In the United States government, the Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the U.S. Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who reports to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
The offices of the Bureau of African Affairs direct, coordinate, and supervise U.S. government activities within the region, including political, economic, consular, public diplomacy, and administrative management issues.
Office of East African Affairs – Oversees policy for the East African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda
Office of Central African Affairs – Oversees policy for the Central African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe
Office of South African Affairs – Oversees policy for the South African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Office of West African Affairs – Oversees policy for the West African Region, and liaises with the U.S. Embassies in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo
Office of Economic Policy and Staff
Office of the Executive Director – Coordinates logistics, management, budget, and human resources for the bureau
Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs – Coordinates public outreach and digital engagement, and prepares press guidance for the Department Spokesperson in the Bureau of Public Affairs
Office of Regional and Security Affairs – Coordinates policy regarding the African Union and other regional multilateral and security-focused issues
