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backEventsExplore the variety of events Salzburg Global hosts within Austria and in the rest of the world. Learn more about our programs and what else happens at Schloss Leopoldskron.Upcoming EventsDec 01 - Dec 06, 2025Peace & JusticeAdvancing Youth Safety and Justice: Transformative Policies, Community Solutions, and Accountable PracticesGlobal Innovations on Youth Violence, Safety and JusticeDec 08 - Dec 13, 2025EducationSkills for Tomorrow: Building the Next Generation of Vocational LearningEducation for Tomorrow's World
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Our Annual Spotlight: Centering Africa
Shaping the 21st Century
As demographic trends across much of the world project a future of older and less productive economies, Africa stands out for its growing youth population, its dynamism and innovation, and its increasingly central role in addressing numerous global challenges, including economic transformation and poverty alleviation, youth opportunity and employment, technology and cultural innovation, and climate change and conservation.
While planning our 2025 sessions and special events, we've sought to highlight the central role that the African continent—in all its diversity, complexity, and promise—will play in shaping the 21st century.
In addition, we have sought to increase the number of African Fellows in our programs and to increase the number of interns from the continent.
On this page, you'll find information about our Africa-focused Salzburg Global sessions and special events.
Promoting African Innovations and Perspectives
Through spotlight sessions and events, our hope was that Salzburg Global could play a small but meaningful role in highlighting and promoting African ideas, innovations, and perspectives from across the continent and to “center Africa” in global forums like ours.
We officially launched our “Centering Africa” Spotlight on November 21, 2024, with a Salzburg Global Salon in Washington, D.C. The evening’s discussion featured diverse views from across the African continent, highlighting the opportunities and ideas that “center Africa” in a new vision for 21st-century global development.
On December 3, 2024, we hosted a luncheon event at the 2024 International Democracy Union Forum in Washington, DC. Under the theme “Seizing Africa's Infrastructure Potential: Long on Promises, Short on Action?”, the event featured an intimate, moderated discussion between Patrick Oboi Amuriat, Party President of Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change, and Salzburg Global President and CEO, Martin Weiss.
In the context of this year's Salzburg Cutler Fellow Program, we then hosted an online panel discussion ahead of the in-person session in February 2025.
This focused on Africa's place in the international legal order and the ways in which international law can best contribute to sustainable development and human rights on the continent.
The session centered around the voices of leading scholars and practitioners of international law from or working on the African continent. Speakers included:
- Elise Keppler, Executive Director, World Justice Project
- Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, Partner, Foley Hoag LLP
- Raymond Atuguba, Dean, University of Ghana School of Law
Bringing Salzburg Global to Africa
In March, Salzburg Global staff traveled with members of Salzburg Global's Board of Directors to South Africa, Rwanda, Ghana, and Kenya.
The purpose of these visits was to ensure we are not only bringing our “Centering Africa” Spotlight to Salzburg Global in 2025 but also bringing Salzburg Global to Africa.
These trips helped strengthen ties with Fellows, forge new connections, and gain fresh insight into the diverse challenges and opportunities shaping the continent today.
Together, these experiences also reaffirmed Salzburg Global's commitment to listening, learning, and engaging deeply with the communities and Fellows shaping the future—across Africa and around the world.
South Africa
In South Africa, the themes of justice and legacy came to the fore. Meetings in Cape Town and Johannesburg with Fellows, thought leaders, and civil society actors underscored the enduring importance of reflection and reform.
Highlights included a moving visit to Nelson Mandela's homestead, discussions with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and conversations with leaders in the financial sector—offering a textured view of the nation's history and its evolving present.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, the focus centered on reconciliation and renewal—three decades after the genocide. Conversations with Fellows at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and visits with environmental innovators and conservation partners illuminated how healing, memory, and sustainability are being woven into Rwanda's path forward.
A surprise encounter between Rwandan and Ukrainian Fellows—each engaged in reconciliation efforts in their home countries—was a poignant reminder of Salzburg Global's unique global network and the power of shared purpose.
Ghana
In Ghana, the pace was set early with a dynamic gathering of government, finance, and industry leaders. The following weekend offered a rich immersion into the country's political, economic, and cultural life.
From standing at Cape Coast and Elmina Castle, reflecting on the nation's historical legacy, to exploring Ghana's thriving creative and entrepreneurial scenes, the visit brought home the energy and promise of a country in motion.
