Repositioning Africa in a rapidly changing global order

This report summarizes a February 2025 policy dialogue event organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS). The discussion focused on the African Union's (AU) ability to reposition Africa within a shifting global order characterized by geopolitical disruptions, including the 'Trump 2.0' era. The panel identified critical barriers to Africa's strategic positioning, such as financial dependency on external donors, a disconnect between aging leadership and a young population, and a fragmented approach to global diplomacy. The report advocates for institutional reforms within the AU, a shift from focusing on historical reparations toward immediate economic and security stability, and the adoption of a unified foreign policy to increase the continent's global influence.

• Africa's global positioning is severely hindered by a persistent neocolonial framework and financial dependency. The African Union (AU) is particularly vulnerable, with 70% of its funding sourced from external donors such as China, the UK, GIZ, USAID, and DANIDA, which undermines its sovereignty and ability to independently address security and governance challenges.
• There is a profound demographic disconnect between Africa's population and its leadership. While the continent has a median age of 19, the candidates for AU leadership in 2025 have an average age of 69. This gap is seen as a barrier to the energy and stamina required for effective global diplomacy and a failure to champion policies for the youth.
• The AU's leadership election process is criticized as flawed and opaque. The rotational system adopted in 2018 is noted for favoring regime loyalists over competent candidates and allowing governments to remove difficult political figures from domestic scenes by placing them in AU positions.
• Africa faces critical socio-economic and security crises that are often overlooked in AU summit agendas. These include a food security paradox where Africa holds 60% of the world's most arable land but remains a net food importer, producing only 10% of global agricultural output. Additionally, Africa is the only continent seeing a rise in violent conflict, with 30% of the world's active conflicts located there.
• The 2025 AU theme of 'reparations' is viewed by some panelists as a strategic distraction from immediate existential threats. Critics argue that international relations are driven by power dynamics rather than moral arguments, and that Africa should prioritize building resilience, agency, and structural economic reforms over historical grievances.
• Africa's multilateral engagement is fragmented and lacks a unified foreign policy. Instead of acting as a single unit, the continent engages through separate blocs such as Africa–EU, Africa–China, Africa–US, and Africa–Italy summits. Furthermore, the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) is described as outdated, relying on state-centered military models rather than adaptive strategies for climate change and terrorism.

APA

Atta-Asamoah, A. (2025). Repositioning Africa in a rapidly changing global order. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1747829199714-Ad-hoc-report-iss-ipss .pdf

Chicago

Atta-Asamoah, Andrews. Repositioning Africa in a rapidly changing global order. Institute for Security Studies, 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1747829199714-Ad-hoc-report-iss-ipss .pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atta-Asamoah |first1=Andrews |title=Repositioning Africa in a rapidly changing global order |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2025 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1747829199714-Ad-hoc-report-iss-ipss .pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{attaasamoah2025repositioning, author = {Atta-Asamoah, Andrews}, title = {{Repositioning Africa in a rapidly changing global order}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1747829199714-Ad-hoc-report-iss-ipss .pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }