Makerere University, in partnership with the Embassy of France in Uganda and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, has renewed its collaboration to host the 2026 Kampala Geopolitics Conference, scheduled for April 15–16 in Kampala.
The conference will bring together policymakers, scholars, diplomats, students, and members of the public to engage in discussions on global developments, democracy, and key geopolitical issues affecting Africa.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, said Africa’s history and evolving democratic systems make the conference an important platform for reflection and intellectual debate.
“Although Africa is an old continent, it has a young population and relatively young democracies,” Nawangwe noted, “making it necessary for scholars and policymakers to reflect on developments since independence and identify areas that need improvement through informed discourse.”
Meanwhile, the French Ambassador to Uganda, Virginie Leroy, said the conference will provide citizens, especially students, with an opportunity to analyse the complexities involved in decision-making processes in global politics.
“This conference demonstrates a willingness to ask critical questions and find answers through open discussion and dialogue,” Leroy added.
The Director of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Uganda, Anna Reismann, revealed that the foundation will contribute two discussion panels to this year’s conference.
These panels will focus on “Africa and External Powers: Shaping the Terms of Engagement” and “Ethiopia’s Regional Ambitions and the Balance of Power.”
Reismann noted that Africa has increasingly become a prominent arena of international engagement involving both traditional and emerging powers.
She explained that such engagement presents opportunities for African nations in areas such as financing, market access, and technology transfer, while also reshaping traditional partnerships with other regions of the world.