What the 80th UN General Assembly means for Africa

As the United Nations General Assembly begins its 80th session this month, host Landry Signé meets with Cristina Duarte, U.N. Undersecretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, to discuss how her office is supporting African development and what the shifting international order means for Africa and global multilateralism. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Host Landry Signé speaks with Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, CEO of the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa, and former minister special advisor to the president of Niger, on the importance of expanding internet access in Africa and the potential of public-private partnerships to provide needed investments. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Host Landry Signé and fellow futurist Jakkie Cilliers, founder of the Institute for Security Studies and head of its African Futures Innovation Programme, discuss the importance of evidence-based forecasting for preparing for shaping a brighter future in and for Africa and how youth are key to achieving the best-case scenarios for African economies. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Host Landry Signé speaks with Hon. Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Namibia’s minister for international relations and trade, and seasoned career diplomat, on the need for African countries to think locally while acting continentally, and how agreements like the AfCFTA and a spirit of solidarity among African countries create opportunities for Africans and international partners alike. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Host Landry Signé speaks with Acha Leke, chairman of McKinsey & Company’s Africa Region and senior partner in their Johannesburg office, about Africa’s many advantages in human and natural resources. Leke explains how different actors, from family-owned businesses to national governments and international investors, can align themselves to benefit from the continent’s strengths. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Foresight Africa host Landry Signé and Drs. Oscar Otele and Danielle Resnick examine the nuances of the state of democracy across Africa, providing insights into strategies for democratic resiliency moving forward. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

On this episode of Foresight Africa, hosted by Landry Signé, Gargee Ghosh, president of Global Policy and Advocacy at the Gates Foundation, explains why collaborative, context-specific, and innovative solutions elevate development success across Africa. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

Adefunke Ekine and Mary Otieno, university educators from Nigeria and Kenya respectively, and alumnae of the Echidna Scholars Program at Brookings, talk with Foresight Africa host Landry Signé on why innovation and listening to girls’ stories are crucial to advancing girls’ education across Africa. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

During the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., Foresight Africa host Landry Signé caught up with Axel van Trotsenburg, senior managing director of the World Bank, who spoke about how to mobilize the private sector to help create more jobs for African youth in the coming years, while also addressing the debt distress crisis many African governments face. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].

During the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in April 2025, Foresight Africa podcast host Landry Signé interviewed leaders in the global finance and development space to glean their key takeaways from the meetings and how they might shape policy decisions and deliver tangible results across Africa. In this special episode, you will hear highlights from each of the conversations, and you can find full interviews at brookings.edu/ForesightSpringMeetings.  Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to [email protected].