Tuesday November 19, 2024 - The JHU SAIS Foreign Policy Institute’s North Africa Initiative and the SAIS MENA Club hosted an Event on “Economic Growth and Challenges in North Africa and the Middle East” in light of the 2024 World Bank and the IMF Regional Economic Outlooks.

The Event featured welcome remarks by Professor Vali Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at SAIS, and interventions by Dr. Roberta Gatti, Chief Economist of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the World Bank Group, Ms. Taline Koranchelian, Deputy Director in the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, and Dr. Amr Hamzawy, Director of the Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The panel discussion was moderated by Hafed Al-Ghwell, NAI Executive Director.

During his opening remarks, Professor Nasr tackles the region’s trajectory in light of the Arab Spring and the War on Gaza where he provided a profound lens through which to understand the enduring challenges of regional insecurity. Moreover, Ms. Gatti discussed the role of the World Bank in navigating the dynamics of economic growth, the ramifications of uncertainty, and the impact of ongoing conflicts on development in North Africa with a particular focus on human capital and productivity. From the IMF perspective, Ms. Koranchelian talked about the multifaceted impact of direct conflicts, spillover effects, and broader factors including oil production, exports, and country-specific issues such as climate change and drought, while reiterating the importance of governance reforms, state footprints, labor force participation, and trade integration for better economic growth in the region. With a more political lens, Dr. Hamzawy reflected on the main challenges the region is currently facing which include the indirect costs of decades-long regional conflicts, the geostrategic risks posed by state and non-state actors, and the profound human toll on economies and societies. He added the significance of governance reform, women’s inclusion, renewable energy, and regional security for fostering regional stability and growth.”

Tthe North Africa Initiative (NAI) at the Foreign Policy Institute (FPI) of the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies organized a webinar in partnership with Chatham House.

In August this year, the Libyan Presidency Council moved to replace Libya’s longtime central bank governor, Sadiq al-Kabir. Kabir had been in position since September 2011, and in the period following the administrative division of Libya, he rose to prominence as one of the most influential figures on the Libyan political scene. In the absence of a functioning relationship between executive and legislature, the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) took on many of the competencies of the ministry of finance and became an arbiter of which payments were made and when. In October, following UN-led and parallel back-channel negotiations, a new governor was selected and the CBL board of directors reconstituted.

In this webinar, experts examined the challenges will the new CBL leadership face, potential changes for Libya’s economic governance, and the implications for the balance of power between Libya’s rival power centers.

Speakers:

Hafed Al-Ghwell, Senior Fellow and Executive Director, North Africa Initiative at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute

Stephanie Williams, Former Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Libya

Tim Eaton, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme,Chatham House

Asma Khalifa (Moderator), Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

Hosted by the North Africa Initiative (NAI) of SAIS Foreign Policy Institute in partnership with the Middle East Institute Switzerland (MEIS).

Hafed took part in a hybrid panel discussion exploring China’s historical engagement in North Africa, its current policies and strategies, and its future ambitions in the region.

The session explored:

• The historical drivers and current objectives underpinning China’s political, economic, security and soft power strategy in North Africa;
• Chinese conceptions of, and role in, traditional multilateral organizations and fora;
• Chinese North Africa policies and aspirations in the context of the emerging Global South multilateralism, specifically BRICS;
• China’s strategic thinking and priorities on alliance-building in North Africa;
• Chinese role and interests in North African conflicts (Libya and Western Sahara);
• The local impact of China’s cultural, educational and health diplomacy.

The North Africa Initiative hosted a roundtable discussion moderated by the Former UN Senior Advisor on Libya Stephanie Williams on “Local Governance as an Essential Tool for State Building in Libya”. The event featured Mohamed Khaled Elghuel, presidential candidate in Libya's elections and former Deputy Minister and Hafed Al-Ghwell, Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the North Africa Initiative at the Foreign Policy Institute (FPI) at SAIS.

What could the real devolution of power from the center to the so-called periphery look like in Libya, a rentier state which has experienced a mostly failed approach towards administrative decentralization since the 2011 uprising? Can a ground-up approach which empowers citizens and their elected representatives at the provincial and municipal level help address the absence of state and institution building in Libya? Can this community level effort help to tackle the proliferation and consolidation of armed groups in the country?