Session on Advanced African Geopolitical Studies
2nd session Africa 2026
African sovereignty movements
Format
The session is divided into six monthly thematic seminars. Each seminar will feature lectures by senior officials and specialists in the field. The programme also includes visits to and presentations by African Union institutions and various organisations. Committee work sessions on topics related to major geopolitical, economic, or social issues in the region are also planned: these sessions will enable collaborative group work, culminating in the drafting of a joint report for the entire session.
For further information, please contact Nesrine Akharouid: n.akharouid@fmes-france.org
Visits and study trips
Contribution from African experts
Committee work
A word from the training manager
Since the end of the 2010s, Africa has seen the emergence of an unprecedented political and social dynamic driven by patriotic, nationalist and sovereigntist movements, both within states and in civil society. This movement, described as sovereignist neo-Pan-Africanism, has established itself as an increasingly structured popular force, expressing a desire for emancipation, the restoration of sovereignty and pride in identity.
This phenomenon goes far beyond a simple critique of the colonial past: it is rooted in a growing rejection of the liberal international order and its institutions (the United Nations, the European Union, transatlantic partners), which are accused of having contributed to keeping Africa in a state of political, economic and normative dependence. The rhetoric and practices of the military regimes that came to power between 2020 and 2023 (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Gabon) embody this dynamic. Breaking with imposed models, they call for a refocusing on national interests, political sovereignty and the rebuilding of the state.
Target audience