Publications
The Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa authored several knowledge products, including the following selected titles.
Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Globalization and Multilateralism
This working paper outlines a strategic vision for reimagining globalization and multilateralism to effectively address 21st-century global challenges. It emphasizes the need for a balanced multilateral framework integrating economic growth with equity, sustainability, and accountability. Key strategies include revitalizing multilateral institutions to enhance regulatory oversight, address systemic imbalances, and foster trust in global governance. The paper advocates leveraging the "UN 2.0" framework to modernize multilateralism by prioritizing inclusive leadership, sustainable resource management, and data-driven decision-making. It highlights the importance of aligning global governance structures with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure equitable development and environmental resilience. A central pillar is recognizing Africa’s pivotal role in shaping a new global order. By empowering African leadership and addressing regional priorities, such as energy access, food systems, and domestic resource mobilization, multilateralism can drive transformative change that benefits all nations, creating a truly equitable and sustainable global system.
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Challenging the Global Narrative on Africa's Debt
This policy paper calls for a paradigm shift in understanding and addressing Africa's debt. It urges a departure from the conventional, technocratic view that frames Africa's economic challenges as stemming from excessive borrowing and fiscal mismanagement. Instead, the paper highlights the structural inequities in the global financial system, which inflate debt-to-GDP ratios by suppressing Africa's GDP growth. It argues that this skewed measure fails to capture Africa's economic potential and overlooks the broader systemic issues hindering its development.
Advocating for a political economy approach, the paper challenges the global narrative around Africa’s debt distress, asserting that meaningful reform of international financial institutions is essential to creating a fairer, more resilient economic landscape. As the world approaches the United Nations Summit of the Future, this paper underscores Africa’s right to a prominent role in shaping global financial reforms, aiming to correct historical imbalances and unlock Africa’s full leadership potential in the global economy.
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Home-Grown School Feeding: From Hot Meal to Macroeconomic Tool - A Low-Hanging Fruit for Africa’s Urgent Challenges
This policy paper positions Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) as a transformative, Africa-led approach to advancing resilience across the continent, applying lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals era. HGSF creates a bridge between education, agriculture, and community development that can be leveraged to tackle the interconnected “Triple Paradoxes” of Financing, Energy and Food Systems hampering Africa's progress.
With returns as high as $9 for every $1 invested, HGSF offers a practical, immediate intervention to tackle Africa’s urgent needs while contributing to the continent's long-term development goals. By integrating the four essential dimensions of Peace and Security, Energy Access, Climate Adaptation, and Food Systems Transformation, HGSF programmes deliver sustainable benefits that extend beyond school meals. Equipped with renewable energy delivered through HGSF initiatives, schools serve as hubs for education, climate-smart practices, and local food production, helping stabilize rural economies and enhance state presence.
Integrating energy access, climate adaptation, and food systems goals into these programmes can potentially double the return on investment. This paper illustrates how Africa-led, context-specific solutions can deliver immediate impacts and support the long-term resilience needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the continent. It underscores the continent's capacity to lead its own transformative development path through inclusive, home-based solutions like HGSF.
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