a dialogue "Trends" The seventh strategy recommends strengthening African regional cooperation
Abu Dhabi, April 19 / WAM / The Trends Center for Research and Consulting, through its office in South Africa, organized the seventh strategic dialogue under the title “The War in the Middle East… How does Sub-Saharan Africa view the crisis?” With the participation of a group of experts, economic analysts and researchers.
The dialogue participants recommended strengthening regional cooperation within Africa, as a central tool for raising the collective ability to absorb external shocks and coordinating positions in international forums related to security and development.
They stressed the need to adopt a proactive approach to managing geopolitical risks, by integrating major regional transformations into economic and security planning policies in sub-Saharan African countries, instead of dealing with them as emergency crises, stressing the importance of enhancing the diversification of international partnerships, in a way that reduces unilateral dependence on specific centers of influence, and enhances the ability of African countries to negotiate within a more balanced and flexible international environment.
They pointed out the need to invest in building economic resilience, especially in the energy and food sectors, by developing more stable local and regional supply chains, reducing levels of exposure to volatile foreign markets, in addition to pushing towards a more effective African role in international discussions on regional security, ensuring that global decisions reflect considerations of development and economic justice, and not just traditional balances of power.
The seventh strategic dialogue included two economic sessions moderated by Ben Davis, director of the Trends office in South Africa, in which Abdulaziz Al Marzouqi, a researcher at Trends, participated.
Dr. Taiwo Adologo, CEO of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Cobus Venter, Senior Economist and Consultant at the Bureau of Economic Research (BER) in South Africa, Kay Walsh, CEO of Nova Economics – South Africa, Dr. Mugisha Rweimamu, Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) – Tanzania and Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Sikiri, Director of Research, Policy and Programs at the Center for Economic Transformation in Africa,
As for the international relations session moderated by Najla Al Midfa, a researcher at Trends, it included Professor François Frey, a specialist in maritime and regional security at the Institute for Security, Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA) – South Africa, Professor Gedeofor Adibi, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Nasarawa State University – Nigeria, and Dr. Hassan Khaningi, Executive Director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies – Kenya.
Hamdan Al-Hamdani, a researcher at Trends, said at the conclusion of the dialogue that the in-depth discussion on African visions of the war in the Middle East represents great importance in exploring the post-war future and reformulating regional and international alliances and understandings, adding that the world is facing a defining international moment that is reshaping maps of influence and bilateral and multilateral relations, and forcing a rethink of the nature of the interrelation between regional security and global stability, especially in sub-Saharan African countries.
He added that the interventions highlighted that this crisis cannot be reduced to its military, political and strategic dimension on its immediate outskirts or regional surroundings, but rather extends to include economic, humanitarian and development dimensions in distant regions. The effects of war are also evident in the disruption of supply chains, the rise in energy and food costs, and the increasing vulnerability of developing economies to external shocks.
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