The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has held the second edition of its Brown Bag Seminar to examine changing global power dynamics and their implications for Africa amid growing competition between China and the United States.
The seminar, organised by the Commission’s Political Affairs Directorate on October 7, 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria, was themed “The New Has Not Yet Been Born: Global Africa in the Era of Chimerica.”
The event provided a platform for knowledge-sharing and critical discussions on the evolving international order, particularly the complex relationship between China and the United States and its implications for Africa and the West African subregion.
The seminar was chaired by the Director of Political Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Babatunde Afolabi, while Professor Adekeye Adebajo, a senior researcher at the Centre for the Promotion of Research at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, delivered the keynote presentation.
Participants included officials of the ECOWAS Commission and Parliament, academics, diplomats, representatives of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, civil society organisations and other institutions.
Discussions following the presentation centred on the need for African countries to strengthen their strategic positioning and deepen their understanding of contemporary geopolitical developments.
Participants also examined how Africa could better navigate the changing global order, respond to emerging regional and international challenges, and position itself to protect its interests amid intensifying competition among major world powers.
The seminar forms part of efforts by the ECOWAS Commission’s Political Affairs Directorate to encourage informed dialogue and strengthen understanding of global political developments and their implications for regional stability and cooperation.
