What the 80th UN General Assembly means for Africa

In an exclusive interview hosted by Landry Signé, Anna Bjerde, the World Bank's managing director of operations, discusses the Bank's top priorities and challenges in achieving its mandate in a changing world. This interview was recorded on-site on Day One of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's 2025 Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. This is the final episode of season four of Foresight Africa podcast. 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].

In the final episode of our three-part series covering the 80th U.N. General Assembly, host Landry Signé interviews members of the U.N. and its partners on how the organization upholds international peace and security, including through its developmental support to fragile states. 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].

In this second episode of our special three-part series on the 2025 U.N. General Assembly, host Landry Signé brings together global leaders from government, business, and international institutions to explore how the United Nations is deepening its partnership with the private sector. As the U.N. marks 80 years, the conversation looks beyond diplomacy, highlighting its evolving role as a rallying force for CEOs, innovators, and policymakers driving global prosperity. 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 sits down with some of the world's top global leaders and stakeholders as they reflect on the United Nations' work at the heart of global peace, sustainable development, multilateral cooperation and institutional reform during this historic 80th General Assembly. This is the first episode of a three-part series reporting from the sidelines of the General Assembly. 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].

Following the launch of a new report by Brookings' Africa Growth Initiative, host Landry Signé sits down with AGI scholars Ede Ijjasz-Vásquez and Vera Songwe to discuss how U.S. investments in mining can transform African economies while diversifying American access to much needed critical minerals. 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 George Ofosu, assistant professor in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, discuss Ghana's democratic trajectory, highlighting factors that have enabled it to become a regional bastion of democracy, while also exploring what more could be done to safeguard and deepen the quality of the country's democracy. 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].

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].