Kampala Geopolitics Conference

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2023

The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is convened in partnership with the Embassy of France, the KAS SIPODI-EA Regional Programme Security dialogue for East Africa, Makerere University, UN Women, the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), and Alliance Française Kampala. The Geopolitics of Kampala is a two-day academic event discussing current geopolitical questions and trends. Experts from Uganda will be joined by thought leaders and policy experts across the world to engage in participatory debates. Initiated by the Embassy of France, the conference is modelled on the Geopolitics Conference held by IRIS in Nantes since 2013, the Géopolitiques de Nantes. The Conference is now celebrating its sixth edition, which will run from 17th – 18th October 2023, and will include 8 different panels. The Conference will be taking place in Makerere University and several experts will be joining online.

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2021

The Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2021 is co-organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda & South Sudan, the Embassy of France to Uganda, Makerere University, UN Women and Alliance Française de Kampala, with technical support from the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS) to address some pertinent geopolitical issues. To build this year’s edition on previous years while ensuring maximum health safety, the conference will take place as a hybrid format. This will allow for limited participation on the grounds of the Makerere University while at the same time ensure a broader outreach to the interested public. The main plenaries will be streamed online on www.kampalageopolitics.com as well as on social media channels of the co-organizers. The first and the final panel will also be broadcasted by NBS. Each session will gather three to four panelists and one moderator and last for a maximum of 1h15. The Twitter Spaces debates will be held on Twitter. Each session will last for a maximum of 1h00. The cultural events will be handled by the Alliance Française de Kampala and will be held, depending on the sanitary conditions, in different places within Kampala, including the Makerere University.

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2020

As the world continues to grapple with the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across different sectors, the process of global recovery continues to take centre stage, even as countries continue to work save their people, economies while effectively handling the pandemic. Amid all this, global conversations on regional and international cooperation, the role of multilateral organizations, growing inequalities among other issues continue to take centre stage.  As countries continue to work individually and collectively to redefine the new normal, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will work to highlight some of the biggest topics of our time, allowing space for expert speakers to convene, discuss and craft collective alternatives.   The third annual Kampala Geopolitics Conference will convene a main conference from October 19, 2020 to October 30, 2020. The conference convened by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), in partnership with the Embassy of France, Makerere University and U.N. Women Uganda has become the flagship Geo-political conference both regionally and internationally. The conference will once again aim at creating a high-level, interactive and dynamic platforms for dialogue and free exchange of ideas cutting across contemporary, local and international geopolitics. Experts from Uganda and the African continent will be joined by international researchers to engage in participatory and documented debates on global topics. Throughout the two weeks, the conference will explore several issues under the general theme; Geopolitics in the Year of the Pandemic and Beyond  Owing to the various health guidelines, the Geopolitics Conference will divert from the traditional two-day academic public event.  The restructured conference will allow for the mandated public health restrictions while maintaining its main purpose of stimulating debates of a global nature. To ensure this, we have partnered with Next Media who will live cast the main conference sessions, allowing for local and international participation. Format Over the course of October, the conference will discuss six topics; over a period of six days; three days per week. In line with Ministry of Health Guidelines, the audience for the live televised events will sit a maximum of thirty carefully selected members, while the majority will continue to follow the various conversations online and on the live broadcast aired by Next Media. Over the course of November, we will discuss an additional six topics on several media platforms while crafting innovative ways to guarantee interactive discussions. While leveraging new media, the conference will discuss a wide range of topics, carefully selected to fit specific audiences. These will be publicly shared through podcast style conversations and live discussions on media platforms such as Zoom, Periscope, Facebook live, among others with carefully selected expert speakers. 

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2019

The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is a two-day academic public event discussing current geopolitical questions and trends. It is inspired by the successful event “Geopolitics of Nantes” in France. The conference will be held at the emblematic University of Makerere, one of oldest and most prestigious universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many African leaders were trained. The partners involved include: The Embassy of France, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Makerere University, UN Women Uganda, Alliance Française Kampala and Reach a Hand Uganda. The conference aims at creating a high-level, interactive and dynamic platform for dialogue and free exchange of ideas cutting across contemporary, local and international geopolitics. Experts from Uganda and the African continent will be joined by international researchers to engage in participatory and documented debates on global topics. The inaugural Kampala Geopolitics Conference took place in October 2018 and was the first of its kind conference held in Uganda. Building up on last year´s success, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2019 will take place on the 17th and 18th of October. This year’s event will host 18 roundtables and further exchange platforms on a variety of topics relating to Global Challenges, Regional Trends, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Culture and Society. The conference will feature 18 panels and will attract thousands of participants from Uganda and beyond. The targeted audience is the general public with special focus on students, academia, representatives from civil society and media, political decision-makers and the diplomatic community.

Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2018

The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is a two-day public event about world geopolitics. It is inspired by the successful event “Geopolitics of Nantes” in France. The conference will be held at the emblematic University of Makerere, one of oldest and most prestigious universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many African leaders were trained. The partners involved include: The Embassy of France, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Makerere University, the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), Alliance Française Kampala and UN Women. The conference aims at creating an interactive and dynamic platform for dialogue and free exchange of ideas cutting across contemporary, local and international geopolitics. Topics relating to global political, social and economic debates will be discussed. Some key questions pertinent to the conference topics include but are not limited to: What is the economic cost of excluding minorities? What are the implications of the Trump presidency on global power relations? Is there still hope for global citizens to fight climate change? What are we doing to give hope to the young generation? Are religions peacemakers or troublemakers? Is the African economy in the hands of foreigners? What are the pillars of democracy and the global trends that undermine it? What leaders are we craving for? Shall agriculture fill your stomach or your purse? What are the avenues for peace and stability in Africa? Are women in position of power challenging male dominance? Is the European Union a model or deterrent for regional integration in East Africa? What are the side effects of unbridled capitalism? Are we too many for the resources of our planet? The conference will feature 21 panels and will attract thousands of participants from Uganda and beyond.