Africa Must Take Part in Global Discussions and Solutions, Says French Ambassador

Inaugurating Tuesday at Makerere University’s Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium was the fifth iteration of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference.

The event host for the first day of the two-day conference was Sandra Twinoburyo, a broadcaster with Nation Media Group.

In her introductory remarks, Paulina Chiwangu, the UN Women country representative for Uganda, stated that by 2030, it is anticipated that 42% of the world’s youth will be from Africa.

She said, “With this tremendous rate of growth, we need leaders who will be able to provide answers for long-term employment, housing, and health.”

Uganda’s UN Women Country Representative is Paulina Chiwangu.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, vice chancellor of Makerere University, declared that the school was honored to be a pioneer and partner in the Kampala Geopolitics Conference.

“We value this conference as a significant platform for disseminating our research on important domestic and international issues. As the top university in Africa, we feel it is our primary duty to provide a forum for intellectual discussion on matters that have an impact on the welfare of our nation, our continent, and humanity as a whole, said Nawangwe.

The fifth Kampala Geopolitics Conference will feature worldwide debates on subjects including women’s rights, the conflict in Ukraine, the globalization of sport, etc., he continued.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, vice chancellor of Makerere University

The last two Kampala Geopolitics Conferences had to be restricted, according to Nils Wörmer, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Director for Regional Program on Security Dialogue for East Africa.

“A few weeks ago, we had to consider this Conference’s organization once more. We had to consider how to put this Conference together because of the Ebola outbreak, which somehow also affects the capital city.

According to him, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 was the first time ever that a state had used force against another.

Nils Wörmer, the Regional Program Director for Security Dialogue for East Africa at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS),

“This war has had far-reaching political and economic implications with no end in sight. Despite the high caliber of the debate on many subjects, our goal is to reach as many interested parties as we can and discuss a range of options. We are convinced that working together, we can make this year’s event just as successful as the ones before it,” he said.

The Alliance Francaise de Kampala’s executive director, Patrice Gilles, claimed that the organization invites artists from all over the world and supports up-and-coming artists in Uganda.

“Our two main activities are to promote languages, particularly the French tongue, which is now primarily spoken in African nations like the Congo. As well as English, we instruct in Luganda.

Alliance Française de Défense Executive Director Patrice Gilles

He said the Alliance Francaise also promotes cultures, a bit of the French culture, “because we believe it’s a nice thing to create a dialogue between France and the French-speaking countries and Uganda”.

“We believe changes in this world will come through these young people in the near future. Everything we do is part of life in the city.”

H.E Xavier Sticker, the Ambassador-Designate of France to Uganda, revealed that the idea of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference came five years ago from “one of my predecessors” and the idea was to partner with different stakeholders to do just that, debate.

H.E Xavier Sticker, the Ambassador-Designate of France to Uganda

He informed the crowd, “We are here to establish a common ground to determine what type of action we can do jointly.

He claimed that they are not simply bringing discussions to Africa but also facilitating discussions there that result in solutions.

“Africa has been the target of these discussions. Africa ought to take part in discussions. In order to have that global conversation and find those global solutions, we are here to listen to you and forward your conclusions.