Makerere University in conjunction with the Embassy of France in Uganda in partnership with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), Alliance Française de Kampala and UN Women Uganda is set to host the Fourth Edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference from Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th November 2021.

The Conference to be held in line with the theme Crisis and Opportunity: Mapping the Geopolitical Importance of Africa is aimed at creating an interactive and dynamic platform for dialogue and free exchange of ideas between experts from Uganda and their counterparts from the African continent as well as from around the world.

Speaking at the Press Conference held in the Central Teaching Facility 2 (CTF2) Auditorium on Tuesday 2nd November 2021 to officially launch the event, the Principal College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) Dr. Eria Hisali who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the partners for choosing Makerere University to once again host the Kampala Geopolitics Conference.

“We commit all our resources to ensuring that we have successful conference this November. Our job as academics will be to take discussion beyond the conference sessions of the three-day event” said Dr. Hisali.

Addressing the press, the Ambasssador of France to Uganda, H.E. Jules-Armand Aniambossou the Fourth Edition of the Conference will bring together researchers, representatives from the civil society, international organizations and governments, artists, and entrepreneurs.

“The conference aims to give room for these global-shapers, issued from the national, regional and international levels, to share their expertise and to make their voice heard regarding the pressing issues our society and our planet are facing” he remarked.

He highlighted three issues of particular importance to France that the conference would help address. These are;

• Sport as a soft power tool through the case study of Olympics and Paralympics, as France makes preparations to host the Olympic Games in 2024.
• The development of a new Africa-European Union relationship within the framework of the post-Cotonou agreement signed in April 2020.
• The adoption of a new format of global interaction through the use of Twitter Space so as to promote local and international involvement of the public particularly the youth.

The Press Conference was also addressed by Ms. Adekemi Ndieli, the Deputy Country Representative, UN Women Uganda who congratulated Makerere University upon 100 years of shaping millions of minds as well as 30 years of the School of Women and Gender Studies (SWGS). She pledged her organisation’s commitment to partner with SWGS to empower more women, promote gender equality and fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in all its forms.

“We have seen in across the world and in Uganda what we call the ‘twin pandemic’ that is gender-based violence in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected young girls the most” she observed, noting that we cannot discuss geopolitics without voices of women.

Ms. Anna Reismann, Country Representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Uganda and South Sudan in her remarks appreciated the partners for their flexibility in postponing the Conference to November in order to allow for physical presence of students. “I come to Makerere often but it is good to now see students on the roads going about their business.”

She thanked Makerere University for accepting to host the Fourth Edition of the Conference, noting that, “this is an important path to return to normality and we take this opportunity to congratulate the university on its 100 years of existence.”

Dr. Patrice Gilles, the Director of Alliance Française de Kampala shared that his organisation shall offer an ardent cultural program in preparation for the Fourth Edition of the Conference.

“In close collaboration with the French Embassy, Alliance Française, KQ Hub and Citizen Report UG will offer an ardent cultural programme at the Kampala Geopolitics Conference. We shall have a photo exhibition to promote work of visual storytellers and a Quiz” remarked Dr. Gilles.

The first quiz on the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will be held on Friday 5th November, 2021 in a live session hosted on the Citizen Report UG twitter page.