Africa is rising – so goes a new narrative in media and politics for more than a decade now. Demographic trends, natural resource wealth, and diversified partnerships: Africa seemed to have it all lined up. The compounded economic, nutritional, and geopolitical repercussions of recent global events make it all the more important for African countries and citizens to pool their efforts to build a prosperous, healthy, and safe Africa. A critical challenge is to ground such optimism on inclusive and sustainable development strategies, beyond the “data mirage.”  

What can be done to amplify African multilateralism? Whereas global multilateralism faces multiple challenges currently, African multilateralism in some areas is a welcome source for optimism. Regional integration is an ambitious goal pursued by states from all corners of the continent, and under the banner of “speaking with one voice,” African states pursue collective political, economic, and diplomatic agency. As Switzerland will be represented on the UN Security Council for the very first time in 2023-24, the question of supporting African multilateralism is particularly timely. 

With the support of the Global Governance Centre and funding from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Professor Dêlidji Eric Degila and Dr Ueli Staeger put together a day of events addressing these developments and themes in celebration of Africa Day. In addition to a high-level workshop organized in close collaboration with the FDFA’s Africa Division, the organizers facilitated a public keynote address by His Excellency Jean-Marie Ehouzou, who eloquently recounted the past and projected the future of African multilateralism in dialogue with three IHEID students. With a particular focus on peace and security as well as Africa’s role in the United Nations, the organizers and workshop participants sought to identify Switzerland’s significant potential to enable African voices at the United Nations, not least through its unique DNA in foreign policy as a neutral state with a talent for consensus-making. 

Supporting African multilateralism needs to pay attention to holding space without imposing ideas. Switzerland’s foreign policy posture is well-suited for this approach. Discussions throughout the day pointed to a strong need to address the challenges faced by African multilateralism in a holistic fashion, meaning that there must be space for traditional security, new security, and interlinkages between these fields. As elsewhere in global governance, the siloization of organizational practices is a significant obstacle. Enhanced communication and cooperative inter-organizational assessments between actors and organizations can help overcome these challenges.

Similar to Switzerland’s multi-level governance, African multilateralism also needs to be grasped across its different levels. Taking regions seriously as social constructions and through their regional organizations is crucial, as these structures are the building blocks of continental integration in Africa. 

This celebration of Africa Day 2022 was, finally, also a reminder of the productive power of optimism. In looking at the opportunities rather than the shortcomings of multilateralism in Africa and beyond, citizens and countries can be convinced that common problems require nothing else but collective solutions.