Background
African countries are navigating a rapidly shifting global order in which great-power rivalry and regional wars are colliding with volatile energy and financial markets. The ongoing war in Iran, triggered by joint US and Israeli airstrikes, has driven up oil prices and increased shipping risks around the Strait of Hormuz. These developments starkly illustrate how conflicts far from Africa can generate sharp geopolitical and economic shocks across the continent, quickly translating into higher fuel and food prices, currency pressure, and renewed debt stress.
The Event
This webinar asks what an "African foreign policy" fit for an age of energy shocks and great-power conflict would look like in practice – and how policymakers and financial institutions can move from reactive crisis management to proactive, integrated strategy. The session will move beyond general observation to identify concrete leverage points, diplomatic tools, and institutional mechanisms that African actors can deploy.
The Speakers
Ambassador Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu
Speaker
Trade and development expert, Former Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria for Economic Matters and Chief of Staff at the UNECA
Dr. Hippolyte Fofack
Speaker
Former Chief Economist and Director of Research, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Dr. Zainab Usman
Speaker
Senior Research Scholar and Managing Director (International Programs), Center on Global Energy Policy
Moderation
Dr. Amandine Gnanguênon
Speaker
Senior Fellow and Head of the Geopolitics and Geoeconomics Programme, APRI
