Veranstaltungen

2025 marks the 140th anniversary of the Berlin Conference, which was pivotal in the “Scramble for Africa”. According to some commentators, the continent is currently experiencing a “new scramble” among external actors which compete for geopolitical and geoeconomic influence across Africa.

In this edition of the Freiburger Afrikagespräche, Nneka Okechukwu and Tim Zajontz will explore implications of this evolving geostrategic context for African external relations and the continent’s role in global governance. Despite the agency and active geopolitical positioning of African actors, the guests discern new and longstanding structural constraints and reflect on concrete (geo)economic, political and normative repercussions of geopolitical contestation across Africa.

Nneka Okechukwu is an independent researcher and consultant on international and constitutional law, with a focus on the rule of law, access to justice, and Africa-EU relations.

Tim Zajontz is Interim Professor in International Relations at the University of Freiburg, Research Fellow in the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and Research Associate in the Second Cold War Observatory.

Moderation by Andreas Mehler, Director of the Africa Centre for Transregional Research (ACT) and the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute.