KAMPALA — Makerere University is set to host the 9th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference on April 15–16, 2026, with organisers placing Africa’s position in a rapidly changing global order at the centre of discussions ranging from global finance and debt systems to sovereignty, development aid, and youth political participation.
The conference, organised in partnership with the French Embassy in Uganda, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Uganda, and the Alliance Française de Kampala, will be held under the theme “The African Dimensions in International Debates.”
According to organisers at Makerere University, the two-day high-level forum will bring together academics, policymakers, and diplomats to interrogate Africa’s place in an increasingly fractured global system.
In its announcement, Makerere said the conference is designed to reinforce the university’s role as a continental hub for intellectual exchange and policy dialogue.
“In true reflection of our long-standing commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and positioning Makerere University as a hub for regional and global dialogue, we are proud to host the 9th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference,” the university said.
Global finance system under scrutiny
One of the central discussions will focus on the future of global financial governance, particularly the Bretton Woods institutions — the IMF and World Bank — and whether they remain fit for purpose in addressing Africa’s development needs.
The panel on “Reimagining the Global Financial Architecture for African Growth in a Fractured World” will interrogate what organisers describe as structural imbalances in the international financial system.
“The global financial system was designed in 1944 by, and for, the industrialised world. Eighty years later, the data indict the architecture with uncomfortable clarity,” the concept note states.
It adds that Africa, despite its vast natural resources and growing economic importance, continues to face structural constraints in global finance.
“Africa is indispensable to the global energy transition, holds enormous demographic and resource leverage, and is the world’s fastest-growing major economic region, yet it borrows at rates that make development prohibitive,” the organisers noted.
Sovereignty, conflict, and contested peace
Another major focus will be the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a panel examining the country’s ongoing peace processes and the implications of externally mediated agreements on sovereignty.
The discussion, titled “Borrowed Peace, Mortgaged Resources,” will assess whether resource-for-security arrangements can deliver durable stability in fragile states.
“This is not simply a story about the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a story about the choices available to African states when the international system fails them,” the framing paper states.
Africa and shifting global alliances
The conference will also examine Africa’s evolving relationships with external powers, including the United States, China, Russia, and Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Organisers say these partnerships are reshaping development financing, security cooperation, and trade, while also raising concerns about debt sustainability and local value addition.
The panel will explore “how African governments and regional institutions navigate this expanding field of external engagement, and to what extent they can define priorities, set conditions, and leverage partnerships in pursuit of their own development, security, and foreign policy objectives.”
Horn of Africa tensions under spotlight
Ethiopia’s regional ambitions will also feature prominently, particularly its pursuit of maritime access and strategic corridors, which has heightened geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa.
The discussions will assess whether the region is moving toward cooperative integration or competitive fragmentation amid competing sovereignty claims.
Development aid under pressure
Another session will focus on the future of development assistance, especially in light of shrinking donor funding and restructuring of global aid systems.
Organisers argue that traditional aid models are under strain and must evolve toward more equitable partnerships.
“The aim is to explore new synergies between financial instruments, public and private, international and local actors; to pool resources and expertise; and above all, to draw partnerships based on shared benefit,” the concept note reads.
Youth and Africa’s political future
The final day will shift focus to governance and generational change, examining how Africa’s youthful population can play a more active role in shaping public policy.
With more than 60 percent of Africans under the age of 25, the conference will explore pathways for meaningful youth participation beyond symbolic inclusion. “How can youth move from being mere beneficiaries of public policies to becoming co-architects of their design, implementation, and evaluation?” one of the guiding questions states.
The Kampala Geopolitics Conference 2026 is expected to reinforce Uganda’s growing profile as a centre for continental policy debate at a time of intensifying global competition and shifting economic and political alliances.