The Hertie School Africa Policy Club proudly presents the 3rd annual

AFRICA POLICY
WEEK

27th-30th April, 2026
Berlin, Germany / onsite and Online

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Africa Policy Week brings focus to various topics in African affairs, in particular African public policy and international affairs, in the Hertie School community and in Berlin. This will be a good opportunity for students interested in African affairs to hear from experts in specific fields and network.

Day 1 Theme: Governance and Leadership + Digital Governance and AI

Monday April 27, 17:00 (CEST)
Hertie School / Hybrid
Day 1 of Africa Policy Week 2026 opens with a focus on governance, leadership, and the growing role of digital governance and AI in African policy contexts. The sessions highlight the importance of intentional, context-sensitive leadership in strengthening public institutions. A dedicated discussion on digital governance will address digital sovereignty, data governance, and AI-enabled development. Together, the sessions reflect on what inclusive and future-oriented governance means for African societies.

Day 2 Theme: Economic Development

Tuesday April 28, 18:00 (CEST)
Hybrid
Day 2 of Africa Policy Week 2026 is dedicated to economic development and Africa’s future growth pathways. The discussions will explore development models and the role of European partners, including Germany. An introductory moderated panel will be followed by small-group discussions led by expert speakers. This format enables deeper engagement with key economic opportunities and challenges across the continent.

Day 3: Harnessing the power of digital health and AI for the attainment of UHC

Wednesday April 29, 18:00 (CEST)
Online
Day 3 of Africa Policy Week 2026 focuses on how digital health and AI can advance Universal Health Coverage in Africa. The virtual session will assess current levels of adoption, policy frameworks, and advocacy efforts. Speakers will share practical use cases while addressing barriers and health system challenges. The discussion aims to inform policy thinking on equitable and resilient digital health systems.

Day 3 Theme: The Sudan Nexus: Fragmentation, Global Competition, and the Reconstruction of Regional Security

Wednesday, April 29, 15:00-17:00 (CEST)
Hertie School / Online
Day 3 session two of Africa Policy Week 2026 examines Sudan’s state collapse, its regional and global security impacts, and the rise of a tech-driven mercenary economy. Through a keynote and expert panel, the session explores EU–AU sanctions, arms embargo challenges, and Germany’s Feminist Foreign Policy response to conflict-related sexual violence, highlighting pathways for accountability and regional stability.

Day 4 Theme: Applying Renewable Energy Pathways to African Agri-Food Systems

Thursday, April 30, 16:00 (CEST)
Hertie School / Hybrid
Day 4 of Africa Policy Week 2026 examines the role of renewable energy in transforming African agri-food systems. The session will highlight applications such as solar irrigation, cold storage, agro-processing, and sustainable bio-energy. Speakers will address key trade-offs related to affordability, governance, and inclusion. The discussion will conclude with policy-oriented reflections on scaling renewable energy for food security and sustainability.

About Us

The Hertie School Africa Policy Club is a student-run club at the Hertie School (Berlin, Germany) promoting informed discussions of African public policy, economics, and international affairs. Through events and publications such as The Afropolitan Blog, the club aims to create a forum for exchange on these topics at the Hertie School. The club aspires to cultivate a community sensitive to the intricacies of narratives and discourse on African politics and culture.

The Africa Policy Club’s and its members’ positions do not reflect those of the Hertie School.

You can stay up to date on our events and new blog articles by subscribing to our email list below. You can also contact us using the form to the right or by sending an email to hsafricapolicy@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

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Strengthening public diplomacy as a powerful tool of African foreign policy

Friday April 12, 16:00 (CEST)
Online

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African cultures have a rich history, with some dating back to thousands of years. Many African states have leveraged this culture and their diasporas in their public diplomacy efforts to win the hearts and minds of international publics towards foreign policy objectives and economic development. Scholars have highlighted African public diplomacy practice exemplified by the pan-African movement led by African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), and Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea which helped the continent’s joint foreign policy of decolonisation (Wekesa, 2020).

More recently, some African states have had some success at nation branding and public diplomacy campaigns, e.g. Ghana’s 2019 Year of Return campaign, or South Africa taking advantage of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Also, African music is enjoying a massive boom on the international stage led notably by Afrobeats and Amapiano acts whose concerts routinely fill out entire stadiums in the world’s largest capitals. This and other forms of African culture like language, art, film and so on, have attracted economic benefits for respective countries.

Interest in African countries’ cultural policies have increased creating opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of the continent’s public diplomacy. Despite this, scholars have argued that the continent’s public diplomacy is relatively weak and uni-directional (Antwi-Boasiako, 2022). In 2006, the African Union Assembly adopted the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance which recognised the significance of culture in development and recommended strong cultural policies as foundations. However, African countries also face a range of challenges to harnessing public diplomacy as effectively as their Western and Asian counterparts. Digital technologies offer some opportunities for cost reduction, innovation and better research to improve the continent’s public diplomacy. The question is what immediate steps need to be taken to unlock this potential.

Speakers

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H.E. Ambassador Stella Mokaya Orina

Ambassador of Kenya to the Federal Republic of Germany

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Ayeta Anne Wangusa

Executive Director, Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA)

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Prof. Dr. Adams Bodomo

Professor of African Studies, University of Vienna

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Dounia Benslimane

Cultural Operator

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Isaac Antwi-Boasiako

Assistant Lecturer (HPAL) & PhD Candidate, School of Media, TU Dublin

Moderator

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Sheila Kibughi

Master of Public Policy, Hertie School

Africa’s digital transformation and sovereignty in the context of geopolitical rivalry

Tuesday April 16, 16:00 (CEST)
Hertie School
MakerSpace Room 3.01 /
Online

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Africa boasts the fastest growing rate of internet users from 17% to 37% in the last ten years, but internet access is unequal and unaffordable for many Africans. Already the leader in mobile money, the continent is looking to also leapfrog in areas such as E-governance, Agri-Tech, and smart cities. Africa’s technology-savvy and entrepreneurial youth, the youngest in the world, will drive this digital transformation towards knowledge-based economies with more access and opportunity.

Digital infrastructure has increasingly become a new battleground in the geopolitical struggle between global powers. For Africa leaders, choosing digital infrastructure partners is increasingly about more than pure economic needs. China wins more partnerships in infrastructure (70% built) and a larger share of mobile phones (48% for Transsion alone – a Chinese manufacturer) because they are willing to customize to local African agendas and markets. Repercussions of the US-China technology decoupling are being felt: Huawei phones are not loaded with Google applications, Western donors avoid Chinese equipment, and competing ideological approaches of the US, EU and China to digital governance.

Although continual investment in Africa’s digital economy is advantageous, scholars have raised concerns about the risks associated with increasing foreign involvement in constructing fundamental components of African digital transformation, such as connectivity infrastructure, data centres, digital identify. These developments could potentially impact the continent’s agency and digital sovereignty. Careful consideration of these risks in the negotiation of digital partnerships between African stakeholders and their foreign counterparts will play a significant role to mitigate these risks.

Speakers

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Dr. Folashadé Soulé-Kohndou

Senior Research Associate, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Linkedin
Franz von Weizsäcker

Head of Programme Data-Cipation, Sector Lead Good Governance, GIZ Liaison Office for the African Union

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Iginio Gagliardone

Professor in Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand

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Elie Mandela

Youth Engagement Lead

Moderator

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Leslie Mills

Master of Public Policy, Hertie School