Platform
MCP Server
Configure the Africa API MCP server to query countries, indicators, markets, trade, elections, and policies from an AI client.
The africa-api-mcp package on npm exposes read-only Africa API tools through MCP. Use it to query country records, indicators, markets, trade and government data from a compatible AI client. Available countries, dates and fields vary by dataset; see Coverage.
The examples run the server locally with npx. Install Node.js and create an API key in the dashboard before connecting. Your client must support launching a local MCP process; npx may download the package on first use.
Connect your client
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
{
"mcpServers": {
"africa-api": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "africa-api-mcp"],
"env": {
"AFRICA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop, then check that Africa API appears in its connected tools. Follow any approval steps shown by the client.
One command:
claude mcp add africa-api -e AFRICA_API_KEY=your-api-key-here -- npx -y africa-api-mcpAdd the same server definition to .cursor/mcp.json in your project (or the global Cursor MCP settings):
{
"mcpServers": {
"africa-api": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "africa-api-mcp"],
"env": {
"AFRICA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}One command (Copilot agent mode):
code --add-mcp '{"name":"africa-api","command":"npx","args":["-y","africa-api-mcp"],"env":{"AFRICA_API_KEY":"your-api-key-here"}}'For another client that supports local MCP processes, configure the npx -y africa-api-mcp command and the AFRICA_API_KEY environment variable. The configuration format depends on the client.
What the tools cover
| Domain | Queries |
|---|---|
| Countries | Country records, profiles and signals |
| Indicators & data | Indicator discovery, time series and country rankings |
| Government | Heads of state, cabinets and leadership terms |
| Elections | Results, scheduled elections and country election overviews |
| Markets | Exchanges, index levels, tickers, price history and FX rates |
| Trade | Bilateral flows, top partners and product breakdowns |
| Policies | Laws, regulations, policy timelines and lifecycle events |
| Sources & platform | Source metadata and platform information |
| Geographies | Continent, region and subregion hierarchy |
The tools are read-only and declare MCP safety annotations. Approval behavior depends on your client and its settings.
What you can ask once connected
- "Compare GDP for Nigeria and South Africa over the last 10 years."
- "Show current FX rates for East African currencies."
- "Who is Kenya's head of state and when did they take office?"
- "Which African elections are coming up this year?"
- "Rank African countries by under-five mortality."
- "What are Nigeria's top export products?"
For agents reading this programmatically
- Condensed docs index: /llms.txt
- Full docs as plain text: /llms-full.txt
- OpenAPI schema:
https://api.africa-api.com/openapi.json - Base URL:
https://api.africa-api.com/v1withAuthorization: Bearerauth (authentication guide)