Kenya
The journey concluded in Kenya, where Salzburg Global convened its Board Meeting at the African Wildlife Foundation headquarters in Nairobi.
The setting provided an inspiring backdrop for robust discussions about institutional growth, regional partnerships, and Salzburg Global's long-term vision.
The week ended with a memorable Fellows gathering at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden, celebrating connection and collaboration across continents.
Centering an African Vision for a New Multilateral Future
In April, we hosted our third annual Pathways to Peace Initiative session, “Africa Forum: Centering an African Vision for a New Multilateral Future.”
This session highlighted African perspectives and ideas in ways that elevate the key role and distinct contributions of the African continent in an emerging geopolitical nexus of cooperation and competition, including pathways that might lead to a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable 21st century.
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Africa at an Inflection Point
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Generational Power Shift: Youth Leading Change
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The Future is Female
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A Call for Genuine Allies and Self-Determination
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Reclaiming Africa's Narrative
Highlighting Africa’s Immense Cultural, Ecological, and Intellectual Wealth
In June, Schloss Leopoldskron was filled with with paintings, photographs, and sculptures from several African artists, while the air was filled with powerful voices and bold visions of leaders, intellectuals, and young people from across the African continent and diaspora.
The 2025 Salzburg Global Weekend, held in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation, focused on our annual spotlight “Centering Africa”. Robust discussions, exhibitions, and performances throughout the weekend showcased how African voices can be placed at the center of breakthrough conversations.
Continuing the conversations that began during Salzburg Global’s Africa Forum in April, the event highlighted Africa’s immense cultural, ecological, and intellectual wealth. Attendees urged a need to tap into that wealth and maximize the continent’s potential through equitable partnerships and inclusive leadership.
Showcasing Impactful Leadership and Innovative Solutions
As part of the 2025 Salzburg Global Weekend, Schloss Leopoldskron welcomed over 1,000 guests for an Open House, offering a full day of inspiring talks, interactive activities, and live entertainment.
The Open House brought together leading thinkers, artists, and changemakers from across Africa, highlighting the region’s growing influence and potential for transformation.
Participants from more than nine African countries contributed to a full day of programming that included panel discussions, performances, and interactive sessions.
Featured speakers included Rukaiya el-Rufai, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria; Agnes Binagwaho, former Rwandan Minister of Health; Mbongiseni Buthelezi, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation; and Grammy-nominated Ghanaian artist Rocky Dawuni.
Topics ranged from peace and governance to health systems, African leadership, and cultural expression, with events spread across four stages throughout the grounds of Schloss Leopoldskron.
Disseminating New Thinking
Since 2023, the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation has offered three annual writing residencies to support the development and dissemination of new thinking around education transformation.
This year, the Center sought to host Fellows from across the African continent.
We've been delighted to welcome:
Thelma Obiakor
Thelma Obiakor is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) and an evaluator specializing in economics and education, with a focus on inclusive development. She is also a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics.
Building on her PhD research, Thelma currently leads a project on Nigeria’s Language of Instruction (LOI) policy, working with policymakers and school administrators to create contextually relevant implementation strategies aimed at improving student learning. Her writing project explores the linguistic landscape of Nigeria, mapping languages spoken in classrooms and homes to gain deeper insights into the nation’s linguistic diversity and its implications for student learning experiences.
Iman Albertini
Iman Albertini is a graduate of the Centre International de Formation Européenne’s travelling master program in advanced European and international studies, with a focus on the Mediterranean region.
Currently working at the Department of Political Affairs and Human Development of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Iman was born into a French-Senegalese family and grew up in Paris and the French Alps, fostering a passion for multiculturalism, sociology, and human rights. With a background in arts and culture studies from Rotterdam, Iman’s research interests include discrimination, belonging, identity, community, cultural stereotypes, and intersectionality.
Iman’s previous work has explored the national belonging of hijabi women in France, the male gaze in the francophone rap scene, and the construction of national identity among Black Tunisians. Involved in TEUWA, an association striving to improve education in Senegalese rural areas, Iman is working on an article examining the impact of cultural stereotypes on the recognition and support of invisible disabilities among non-white girls in Western schools. This research aims to address the intersection of ableism, stigma, and systemic barriers, contributing to a more inclusive understanding of marginalized communities in educational systems.
Support Our Work
As a nonprofit organization, we rely on your generosity and support to gather open-minded leaders for breakthrough conversations.
Donations, no matter the size, help us create space for dialogue that overcomes barriers and opens up a world of better possibilities.
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