Afrobarometer board chair and youth delegate to speak at 2023 Ibrahim Governance Weekend

Afrobarometer Board Chair E. Gyimah-Boadi and communications coordinator Asafika Mpako will be guest speakers at the upcoming 2023 Ibrahim Governance Weekend.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which aims to advance good governance and leadership in Africa by recognising outstanding African leaders and fostering discourse on governance and development challenges, is hosting the event 28-30 April in Nairobi, Kenya.

Discussions will center on the theme #GlobalAfrica. Mpako, whose work includes a focus on youth issues, will share her thoughts on how Africa and Europe can work together on youth economic inclusion and mobility as part of a “Now Narratives” session on 30 April.

These sessions will seek to bridge gaps in perceptions between Africa and Europe through dialogue that challenges outdated stereotypes, replacing them with nuanced accounts of lived realities.

“It is important that the youth contribute to governance issues in Africa, and I am glad to be part of the session that allows youth voices to be heard,” Mpako said.

Gyimah-Boadi, who co-founded Afrobarometer more than two decades ago, will speak at the “Harnessing the Power of Data to Achieve Africa’s Development Goals” session on 30 April, focusing on ways to strengthen Africa’s data landscape to take stock of progress and propose solutions to increase data production and uptake.

“I am thrilled that Afrobarometer will be participating in the Ibrahim Governance Weekend, as it provides an important platform for us to engage with key stakeholders and contribute to the discourse on governance and development challenges in Africa,” Gyimah-Boadi said.

The weekend’s Leadership Ceremony, an opportunity to celebrate achievement and reflect on the challenges of leadership in the modern world, will celebrate in person the winner of the 2021 Ibrahim Prize, former President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger.

Afrobarometer’s engagement with the Ibrahim Governance Weekend continues its longstanding relationship with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, including as a data source for the foundation’s Ibrahim Index of African Governance