UNGA81: Amandla Institute Convenes Global Leaders In New York, Honours UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed

The Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement hosted a high-level side event on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, convening African and international leaders to examine the continent’s expectations of the incoming UN Secretary-General ahead of this year’s Security Council succession vote.

Held at The Westin, Times Square, under the theme “Africa’s Expectations of the New UN Secretary-General: Africa, Multilateralism and the Future of Global Governance,” the event marked the Institute’s second high-level convening on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Welcoming guests on behalf of the Institute, Founder Dr Kayode Fayemi said the question of who leads the UN next was, in his words, “a window into Africa’s expectations of the international system itself, its institutions, its priorities, its distribution of power, and its capacity to respond to a world that has changed profoundly since the United Nations was established.”

He urged African states to move beyond the “familiar language of marginalisation” and approach the international system “as a critical stakeholder, with interests to defend, responsibilities to discharge, ideas to contribute and institutions to reform.”

H.E. Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, Immediate Past President of Botswana, delivered the keynote address. A panel discussion followed, moderated by Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, President/Chief Executive of the Amandla Institute, and featuring H.E. Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia; H.E. Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission; H.E. Dr Monde Muyangwa, former Assistant Administrator for Africa at USAID; Professor Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations; and Pa Bakary Sonko, AU Youth Peace Ambassador for 2026. Discussions centred on Security Council reform, the UN-AU peace and security partnership, reparations and restitution, illicit financial flows, and mineral beneficiation on the continent.

The programme closed with a vote of thanks from Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Chairperson of the Governing Board and Co-Founder of the Institute, followed by a special cocktail reception in honour of H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, where the Institute presented her with a special appreciation award for her service to multilateralism and to Africa’s place within it.