Sub-Saharan Africa

The Sub-Saharan Africa Division runs cooperation programmes in West Africa, the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa.

Most of these countries and regions are fragile or affected by conflict. In response to these challenges, the division takes an integrated approach combining development cooperation and humanitarian aid (the humanitarian-development nexus).

Humanitarian aid responds to the immediate and urgent needs of the local people, whereas development cooperation works towards long-term positive change by contributing to the sustainable improvement of people's living conditions in disadvantaged and fragile countries. Switzerland uses these tools in most of the countries and regions it works in to improve the coherence, relevance and effectiveness of its international cooperation activities on the ground.

The division is also supported by thematic advisers and a staff office.