APSACO - African Peace and Security Annual Conference - 3rd Edition
Africa's Place and Influence in a Changing World
By invitation
Policy Center for the New South, Rabat
The idea of a united Africa stems from the desire to take control of the economic, political and strategic destiny of African nations. The Organization of African Unity and then the African Union were created as a process of ownership of the continent's challenges, in a context of insecurity and governance crises. Faced with these internal challenges, and given the global geostrategic changes, Africans have no alternative but to take charge of their destiny so as to play a prominent role in the world of tomorrow.
In recent years, the African continent has been involved in the resolution of crises, the processes of political transitions, the institutionalization of relations with major international powers, continental economic integration, and the quest for an economic model. Yet, Africa still finds difficulties in having a leading role in the international environment.
What are Africa's forms of influence in a mutating world and what place does it hold in the international arena? Can African states collectively build the power to project the continent as a global actor?
It is undeniable that Africa has many assets to play a role in international affairs. The first consideration is that major powers and international organizations recognize the African Union as a partner for the establishment and management of multilateral cooperation. Secondly, the geo-economic attractiveness of the continent and the game of international powers offer Africans opportunities for global positioning. Moreover, the African continent and its many arable lands represent the greatest growth potential of agricultural production. In addition, the rise of the middle class, the normalization of the business climate, demographic dynamism and economic diversification are all factors favoring integration of Africa into a globalizing world. The emergence of a new generation of political, entrepreneurial and intellectual leaders, attached to the collective approach in the management of African issues, contributes to the paradigmatic and functional reconfiguration of the continent's political and intellectual landscape.
This conference is intended to be a moment of exchange allowing the analysis of the place and the influence of Africa in the light of its levers and assets, its history and its ability to overcome its weaknesses to adapt to global changes. The Policy Center for the New South wishes to structure the debate around six issues that determine Africa's ability to gain a global competitive advantage.
Synthesis Report: 3rd Edition of the African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO)
Agenda
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June 18 |
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14:00 – 14:30 |
Registration |
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14:30 – 14:45 |
Opening Remarks Karim El Aynaoui, President, Policy Center for the New South Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South |
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14:45 – 15:15 |
Introductory Conversation Hugo Sada, Special Adviser, Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa Diango Cissoko, Former Prime Minister, Republic of Mali |
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15:15 – 16:30 |
Book Presentation - Annual Report of Africa's Geopolitics Chair El Mostafa Rezrazi, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Papa Dialo Zator Mbaye, Minister Counsellor, Republic of Senegal Lassina Diarra, Researcher and Consultant, Centre for Strategies and Security for the Sahel Sahara (Centre 4S) Eric Ntumba, Corporate and Investment Banker, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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16:30 – 17:00 |
Coffee Break |
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17:00 – 18:15 |
Panel 1: Africa and the World or How to Balance Mutual Perceptions This panel aims to explore the thoughts that shape representations of Africa's reconstruction in both African and foreign discourses. The discussion will focus on the following topics: • The construction of Africa in the strategic and diplomatic discourse; Chair Khalid Chegraoui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Koffi Kouakou, Associate, Institute of African Futures (AFI) Bakary Sambe, Chairman, Executive Director, Timbuktu Institute Daniel Sidiqui, Former Deputy Force Commander, UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) Zhou Yuyan, Senior Fellow, Shanghai Institute for International Studies |
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June 19 |
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09:30 – 10:45 |
Panel 2: Africa and the Production of Strategic and Normative Knowledge This panel will discuss the capacity building of African knowledge communities and their ability to address global imbalances in the production of strategic knowledge and the establishment of legal norms. The debate will raise the following salient points: • The new orientations of strategic thinking; Chair Badreddine El Harti, Principal Security Sector Reform Adviser, UNDP Speakers Rumbidzai Chisenga, Independent Consultant; former Program Manager, Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Obiageli Ezekwesili, Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI) |
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10:45 – 11:15 |
Coffee Break |
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11:15 – 12:30 |
Panel 3: Africa's Resilience through Mutual Efforts The panel's goal will be to explore ways in which Africa can been resilient in adapting to continental and global challenges, by pulling in efforts from both within the African Union framework and at the regional level. The discussion will focus on: • Emergence of a continental economic model and intra-African cooperation; Chair Ahmed Rhazaoui, Former Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and the Director of the UN Office for the West Africa
Speakers
Maged Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States to the United Nations Jonas Jonsson, Head of Division, Pan-African Affairs, European External Action Service (EEAS) Boubacar Ndiaye, Professor, the College of Wooster |
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14:30 – 15:45 |
Panel 4: How is Africa Dealing with Conflict Prevention and Management? This panel will allow a discussion on African capacities for conflict prevention and management, in the light of challenges, ongoing reforms and the contribution of international partnerships. Current challenges lead to the following considerations: • Building the security agenda in Africa; Chair Rida Lyammouri, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey, Deputy Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) |
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15:45 – 16:15 |
Coffee Break |
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16:15 – 17:30 |
Panel 5: Is Africa moving towards a Collective Strategy Aligned with the Game of International Powers? The panel invites to study, from an African perspective, the opportunities and constraints of the international powers positioning and the conditions of a tangible African collective strategy. The discussion will include: •The strategies of classical and emerging international powers; Chair Bouchra Rahmouni, Director of Research, Partnership and Event, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Younes Abouyoub, Director of the Governance and States-Building Division for the MENA Region, United Nations Bronwyn Bruton, Deputy Director, Africa Center, Atlantic Council Cheng Cheng, Chief Economist, Made in Africa Inititative, Senior Advisor, UNDP Asia and Pacific Alioune Ndiaye, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Sherbrooke |
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17:30 – 17:45 |
Closing Remarks Karim El Aynaoui, President, Policy Center for the New South |
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