A recent release of declassified U.S. intelligence documents has shed light on the covert operations of the CIA in Africa, with Lagos, Nigeria, emerging as the second most significant hub for secret spy activities on the continent. The revelations, stemming from files related to the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, were made public under U.S. Executive Order 14176, signed by President Donald Trump on January 23, 2025. This order mandated the declassification of records tied to the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.
According to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the documents highlight a network of CIA operations across several African cities during the Cold War era. Johannesburg, South Africa, tops the list as the primary center for CIA activities, followed closely by Lagos. Other cities named in the files include Nairobi (Kenya), Pretoria (South Africa), Rabat (Morocco), and Harare, Zimbabwe—previously known as Salisbury during its time under British colonial rule. These cities were reportedly strategic bases for the CIA as it sought to counter Soviet influence and monitor political developments across Africa.