Search form

Newsletters

Agenda 2017

Agenda

Africa in the Atlantic: Time for Action
Marrakesh, Morocco
December 13 - 15, 2017


All times are subject to change

Wednesday, December 13

09:00 – 09:45 Launch of the 4th Edition of the Atlantic Currents: An Annual Report on Wider Atlantic Perspectives and Patterns (Open to press and to the Atlantic Dialogues participants)

Chair: Ihssane Guennoun, Program Officer, OCP Policy Center

- Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Tayeb Ghazi, Researcher in Economics, OCP Policy Center  
- Yassine Msadfa, Researcher in Economics, OCP Policy Center
- El Mostafa Rezrazi, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

09:45 – 10:00 Coffee Break

10:00 – 10:15 AD Connect

- Lilia Rizk, OCP Policy Center
- Yassir Essyagi, OCP Policy Center

10:15 – 10 :30 Welcome Remarks

- Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center 

10:30 – 11:00 Opening Conversation: Africa Owns Its Narratives

Moderator: Alan Kasujja, Presenter, BBC News

- Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, Senior Advisor, Africa Economic Development & Policy Initiative
- Njoya Tikum, Regional Anti-Corruption and Economic Governance Policy Advisor, United Nations Development Program

11:00 – 11:15 One Minute Idea Pitch, Five Emerging Leaders

Moderator: Alan Kasujja, Presenter, BBC News
- 5 Pitches by Emerging Leaders 

11:15 – 12:30 Plenary I: The State of the World Economy and its Implications for Development

Moderator: Uduak Amimo, Host, Citizen TV

- Otaviano Canuto, Senior Visiting Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Luiz Pereira Da Silva, Deputy General Manager, Bank of International Settlements
- Antoinette Sayeh, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Center for Global Development 
- Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Director, Parnasse International

12:30 – 14:20 Lunch

12:30 – 14:20 Parallel Lunch: Africa-Latin America Dialogue: The Road Ahead – By Registration

Chair: Marcus Vinicius De Freitas, Professor of Law and International Relations, University of Sao Paulo; Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

- Enrique Bravo Escobar, Political analyst and consultant, Georgetown University 
- Pedro da Motta Veiga, Director, Centro de Estudos sobre Integracao e Desenvolvimento
- Gilles Yabi, Founder, West Africa Citizen Think Tank (WATHI)
- Marie-Françoise Marie Nelly, Country Director, World Bank

12:30 – 14:20 Parallel Lunch: Book Presentation – Energy and Transportation in the Atlantic – By Registration

Chair: David Michael, Global Initiative for Food security and Ecosystem Preservation- GIFSEP 

Speakers
- Paul Isbell, Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR), Johns Hopkins University SAIS, Washington DC
- R. Andreas Kraemer, Founder and Director Emeritus, Ecologic Institute, Berlin, Germany and Founding Chairman (pro bono), Ecologic Institute US, Washington DC

Discussants
- Mehmet Ogutcu, Chairman, Global Resources Corporation 
- Malao Ndiaye, Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader 2017, Monitoring Specialist, Minister of Energy, Senegal

14:30 – 15:45 Plenary II: Exploiting the Economic Potential of Africa and its Global Links

Moderator: Alan Kasujja, Presenter, BBC News

- Uri Dadush, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Yang Guang, General Director, Institute for West-Asian and African Studies, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences 
- Laoye Jaiyeola, CEO, Nigerian Economic Summit Group 
- Miguel Angel Moratinos, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain 

15: 45 – 16:15 Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:30 Plenary III: Agricultural Policy in Africa and Technological Change 

Moderator: John Yearwood, Executive Board Chairman, International Press Institute

- Omar Amadou Jallow, Minister of Agriculture, The Gambia 
- Gordon Conway, Professor, International Development, Imperial College London
- Adriana Mesquita Corrêa Bueno, Coordinator, Technical Cooperation Coordination, Secretariat of International Affairs, Embrapa
- Peter Rogers, Gordon McKay Professor, Environmental Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences 

17:30 – 18:45 Plenary IV: Bridging Africa’s Financing Gap: New Actors, Longstanding Challenges

Moderator: Uduak Amimo, Host, Citizen TV

- Didier Acouetey, President and Founder, AfricSearch Group 
- Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues, European External Action Service
- Edward Scicluna, Minister of Finance, Malta
- Sérgio Suchodolski, Director General, Strategy and Partnerships, The New Development Bank

