Great Decisions: U.S. Engagement with Africa

This Great Decisions lecture will examine the evolution of U.S. engagement with Africa by critically comparing decades of aid-led diplomacy with an emerging emphasis on trade, investment, and commercial partnership. Framed around the question of what actually drives sustainable growth, the discussion will assess the historical outcomes of aid-first strategies, the viability and limits of increased U.S. private-sector investment, and how policy, regulatory reform, and risk mitigation can unlock greater capital flows across diverse African markets.

Panelists for this event will include Amb. (ret.) Stephanie Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, and Kennedy Ukelegharanya, business attorney at a major multinational law firm with experience in evaluating infrastructure and industrial bottlenecks in Nigeria. This panel will be moderated by Dean Scott Taylor of The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Panelists will explore the role of technology adoption in closing development and financing gaps, identify the foundational conditions required for scalable investment, and debate where U.S. public and private actors can be most effective—individually and in concert.

The program will be live-streamed to Zoom from 6:00-7:00 PM. To attend virtually, please register here.

This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

Disclaimer: WorldBoston is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-advocacy, educational organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse on international affairs. Our speakers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WorldBoston, our affiliates, or our community.

Scott Taylor is Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies and Professor of International Relations.

Dr. Taylor’s research and teaching interests lie in the areas of African politics and political economy, with a particular emphasis on business-state relations, private sector development, governance, and political and economic reform. He is the author of Politics in Southern Africa: Transition and Transformation (Lynne Rienner, 2011)(with Gretchen Bauer); Culture and Customs of Zambia (Greenwood Press, 2006); Business and the State in Southern Africa: The Politics of Economic Reform (Lynne Rienner, 2007); and Globalization and the Cultures of Business in Africa: From Patrimonialism to Profit (Indiana University Press, 2012), as well as of articles in numerous political science and area studies journals.

Dr. Taylor has consulted widely in the field of international development, on issues of political economy and governance and democracy and elections. He has served as a consultant for numerous organizations, including USAID, DfID, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Carter Center, as well as for private companies. He has held positions as visiting researcher at the University of Zambia, the University of Zimbabwe, and the Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI) in Norway. Dr. Taylor has traveled widely throughout Africa and served as an election observer in a number of African countries, including Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Dr. Taylor previously taught at Smith College and most recently at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he was also Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the International Advisory Board for the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR), and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Dr. Taylor’s specializations include Africa, Governance and Politics and International Development.

Stephanie S. Sullivan retired from the Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister on December 28, 2025, after over four decades of service to the United States. She held three ambassadorial postings: to the African Union (2024-2025),Ghana (2018-2022), and the Republic of Congo (2013-2017). Ms. Sullivan’s first diplomatic tour of duty was in Cameroon (1986-88). She also served in Ghana as Political Chief (1997-2001).

Ms. Sullivan was the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (2017-2018). She served as Acting U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations and was Deputy Chief of Operations for Africa at the Peace Corps. She was Director of the State Department Operations Center (the 24/7 alerting, briefing and crisis management center) and served at the White House Situation Room. She was also desk officer for Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. In addition, she provided management support to colleagues at U.S. Missions to International Organizationsand in Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

Ms. Sullivan was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has degrees from Brown University and the National War College, and speaks French and Lingala. She and her husband live in Massachusetts and have two sons.

Kennedy Ukelegharanya is a business attorney at a major multinational law firm, advising innovative technology and life sciences companies worldwide. He is Nigerian-American and is deeply committed to helping build a robust and resilient innovation economy in the United States and abroad. He is evaluating infrastructure and industrial bottlenecks in Nigeria—areas where he believes structured partnerships can unlock value and scalable projects without reliance on aid. Previously, he served as a science and technology policy analyst at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., advising on emerging technologies and their societal impacts.

Kennedy earned his degrees from Syracuse University, Georgetown University, and Boston College Law School.