Michelle D. Gavin

Ambassador Michelle D. Gavin is a Senior Fellow for Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations. She was formerly the Managing Director of The Africa Center, an institution dedicated to increasing understanding of contemporary Africa. From 2011 to 2014 she was the United States Ambassador to Botswana, and served concurrently as the United States Representative to the Southern African Development Community, or SADC. From 2009–2011, Gavin was a Special Assistant to President Obama and the Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council.

A Sudanese girl moves past makeshift shelters near the border between Sudan and Chad, while taking refuge in Borota, Chad, May 13, 2023.
Governance

Africa's Crisis of Trust

by Michelle D. Gavin

How vaccine inequities and geopolitical shifts have eroded Africa’s trust in U.S. aid

Passengers register their information on arrival at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana, June 3, 2020.
Governance

Inside the Lab that Identified Omicron

by Michelle D. Gavin

For years Botswana's scientists have been on the cutting-edge of research

Girls stand in a truck during a campaign to raise awareness about illegal and false drugs in Abobo, a suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on October 11, 2018.
Governance

What the African Medicines Agency Needs Most to Succeed

by Michelle D. Gavin

The formation of the AMA is a milestone for drug safety and trust in Africa

Construction workers stand on a scaffolding on February 18, 2020 in Abuja, Nigeria—one of the countries with a looming crisis of an unmet need for housing coupled with a projected population increase. Picture shows a man in a bright orange jump suit and a yellow contruction hat balancing with his legs wide apart on a metal scaffolding against a grey sky. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Urbanization

Africa’s Urban Housing Crisis

by Michelle D. Gavin

Without new policy and investment to stimulate affordable housing, young people will continue to be left out in the cold