19:15 – 21:30   Breakout Dinners

1. Is Development Aid to Africa Effective?  ( In French)

Chair: Larabi Jaidi, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 

- Lilia Hachem Naas, Director, ECA Office for North Africa
- Henri Louis Védie, Professor, HEC Paris

2. How Can Africa Adapt to Climate Change? 

Chair: Francis Perrin, Senior Research Fellow, OCP Policy Center 

- William Gumede, Associate professor, School of Governance, Witwatersrand University
- Badr Ikken, Managing Director, Research Institute in Solar Energy and New Energies (tbc)
- Paul Isbell, CAF Energy Fellow, Center for Transatlantic Relations 
- Mosun Layode, Director, African Philanthropy Forum
- Said Mouline, Managing Director, Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency 

3. One Billion Youth by 2050 in Africa: The Implications

Chair: Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

- Nayé Bathily, Head, Global Parliamentary Relations, The World Bank
- Isaac Fokuo, Principal, Botho Emerging Markets Group

Chair: Bruce Dube, Managing Director, Youth Village brand
- Eniola Mafe, ‎Partnerships & Business Development Manager, ‎Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta 
- Marcus Vinicius De Freitas, Professor of Law and International Relations, University of Sao Paulo; Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

4. Migration: A Threat or an Opportunity for Europe?  

Chair: Emiliano Alessandri, Senior External Co-operation Officer, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

- Jessica De Alba-Ulloa, Jessica De Alba-Ulloa, Researcher, Universidad Anáhuac México; Senior Associate, Mexican Council on Foreign Relations
- Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, President, Instituto Affari Internazionali
- Helga Flores Trejo, former Executive Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation

5. How Can African Academia, Media and Civil Society Shape the Narrative of Africa

Chair: Nicolo Russo Perez, Coordinator, International Affairs, Compagnia di San Paolo

- David Applefield, Special Representative for Africa, the Middle East, and Emerging Markets, Financial Times Business
- Rafael Benke, Vice-Chairman Emeritus of the Brazilian Center for International Relations 

Chair: Alan Kasujja, Presenter, BBC News
- Driss Ksikes, Director, Centre for Social, Economic and Managerial Studies
- Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Lecturer, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Independent Journalist, Center for Strategic and International Studies

6. Can Africa Capitalize on its Natural Resources?

Chair: Yves Jégourel, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 

- Eduardo Haddad, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Nicola     Hove, Chief Executive Officer, G26 Investment Group
- Uzoma Ikechukwu, Associate, Sahel Capital
- Mehmet Ogutcu, Chairman, Global Resources Corporation 

7. Dealing with Transnational Crime and Violent Extremism

Chair: Rida Lyammouri, Founder and President, Sahel MeMo
- Rudolph Atallah, Non Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
- Kidane Kiros Bitsue, Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies
- Ashraf Swelam, Director General, Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
- Erik Van Der Veen, Coordinator, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 

8. The Prospects for “Trumpism”

Chair: Tod Lindberg, Research Fellow, Stanford University 

- Pascal Boniface, Director, Institut des Relations Internationales et Stratégiques 
- Kimberly Dozier, Executive Editor, The Cipher Brief, CNN Global Affairs Analyst
- Jay K. Footlik, President/CEO, Global Policy Initiatives
- Shuvaloy Majumdar, Munk Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute 
- Esther Silver-Parker, President and CEO, Silver Parker Group

9. Governance Imperatives for Doing Business in Sub Saharan Africa

Chair: Youssef Kobo Aouriaghel, Strategic Innovation Consultant 

- Mpume Langa, KwaZulu Natal Regional Head, Bidvest Bank, South Africa
- Mehdi Nassih, Founder and CEO, Bawaba (Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, 2017)

10. Conflict Resolution of African Maritime Borders

Chair: Jalal Abdellatif, Head, Governance and Human Security Cluster, UNECA 

- Tewolde Gebremeskel, Director, Peace and Security Division, The Intergovernmental Authority on Development
- Mary Beth Leonard, US Ambassador to the African Union 
- Mohamed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Alex Vines, Research Director, Area Studies and International Law; Head, Africa Programme, Chatham House

11. Counter-Extremism: Preventive Tools and Modalities for Rehabilitations

Chair: Zineb Benalla, CEO and Founder, Eirene Associates Int. 

- Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Joana Ama Osei-Tutu, Head of Women, Peace and Security Institute, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, 2017)
- El Mostafa Rezrazi, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Madou Fatchou Sangueh, Coordinator, Tchad Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tchadian Presidancy Support Unit

21:45-23:15 Evening Sessions

1. African Enterprise: Small is Beautiful, Big is Better?

Chair: Eliot Pence, Director, Africa, McLarty Associates

- Somachi Chris Asoluka, Head-Policy and external relations, Tony Elemulu Foundation 
- Marcio Fortes, Former Head, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social
- Claire Hassoun, Co-Founder of Waza Tank, Mozambique
- Greg Horowitt, Co-Founder, Managing Director, T2 Venture Creation 
- Michaella Rugwizangoga, Project Officer, Innovation Accelerator, Imbuto Foundation

2. Building Legitimate Democratic Institutions: Where Do We Stand in Africa?

Chair: Alfredo G. A. Valladao, Professor, Sciences PO Paris; Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center    

- Bronwyn Bruton, Director of Programs and Studies; Deputy Director, Atlantic Council 
- Serge Michailof, Researcher, Institut des Relations Internationales et Stratégiques
- Nkosana Moyo, Founder and Chairman, Mandela Institute for Development Studies
- William Zartman, Jacob Blaustein Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University

3. African Diasporas and Africa’s Development

Chair: Hisham Aidi, Lecturer in the Discipline of International and Public Affairs, SIPA, Columbia 

- Luiz Felipe De Alencastro, Professor, Paris Sorbonne University 
- Mats Karlsson, Director, The Swedish Institute of International Affairs 
- Enuma Okoro, Independent Writer and Journalist, The New York Times, The Guardian Nigeria; Communications Consultant, The Ford Foundation
- Bernardo Sorj, Executive Director, Edelstein Center for Social research
- Ibrahim Ousman, Mayor, Dire Dawa City Administration, Ethiopia

Thursday, December 14

9:00 – 10:15 Plenary V: Re-Designing Education Systems: What Skillsets for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Moderator: Khadija Ihsane, Journalist, Medi1TV

- Assia Bensalah Alaoui, Ambassador at Large of His Majesty the King of Morocco 
- Kassie Freeman, President and CEO, The African Diaspora Consortium
- Silas Lwakabamba, Former Minister of Education, Rwanda

10:15 – 10:45 AD Talk: What is the Link Between Foreign Policy and Development Strategy?

Moderator: Adama Gaye, CEO, Newforce Africa 
- Nkosana Donald Moyo, Founder and Chairman, Mandela Institute for Development Studies, Zimbabwe
- Hubert Vedrine, Former Foreign Affairs Minister, France

10:45 – 11:15   Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:30 In-Focus Session: Transatlantic Challenges: Commonalities and Differences 

Moderator: Sophie Bouillon, France-Press Agency, Lagos 

- Jorge Castañeda, Global Distinguished Professor, New York University 
- Daniel Hamilton, Executive Director, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University
- Sunjoy Joshi, Director, Observer Research Foundation
- Seth Stodder, Lecturer in Law, University of Southern California Law School

11:15 – 12:30   In-Focus Session: Positioning Africa in Global Value Chains 

Moderator: Jordi Bacaria, General Director, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs 

- Newai Gebre-ab, Executive Director, Ethiopian Development Research Institute, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia 
- Paulo Neves, President, Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean 
- Michel Petit, Professor, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier 
- Jorge Spencer Lima, President, Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Sotavento, Cape Verde
- Rosa Whitaker, President and CEO, The Whitaker Group 

12:30 – 13:50   Lunch

12:30 – 13:50 Parallel Lunch – Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Africa after COP23 – By Registration

Chair: Mohamed Rachid Doukkali, Professor of applied economics at Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Senior Fellow at OCP Policy Center 

- Adebisi Araba,  Africa Director of  International Center for Tropical Agriculture
- Tom Arnold, Director General for the Institute for International and European Affairs
- Conway Gordon, Professor of International Development at Imperial College 
- Adriana Mesquita Corrêa Bueno, Coordinator, Technical Cooperation Coordination, Secretariat of International Affairs, Embrapa 

12:30 – 13:50 Parallel Lunch – Atlantic Dialogues Strategic Advisory Board – By Invitation

14:00 – 14:15 One Minute Idea Pitch, Five Emerging Leaders

- Moderator: John Yearwood, Executive Board Chairman, International Press Institute
- 5 pitches by Emerging Leaders

14:15 – 15:30 Plenary VI: The Geopolitics of Africa and the Superpowers

Moderator: John Yearwood, Executive Board Chairman, International Press Institute

- Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Ana Palacio, Member, Council of State, Spain 
- Fathallah Sijilmassi, Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean
- Aminata Touré, Former Prime Minister, Senegal
- Lanxin Xiang, Professor, Graduate Institute of Geneva

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00– 17:15 In-Focus Session: Energy-mix to Accelerate Africa’s Development 

Moderator: André Caillé, Board Member, Junex

- Eric Festa, Senior Vice President, LNG Business Development, Total 
- R. Andreas Kraemer, Founder & Chairman, Ecologic Institute 
- Thione Niang, Co-Founder of Akon Lighting Africa 
- Simone Tagliapietra, Research Fellow, Bruegel

16:00– 17:15 In-Focus Session:  How To Promote Regional Integration in Africa? 

