The African Studies Association (ASA) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Africa Program are partnering to host a full-day pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, December 2 before the ASA annual meeting in New Orleans. The workshop brings together scholars, think tank analysts, and policy practitioners for a dialogue that connects academic research on Africa with current policy conversations.
The day is organized around two themes and four policy-relevant questions developed in collaboration with U.S. government officials and researchers. The morning focuses on trade and investment. African countries’ international partnerships increasingly center on a trade and investment framework that advances value addition, increases investment in critical sectors, and expands job opportunities. These sessions will address questions that support evidence-based policymaking in these areas and engage directly with current trade and investment policies. Discussions will give particular attention to US-Africa frameworks, including AGOA and its successor arrangements, while situating them alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area and Africa’s partnerships with the European Union, China, the Gulf states, and other emerging markets.
The afternoon shifts to governance, peace, and security. Recent geopolitical developments have significantly altered the drivers and means of conflict, while established conflict resolution mechanisms have been neglected or have been unable to respond adequately to current trends. As emerging governance challenges, new technologies, and international political economies drive and sustain conflict in Africa, these sessions will explore options for preventing, negotiating, and resolving conflicts across the continent.
Each session follows a roundtable format. To open the conversation, selected participants will offer initial considerations on the question. The discussion will then move to the full group for constructive, evidence-based input on how to address the question. To anchor each discussion, organizers will suggest a short pairing of readings for each session, typically one think tank piece and one academic article. Chairs will be identified for each session, and questions and readings will be circulated in advance so participants arrive prepared to engage.
Each half-day block hosts 20 to 30 participants to allow for genuine dialogue, with separate morning and afternoon cohorts joining for a shared networking lunch. Participants will be drawn from an open call to ASA attendees, ensuring a strong mix from the United States and Africa who work actively on trade, investment, governance, peace, and security. All interested parties are encouraged to apply. However, due to limited space, we may not be able to accommodate all expressions of interest.
Selected participants will have the opportunity to submit brief discussion points or short position papers ahead of the event. These may be selected for further development in partnership with CSIS’s Africa Program and published as a post-conference compendium summarizing the discussions and recommendations.
The workshop fee is $40 and includes a boxed lunch. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
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Proposed Schedule & Thematic Agenda
Date: Wednesday, December 2
Time: Morning participants: 9:00am-12:00pm, Afternoon participants: 1:30-5:00pm
Lunch for all participants: 12:00-1:30pm
Morning Block: Trade & Investment
09:00 – 09:15 AM: Welcome, framing remarks, and ground rules
09:15 – 10:30 AM | Policy Question 1: Building Trust in US-Africa Trade and Investment Institutions
Focus: What role does trust play in enabling the effectiveness of trade and investment institutions in Africa and among its partners, and how is it cultivated? How can research-based knowledge and scholar-practitioner engagement on both sides help build that trust?
10:30 – 10:45 AM: Morning Coffee Break
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Policy Question 2: Job Creation and International Partnerships
Focus: What strategies can international financial institutions and bilateral partners use to support job creation in African countries, and how much leverage do they hold? How can their policies support job creation that drives growth in African and partner economies?
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Midday: Combined Networking Lunch
12:00 – 01:30 PM: Catered Lunch & Informal Networking (Morning and afternoon cohorts overlap)
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Afternoon Block: Governance, Peace & Security
01:30 – 01:45 PM: Afternoon framing remarks
01:45 – 03:00 PM | Policy Question 3: Regionalized Conflict Resolution
Focus: What processes, actions, and mechanisms support conflict resolution in regionalized conflicts? How are emerging geographies of conflict and the growing role of new regional and external actors reshaping the options for sustainable and effective resolution?
03:00 – 03:15 PM: Afternoon Coffee Break
03:15 – 04:30 PM | Policy Question 4: Funding Peace Processes
Focus: How can peace processes and operations be sustained amid limited resources, and how do governance and resource allocation decisions shape their durability?
04:45 – 05:00 PM: Synthesis, Next Steps & Wrap-Up
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Deliverables
Post-Conference Compendium: Participants are invited to submit brief discussion points or short position papers ahead of the session. CSIS will synthesize and edit these, along with inputs provided during the session, into a formal post-conference compendium, providing tangible policy deliverables and visibility for participants.
Pre-conference Workshop Application
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