The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development and the Stimson Centre, based in the United States in partnership with a number of organizations, held the African Regional Dialogue on the Summit of the Future (SOTF) with the theme “The Africa We Want and the United Nations We Need” at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria. The event had in attendance high-level African scholars from a range of quarters, including the government, the private sector, security agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth and women groups, and amongst others.
The summit was strategically designed as a medium to collectively identify and analyze issues impacting Africa, both continentally and within the UN system, in preparation for the Summit of the Future Conference scheduled for September 2024. Doable recommendations were brought to the fore front on how to effectively position Africa in global governance, not based on hollow words but rather on its inherent strengths. Critical issues such as the existing gaps between state and non-state actors, the siloed decision-making process across African nations, the flaws of the current UN system and of regional and subregional bodies, and many more were examined. The need for collaboration and unity amongst African states remained a resounding theme throughout the summit.