Moderator: Lourival Sant’Anna, Columnist & Reporter, CBN/Estadão/Exame
- Dominique Bocquet, General Finance and Economic Controller, Ministry of Finance, France
- Moubarack Lo, Senior Visiting Fellow, OCP Policy Center
- Jason Marczak, Director, Atlantic Council, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center 

17:15– 17:45   Coffee Break

17:45 – 19:00 Plenary VII: Financing Infrastructures: Time for a Big Push in Africa

Moderator: David Applefield, Special Representative for Africa, the Middle East, and Emerging Markets, Financial Times Business

- Jorge Arbache, International Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Brazil
- Dominique Lafont, CEO and Founder, Lafont Africa Corporation, former President and CEO, Bolloré Africa
- Frannie Léautier, Founder and Managing Partner, The Fezembat Group    
- Matthew A. Swift, Chairman & CEO,  Concordia

19:30 – 21:30 Moroccan Dinner

21:45 – 23:15 Evening Sessions

4. Asia’s New African Horizons

Chair: Aziz Mekouar, Ambassador for Multilateral Negotiations, COP22, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

- Malancha Chakrabarty, Associate Fellow, the Observer Research Foundation, India (Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, 2017) 
- Jean-David Levitte, Senior Policy Advisor, Rock Creek Global Advisors LLC 
- Kwon Hyung Lee, Head of the Middle East and Africa Team, Korean Institute for International Economic Policy
- Bouchra Rahmouni Benhida, Professor, University Hassan 1er, Morocco (tbc)

5. Gender and Social Inequalities: Local Solutions to a Global Issue

Chair: Richard Werly, European Affairs Correspondent, LeTemps; Editorial Coordinator, Académie Centrafricaine de Presse

- Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, President of The Women for Africa Foundation 
- Asmaa Guedira, Consultant/Social entrepreneur, The Womanity Foundation (Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, 2017)
- Reta Jo-Lewis, Former Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, USA
- Yarik Turianskyi, Deputy Programme Head, Governance and APRM Programme, South African Institute of International Affairs 

6. History and Identity (Documentary Screening) 

Documentary screening, followed by a discussion with: 
- Zeinab Badawi, Director, Kush Communications
- Abdoulaye Bathily, Former Special Representative, United Nations Secretary-General for Central Africa

Friday, December 15

09:00 – 09:15 One Minute Idea Pitch, Five Emerging Leaders

- Moderator: Kimberly Dozier, Executive Editor, The Cipher Brief, CNN Global Affairs Analyst
- 5 Pitches by Emerging Leaders

09:15 – 10:30 Plenary VIII: Security in the Sahel and Transatlantic Implications

Moderator: Kimberly Dozier, Executive Editor, The Cipher Brief, CNN Global Affairs Analyst

- Youssef Amrani, Head of Mission, Royal Cabinet, Kingdom of Morocco 
- Tewolde Gebremeskel Redda Director of peace and security division, Intergovernmental Authority on Development 
- General (Retd) Nick Parker, Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI 
- Kurt Volker, Executive Director, McCain Institute for International Leadership

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:15 In-Focus Session: Migration, Economics and Security

Moderator: Ian Lesser, Vice President, German Marshall Fund of the United States

- Paolo Magri, Executive Vice President and Director, Italian Institute for International Political Studies 
- Chiedu Osakwe, Chief Trade Negotiator and Director-General, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations 
- Major General Barre R. Seguin, Director, Strategy, Plans and Programs, U.S. Africa Command 
- Khalid Zerouali, Wali, Director, Migration and Borders Control, Ministry of Interior, Morocco 

11:00 – 12:15 In-Focus Session: Jobless Growth (In French)

Moderator: Adama Gaye, CEO, Newforce Africa

- Philippe Chalmin, Professor, Economic History, Paris Dauphine University 
- Uri Dadush, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Jean Hervé Lorenzi, President, Cercle des Economistes 
- Paulo Portas, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Portugal 
- Isabelle Tsakok, Senior Visiting Fellow, OCP Policy Center

