The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize was given to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his work to promote peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia, two countries which have been in almost constant conflict since the end of the Second World War. While the Nobel Committee made the controversial choice to reward one of the people involved in a peace agreement which is still to come to fruition, the Secretary General of the United Nations welcomed these efforts as a great glimmer of hope for the Horn of Africa. In working with Jack Ma during the COVID-19 crisis to acquire and to distribute health resources throughout East Africa, Abiy Ahmed seems to be emerging as a new political force for change in Africa. What pan-African role does Ethiopia aspire to and how realistic is this role?

Because of the sanitary crisis, some speakers will address the conference through videos: Laëtitia Bader