and more

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Elite Africa Roundup - 21 April 2025

Tracking a wave of political repression, Ethiopia wins Paris marathon

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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Schmidt, Thomas., Kay. Pfaffenberger, and Stefan. Liebing. Practical Handbook Business in Africa. 1st ed. Wiesbaden: Springer Vieweg. in Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, 2023.

Africa is a continent on the upswing, developing great economic momentum. If German companies want to participate in Africa's upswing, they need to be familiar with some special features. This book shows the way to successful business in Africa. It is a practical, yet scientifically based guide for all entrepreneurs and economically interested parties who want to be successful in Africa. It combines the experience of many companies with the scientific perspective and findings of the Centre for Business and Technology in Africa at Flensburg University of Applied Sciences. In the 2nd edition new developments on the African continent are taken up and current answers are given to the classical questions, which each actor must answer for itself, which wants to be economically successful in Africa: WHY Africa is interesting for the business, WHERE the largest chances of success exist, HOW to proceed and WHICH approaches for the future organization of the economic relations between Germany and Africa are promising. The book describes how to invest in Africa and bundles the current experiences of managers of large corporations and family businesses with a long history on the continent.

Source: book description by publisher

Schmidt, Thomas., Kay. Pfaffenberger, and Stefan. Liebing. Practical Handbook Business in Africa

This is some text inside of a div block.

This book shows the way to successful business in Africa. It is a practical, yet scientifically based guide for all entrepreneurs and economically interested parties who want to be successful in Africa. It combines the experience of many companies with the scientific perspective and findings of the Centre for Business and Technology in Africa at Flensburg University of Applied Sciences.

Economic

Akinyoade, Akinyinka, and Chibuike U. Uche. Entrepreneurship in Africa. Edited by Ton Dietz. Leiden ; Brill, 2017.

Historically, entrepreneurs have always played a central role in the development of nation states. Aside from rentier states, which depend extensively on the availability of mineral resource rents, most economically prosperous nations in the world have strong, innovative and competitive business enterprises and entrepreneurs as the bedrock of their economic development and prosperity. It was arguably because of the above historical fact that the World Bank in 1989 declared that entrepreneurs will play a central role in transforming African economies. Chapters in this book contribute to our understanding of the theory, structure and practice of entrepreneurship in diverse African countries. Case studies examined include: African multinational banks and businesses, female entrepreneurs, culture and entrepreneurship, finance and entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Source: Book description by publisher

Akinyoade, Akinyinka, and Chibuike U. Uche. Entrepreneurship in Africa

This is some text inside of a div block.

Chapters in this book contribute to our understanding of the theory, structure and practice of entrepreneurship in diverse African countries. Case studies examined include: African multinational banks and businesses, female entrepreneurs, culture and entrepreneurship, finance and entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Economic

Anyansi-Archibong, Chi. The Foundation and Growth of African Women Entrepreneurs: Historical Perspectives and Modern Trends. 1st ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66280-6.

This book explores how culture and tradition have impacted the tendency for African women to opt for entrepreneurship. The first section presents literature on the concept of entrepreneurship and introduces traditional African women entrepreneurs-the first-generation, culture-driven entrepreneurs, driven by the need to alleviate poverty within the family. The second section covers the modern, second-generation entrepreneurs driven by such forces as education, globalization, and technology. Further, the author assesses the regional perspectives on entrepreneurship and explores the entrepreneurial ecosystems to determine their relevance to the development of entrepreneurial spirit in Africa and among women in particular. This book expands on knowledge about the role that women play in the socio-economic development of the African continent.

Source: book description by publisher

Anyansi-Archibong, Chi. The Foundation and Growth of African Women Entrepreneurs

This is some text inside of a div block.

This book explores how culture and tradition have impacted the tendency for African women to opt for entrepreneurship.

Economic

Heshmati, Almas., ed. Studies on Economic Development and Growth in Selected African Countries. 1st ed. 2017. Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4451-9.

This book is a collection of studies on economic development and growth in selected African countries. It consists of an introduction/summary and 15 inter-related empirical studies grouped into 5 research areas: women’s empowerment and demand for healthcare; the impact of institutions, aid, inflation and FDI on economic growth; capital structure and bank-loan growth effects; trade, mineral exports and exchange rate; and growth, productivity and efficiency in various industries. While it provides a comprehensive picture of the state of economic development and growth in most parts of the continent, the main focus is on economic development and growth in Ethiopia and Rwanda – two countries undergoing rapid economic and social development.

Source: book description by publisher

Heshmati, Almas., ed. Studies on Economic Development and Growth in Selected African Countries

This is some text inside of a div block.

This book is a collection of studies on economic development and growth in selected African countries.

Economic

Bishop, Chris. Africa’s Billionaires : Inspirational Stories from the Continent’s Wealthiest People. Cape Town: Penguin Random House, 2017.

As Forbes magazine heads towards its centenary in 2017, this is a timely look at how the work of entrepreneurs can influence lives in Africa and create the jobs that empty state coffers can no longer afford. Written by the founding editor of Forbes Africa , this is a masterclass on how the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs across Africa made their billions. Chris Bishop gets up close and personal with the biggest names in business on the continent: Aliko Dangote, Patrice Motsepe, Nicky Oppenheimer, Christo Wiese and Stephen Saad, among others. These are the stories of how they not only survived, but thrived, in the fast and furious world of African business: the penniless priest who became a steel baron; the barefoot apple-seller who turned into a mining millionaire; the "knocksman" who went from running dice games and dealing drugs to running a city. This is a rich tapestry of stories about the super-wealthy and the qualities that make them successful, in arguably the most challenging economic arena in the world.

Source: book description by publisher

Bishop, Chris. Africa’s Billionaires

This is some text inside of a div block.

Written by the founding editor of Forbes Africa , this is a masterclass on how the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs across Africa made their billions.

Economic

Rapley, John. Ivoirien Capitalism : African Entrepreneurs in Cote d’Ivoire. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781685854737.

Rapley refutes standard assumptions about African capitalism, demonstrating that an indigenous entrepreneurial class, not foreign investment, has been primarily responsible for the growth of Cote d'Ivoire's economy.

Source: book description by publisher

Rapley, John. Ivoirien Capitalism

This is some text inside of a div block.

Rapley (author) refutes standard assumptions about African capitalism, demonstrating that an indigenous entrepreneurial class, not foreign investment, has been primarily responsible for the growth of Cote d'Ivoire's economy.

Economic
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