Traditional multilateral frameworks are being replaced by fragmented and overlapping efforts led by bilateral donors, corporate players, and development finance institutions. This shift raises new questions regarding the balance between outside strategic interests and local autonomy, ownership, and decision-making power.

By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, this workshop explores the changing political economy of foreign engagement in Africa, focusing on how financial tools, private companies, and regulatory practices work together to reshape the continent’s development landscape. Contributions address a wide range of themes: the increase in firm-led lending and contractor-driven debt, the European Union’s Global Gateway and its geo-economic vision, the reasoning and limitations of de-risking, and the institutional bases of Chinese and U.S. development models. Other discussions delve into the expansion of digital infrastructure, the diffusion of cross-border regulatory frameworks, and the changing dynamics of bureaucratic practice and state capacity within African countries. A key thread running through the sessions is how African actors navigate, bargain within, and contest this increasingly crowded landscape.

This workshop is funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement nr. 101105757.

This workshop is by invitation only.

At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.