Oge Onubogu

Director and Senior Fellow, Africa Program
Oge Onubogu

Oge Onubogu is director and senior fellow of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a foreign policy leader with two decades of experience shaping policy and engagement on Africa and U.S.–Africa relations. She has worked extensively with African governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Most recently, Onubogu served as director of the Africa Program at the Wilson Center, where she led research and programs that centered African knowledge and agency in developing actionable strategies to address critical issues facing Africa and U.S.-Africa relations. Previously, she was director of the West Africa program at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), where she expanded USIP’s work in Nigeria and Coastal West Africa. Earlier in her career, she led governance and democracy support initiatives in Washington, D.C., and across Africa—including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Mozambique, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa—with the National Democratic Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy. Onubogu has consulted for Freedom House, the World Bank, and the Carter Center, and coordinated refugee resettlement programs with the International Rescue Committee. Her commentary has appeared in major publications and broadcast outlets, and she has testified before Congress. She holds an MA in international development from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a BA in international and area studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also earned a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School and is completing a doctorate in international affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

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Can Gen Z Protests Reshape Governance in Africa?

Across Africa, Gen Z–led protests are redefining political engagement. But can this new wave of activism move beyond disruption to deliver lasting institutional change?

Commentary by Khasai Makhulo and Oge Onubogu — April 10, 2026

Into Africa

In the Shadows of the Iran War: The Horn of Africa

In this special episode of Into Africa, Samira Gaid, founding director of Balqiis Insights, rejoins the Into Africa podcast to dive deeper into the geopolitics of the Horn and unpack how the Iran war is reverberating across the region.

Podcast Episode by Oge Onubogu — March 26, 2026

Photo: CSIS
Into Africa

Pulse Check: The New U.S.-Africa Health Deals

Doris Macharia and Steve Morrison join Oge to examine what the America First health strategy gets right, what it has overlooked, and how its rapid rollout is playing out on the continent. 

Podcast Episode by Oge Onubogu and J. Stephen Morrison — March 12, 2026

Photo: CSIS
Into Africa

Nigeria: Religion, Power, and Peacebuilding

In this episode, Oge is joined by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja and Dr. Usman Bugaje, senior adviser to the Sultan of Sokoto, to unpack the nexus of religion, power, and the search for peace in one of the world’s most religiously vibrant countries. 

Podcast Episode by Oge Onubogu — February 27, 2026

Photo: CSIS

State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs

On February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court declared President Donald Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose global tariffs against U.S. trading partners illegal. CSIS experts assess how governments and key sectors around the world are likely to interpret and react to the decision.

Commentary by CSIS Scholars — February 20, 2026

Audio Briefs

State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs

An audio version of “⁠State of Play: The Global Impact of the SCOTUS Decision on IEEPA Tariffs⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Victor Cha, Nicholas Szechenyi, Oge Onubogu, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Charles Edel, Scott Kennedy, Ilaria Mazzocco, Henrietta Levin, Bonny Lin, Federico Steinberg, Richard M. Rossow, Kristi Govella, Mona Yacoubian, and Gregory B. Poling. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by CSIS Scholars — February 20, 2026

Audio Briefs
Into Africa

Sudan: Navigating the World’s Largest Humanitarian Crisis

Oge is joined by Hanin Ahmed, a Sudanese activist, and Daniel O’Malley, head of the ICRC in Sudan. Hanin and Daniel discuss the scale of the crisis, the current humanitarian support landscape, and possible avenues to address the fragmentation of the social fabric in Sudan.

Podcast Episode by Oge Onubogu — February 12, 2026

Photo: CSIS
Into Africa

Horn of Africa: Conflict, Power, and New Alliances

Samira Gaid, founding director of Balqiis Insights, and Amb (ret). Donald Booth, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, join Oge for a discussion that illuminates key dynamics shaping the geopolitics in the Horn of Africa. They unpack the different players in the arena, their motivations, and what these dynamics mean for the region, and the global community.

Podcast Episode by Oge Onubogu — January 29, 2026

Photo: CSIS