Africa's Global Reset: Foreign Relations in a Post-Pandemic Era

The Covid-19 pandemic is dramatically changing relationships between African governments and external partners, creating opportunities for a reset in relations and a recommitment to strategic issues. Longstanding grievances stemming from African countries’ status in international affairs, racism against their citizens abroad, and the zero-sum premise of global power competition have reached a boiling point. The pandemic is prompting regional governments to demand more equitable vaccine distribution, debt relief, and targeted investment in key economic sectors. It’s time to pause and identify the trends reshaping the region as well as implications for African governments and their foreign partners.

Join the CSIS Africa Program on March 23, 2021, for a virtual livestream event examining the state of Africa’s foreign ties and key strategic issues to watch for, including Covid-19 recovery, debt relief, anti-discrimination, democratization, and climate change. The event will feature a panel discussion between Andrew Alli (Partner and Group CEO of SouthBridge and former CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation); DAS Akunna Cook (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State); Bogolo Kenewendo (Former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Botswana; Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Development), and Ambassador Koji Yonetani (Assistant Minister for African Affairs in the Japanese Government). It will be moderated by CSIS Africa Program director Judd Devermont.

This event is made possible with generous support from the Embassy of Japan.