Academics and policymakers addressed this question, among others, at the flagship Umeme Series roundtable, jointly hosted by the Institute of African Studies (IAS) and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University in Ottawa on March 18, 2026. With global trade regimes redrawn and geopolitical alliances shifting with remarkable speed, the discussion asked whether Africa will help define the terms of the emerging order or merely be subject to them.
Leading the conversation were Dr. Firoze Manji (Publisher, Daraja Press), Dr Joseph Atta-Mensah (Former Principal Policy Advisor, UN Economic Commission for Africa), Professor Yiagadeesen (Teddy) Samy (Director, NPSIA, Carleton University), and Professor Nduka Otiono (Director, IAS, Carleton University), whose reflections and candid exchange pushed the conversation beyond easy optimism. The intellectuals examined Africa’s strategic leverage, her vast underutilised resources, the promise and limits of regional integration, and the reforms needed to turn a moment of global disruption into one of continental advantage.
Read the full communiqué below and watch the full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevIo4b2-1k
Roundtable Discussion on Africa’s Future Amid Ongoing Geopolitical and Global Trade Realignment
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