Conference: The Big Five - Which country will lead Africa in the next 25 years?

Thursday 2nd July 2015 14.00-16.00 “Kornloftet”, Defence Library, Kastellet 46, 2100 Copenhagen East. keynote speaker: Dr. Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director at Institute for Security Studies
July 22, 2015 - 09:15
[Originally published by Royal Danish Defence College]

As Africa aspires to take responsibility for its development, peace and security, the question of regional leadership is key. In an increasingly multipolar world, parts of Africa will become more prosperous. But will that change Africa’s relative influence globally? And which countries have the greatest ‘power potential’?

At this seminar Dr Jakkie Cilliers will discuss the historical distribution of power in Africa and how it is likely to change over the next 25 years. At the seminar Dr. Cilliers will present new research on these issues conducted by the ISS that explores Africa in the global power context and scrutinizes the future capabilities of the continent’s Big Five: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. Of these countries, Ethiopia and Nigeria are forecasted to increase their power capabilities significantly, whereas Algeria, Egypt and South Africa are expected to stagnate or decline. If Nigeria were able to take the necessary steps that would see far-reaching changes to the governance issues and social challenges that currently beset the country, it could become Africa’s lone superpower.

Registration for the seminar before 30th June 2015 to ifs-14@fak.dk
For questions related to the seminar pls. contact: Dr. Thomas Mandrup, RDDC,
ifs-14@fak.dk, Cell: +4522748390

Dr Jacobus Kamfer (Jakkie) Cilliers is the Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies and Head of the African Futures and Innovation Section. He has a B. Mil (B.A.) from the University of Stellenbosch and a Hons. B.A., M.A. (cum laude) and DLitt et Phil from the University of South Africa (UNISA). Awards include the Bronze Medal from the South African Society for the Advancement of Science and the H Bradlow Research Bursary. He was born in Stellenbosch, South Africa on 16th April 1956. Dr Cilliers co-founded the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in 1990 and played an important role in the transformation of the South African armed forces and the institution of civilian control over the military in the period 1990 to 1996. At present most of Dr Cilliers` interests relate to the emerging security architecture in Africa as reflected in the developments under the banner of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union as well as issues around African long-term future.

Dr. Cilliers has presented numerous papers at conferences and seminars and published a number of books on various matters relating to peace and security in Africa and serves on the editorial boards of the African Security Review and the South African Journal of International Affairs. He is a regular commentator on local and international radio and television and has attended a large number of international conferences. He is an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre of Human Rights and the Department of Political Sciences, Faculty Humanities at the University of Pretoria. He also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) in Switzerland, on the board of advisers of the Center on International Conflict Resolution, Columbia University, New York and on the World Economic Forum`s Think Tank Leaders Forum.