12:15 – 13:50 Lunch

14:00 – 15:15 Plenary IX: Lessons from Foreign Military Interventions in Africa

Moderator: Zeinab Badawi, Director, Kush Communications

- Michel Duclos, French Diplomat and Senior Fellow, Institut Montaigne
- Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, President, NATO Defense College Foundation 
- Michelle Ndiaye, Director, Africa Peace and Security Programme, Institute for Peace and Security Studies
- J. Peter Pham, Vice President and Director, Africa Center, Atlantic Council

15:15 – 15:45 AD Talk: Building South-South Partnerships for Development and Security

Moderator: Uduak Amimo, Host, Citizen TV

- Eniola Mafe, ‎Partnerships & Business Development Manager, ‎Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta
- Lionel Zinsou, Former Prime Minister of Benin 

15:45 – 16:15 Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:30 Plenary X: The Development of Africa: Insights from Latin American Presidents (In Spanish)

Moderator: Lourival Sant’Anna, Columnist & Reporter, CBN/Estadão/Exame

- Eduardo Duhalde, Former President, Argentina 
- Federico Ramon Puerta, Former President of Argentina and current Ambassador to Spain 
- Miguel Ángel Rodriguez Echeverría, Former President, Republic of Costa Rica 

17:30 – 18:45 Closing Plenary: Innovative Solutions to Complex Challenges: Perspectives of Emerging Leaders 

18:45 – 19:00 Closing Remarks 

19:45 – 23:00 Gala Dinner

Session Descriptions

Agenda 2017 session descriptions*

* 2017 Atlantic Dialogues session descrptions will be published soon. 

Plenaries: 

- Plenary I: The State of the World Economy and its Implications for Development/a>
- Plenary II: Exploiting the Economic Potential of Africa and its Global Links
- Plenary III: Agricultural Policy and Technological Change in Africa
- Plenary IV: Bridging Africa’s Financing gap: New Actors, Longstanding Challenges
- Plenary V: Re-Designing education systems: What Skillsets for the jobs of tomorrow
- Plenary VI: The Geopolitics of Africa and the Superpowers
- Plenary VII: Financing Infrastructures: Time for a Big Push in Africa
- Plenary VIII: Security in the Sahel and Transatlantic Implications
- Plenary IX: Lessons from Foreign Military Interventions in Africa
- Plenary X: Development of Africa: Insights from Latin American Presidents (In Spanish)

In-Focus Sessions:

- In-Focus Session: Transatlantic Challenges: Commonalities and Differences
- In-Focus Session: How to Promote Regional Integration in Africa?
- In-Focus Session: Energy-mix to Accelerate Africa’s Development
- In-Focus Session: Migration, Economics and Security
- In-Focus Session: Jobless Growth (In French)
- In-Focus Session: Positioning Africa in Global Value Chains

AD Talks:

- AD Talk: Building South-South Partnerships for Development and Security
- AD Talk: What Is the Link Between Foreign Policy and Development Strategy? (In French)
- AD Talk: Renewable Energy and the Climate Transition

Breakout Dinners: 

- Breakout Dinner: Is Development Aid to Africa Effective? (In French)
- Breakout Dinner: How Can Africa Adapt to Climate Change?
- Breakout Dinner: One Billion Youth by 2050 in Africa: The Implications
- Breakout Dinner: Migration: A Threat or an Opportunity for Europe?
- Breakout Dinner: How can African Academia, Media and Civil Society shape the Narrative of Africa?
- Breakout Dinner: Can Africa Capitalize on its Natural Resources?
- Breakout Dinner: Dealing with Transnational Crime and Violent Extremism
- Breakout Dinner: The Prospects for “Trumpism”
- Breakout Dinner: Governance Imperatives for Doing Business in Sub Saharan Africa
- Breakout Dinner: Conflict resolution of African maritime borders?
- Breakout Dinner: Counter-extremism: Preventive Tools and Modalities for Rehabilitations

Evening Sessions: 

- Evening Session: Gender and Social Inequalities: Local Solutions to a Global Issue
- Evening Session: African Enterprise: Small Is Beautiful, Big Is Better?
- Evening Session: Building Democratic and Resilient Institutions: Where Do We Stand in Africa?
- Evening Session: African Diasporas and Africa's Development
- Evening Session: Asia’s new African horizons
- Evening Session: History and Identity