Date:    18th – 21st November 2015

Venue:   Tanzania

Theme:  African Agency in Geopolitical Affairs: Platform for Socio-Economic Development

The concept of African Agency in a globalized world is increasingly gaining prominence as a successor or compliment to similar concepts such as Pan-Africanism, African Renaissance and Africa Rising. A number of questions arise from all the speculations. What are the links between Pan-Africanism, African renaissance and African agency? Is Africa progressively rising as a significant actor in the international system? Is African Agency a worthwhile conceptual framework for understanding twenty-first century Africa?

Inter Region Economic Network will discuss this topic during the 13th IREN Africa Resource Bank Meeting. The objectives of this forum include:-

•To continue IREN-ARB deliberations on African solutions to African problems.
•To determine if African actors have established a sustained track record of assertive, high-level diplomacy through which the continent can see long-term economic growth
•To provoke debate on and an assessment of African Agency in geopolitics to assist industry, civil society, academia and policymakers in their interaction in the international system
•To determine if African agency should start with the creation of an Afro-centric analysis rather than being defined and framed by the dominant international and geopolitical agendas of the day?

Participants who wish to make a presentation should indicate the topic they wish to present on. The topic should be based on any of the four objectives above.

Participation is by invitation only. Limited scholarships are available on first-come-first-awarded basis. Send application to zaina@irenkenya.com   and cc info@irenkenya.com to participate.   All are invited to participate on our online discussion on this topic by mailing to editor@africanexecutive.com

Established in 2001, the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN) organized over 80 high profile forums and hosted over 5,000 delegates from across the globe with varied professional backgrounds. The Africa Resource Bank Meeting (ARB) is one of IREN’s key forums that target policy makers, business leaders, media, industry players and academia, for annual brainstorming sessions on various issues that affect Africa. 

In the previous years, African Resource Bank Forums have focused on: - Building Africa Through Trade (2003); Property Rights in the African context (2004); Conquering Poverty in Africa through Business (2005); Turning African People into a Resource (2006); Positioning Africa in the 21st Century (2007); Commercializing Africa’s Resources to Promote Prosperity (2008); Probing Governance and Prosperity in Africa (2009) Africa vs. Developed and Emerging Economies: How to Make Africans Win (2010) and Digital Revolution: Opportunity or threat to Africa? (2011). The Indian Ocean Rim as a New Frontier: How prepared is Africa? (2012).Africa Rising: Myth or Reality? (2013). African's Productivity in the 21st Century: Who Owns Africa? (2014).