As part of its global research vision and ongoing efforts to analyze the rapidly evolving conflict in the Middle East, and to assess its economic, security, and geopolitical implications at both regional and international levels, TRENDS Research & Advisory, through South Africa Office, will convene its seventh strategic dialogue titled: The War in the Middle East: How Sub-Saharan Africa Sees the Crisis. The dialogue will be held virtually on Thursday, April 16, featuring a distinguished group of experts, analysts, academics, and economists.
This event forms part of the TRENDS Strategic Dialogue series, which aims to explore regional and international perspectives on the conflict, assess its current trajectories, and anticipate future developments. The seventh dialogue continues TRENDS’ approach of diversifying analytical lenses, shifting from the focus on China’s position in the sixth dialogue to examining Sub-Saharan African perspectives on the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Implications of the Conflict
The seventh TRENDS dialogue seeks to underscore that the repercussions of this conflict are not confined to the Middle East alone but extend far beyond geographical boundaries. Its effects are increasingly intertwined with geopolitical, economic, and security dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa. The stability of the Middle East has become closely linked to that of Sub-Saharan Africa, while the ongoing war is also contributing to a broader reshaping of the regional and global geopolitical landscape.
The dialogue will feature a distinguished group of experts, researchers, and specialists, including Abdulaziz Al-Marzouqi, Researcher at TRENDS Research & Advisory; Benjamin George Davis, Director of TRENDS South Africa Office; Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG); Cobus Venter, Senior Consulting Economist, Bureau for Economic Research (BER), South Africa; Kay Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, Nova Economics, South Africa; Dr. Mugisha Rweyemamu, Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), Tanzania; and Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Sekyere, Director of Research, Policy and Programs, Africa Center for Economic Transformation.
The dialogue will also feature Prof. Francois Vrey, Maritime and Regional Security Specialist, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA), South Africa; Na’eem Jeenah, Senior Researcher, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), South Africa; Prof. Jideofor Adibe, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Nasarawa State University, Nigeria; and Dr. Hassan Khannenje, Executive Director, HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, Kenya.
Expanding the Scope of Analysis
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, stated that the seventh TRENDS Strategic Dialogue, titled The War in the Middle East: How Sub-Saharan Africa Sees the Crisis, aims to broaden the economic and geopolitical analysis of the conflict. It moves beyond traditional approaches that focus primarily on the direct parties to the war to explore the perspectives and contexts of experts from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Al-Ali noted that the dialogue will focus on analyzing the direct and indirect implications of the war, particularly its impact on energy security, investment reallocation, and supply chain disruptions at both regional and global levels. He added that participants will also contribute diverse, research-based scenarios on the nature of transnational conflicts and their implications for national security and stability, along with their perspectives on the roles of key African actors in the ongoing war.
