CAS at UNGA: High-Profile Africa Convenings on the Sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly 

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NEW YORK CITY — The Harvard Center for African Studies (CAS) attended the Global Africa Business Initiative’s (GABI) annual Unstoppable Africa 2026 convening before the 81st United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City. 
 
Hosted by the United Nations Global Compact and convened in partnership with the United Nations and the African Union, the convening took place September 20-21. Unstoppable Africa brings together people from the business, NGO, sports, political domain to discuss  the importance of shared community and partnership across sectors for Africa’s growth and prosperity. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, who is completing his final term as Secretary-General, opened the event, emphasizing Africa‘s vital interests and the importance of stability for growth, particularly through Africa having a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and prioritizing regional and local mediation for peace and stability. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, echoed the UN chief in his opening remarks.

CAS attended the convening as part of its first presence at the UNGA, with the goal of understanding the current issues and priorities shaping discussions about Africa on the global stage. The Center also sought to ensure that, alongside the perspectives of African heads of state, government leaders on policy and governance, and business leaders on investment and economic growth, there is a place for academia in this international convening. CAS’s presence reflects the role of research, science, innovation, creativity, training, and learning at the world’s highest academic level in shaping conversations about Africa’s future. The convening also offered an opportunity to build relationships with key individuals and organizations and to explore possibilities for future collaboration, programming, research, and partnerships. 

Unstoppable Africa is focused on putting thought leaders in conversation from top public and private sector organizations across the region to strengthen the continent’s position in the global economy. Key themes included Building the System That Finances Africa; Local Solutions, Global Scale, which brought together an entrepreneur who brought localized vaccine-transport innovation and the leader of UNDP to discuss what it takes to scale locally developed solutions; and Rules, Tools, and Architects: Putting Africa’s Private Sector in the AfCFTA Driver’s Seat, a discussion of how AfCFTA is working in practice and how manufacturers can make greater use of it as a tool.

The gathering included Namibian President H.E. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was interviewed by WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike, leading to a partnership between the basketball star and the Namibian head of state. H.E. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, contributed to conversations on land redistribution and national sovereignty.  

Other featured speakers included: 

  • Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited 
  • Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) 
  • Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) 
  • George Elombi, President of the African Export-Import Bank (AfrieximBank) 
  • Luol Deng, Former NBA All-Star and President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation 
  • Osi Umenyiora, Head of NFL Africa 
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Recent CAS guests, Former Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo, and Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu also joined the conversations. The former vice president was recently a keynote speaker at CAS’s Folorunso Alakija Distinguished Lecture in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2025, while the Governor of Lagos State joined CAS for a JFK Forum, a student luncheon, and faculty dinner. His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, who will be joining CAS this week, was also present. 

Many Harvard alumni were also present for the Global Africa Business Initiative gathering. In conversations, the former Harvard students reflected on the significance of seeing CAS represented in a global policy and business space, particularly those who were at Harvard when the Center was newly established more than a decade ago. Graduate alumni similarly emphasized that Harvard’s engagement with Africa must be present in the international spaces where the continent’s priorities are being discussed. 

CAS was represented throughout the convening by Associate Director Rosaline Salifu, Executive Director Chidi Blyden, and External Relations Officer Sirak Kurban, each of whom participated in conversations and engagements aligned with the Center’s mission. Blyden joined a high-level dinner and also shared reflections on Africa’s increasing prominence in global geopolitics during an interview with Stephanie Busari, CNN Anchor. Kurban and Salifu cultivated strategic relationships with leaders at GABI and attended the Accra Reset, a high-level initiative hosted by the President of Ghana that seeks to advance a new sovereign-focused approach to nation-building in the Global South. Moderated by Zeinab Badawi, a Sudanese-British journalist, the Accra Reset brought together several heads of state and leaders: 

  • John Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana 
  • William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya  
  • Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados  
  • Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 
  • Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom  
  • Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) 

“CAS’s presence at UNGA 2026 reflects Harvard’s commitment to bringing rigorous scholarship and academic partnership into the global conversations shaping Africa’s future,” said Chidi Blyden, Executive Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies. “Our engagement in New York strengthens relationships and opens new opportunities for partnerships that connect African expertise and institutions with Harvard’s global academic community.” 

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About: The Harvard University Center for African Studies is a globally recognized, interdisciplinary body at Harvard University committed to broadening knowledge about Africa and amplifying African perspectives. As an internationally respected organization, the Harvard Center for African Studies is uniquely positioned to influence global perspectives on Africa—deepening knowledge and understanding of Africa through global connections and communities of learning. Learn more at https://africa.harvard.edu. 

 

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