Webinar Announcement: The US/Israel War on Iran: Implications on Relations between the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa

Shirley Achieng is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the United States International University – Africa (USIU-Africa). She is also the Executive Director and inaugural co-convener of the Africa Network of Critical Security Scholars (ANeCS). She holds a Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Otago, New Zealand, as well as a Master’s degree in International Relations from USIU-Africa. Her doctoral thesis, titled Towards an Indigenous African Approach to Counterterrorism in Kenya, was awarded the 2024 Exceptional Doctoral Thesis Award by the University of Otago. Shirley has over eight years of experience in the civil service, where she has provided policy and technical advice on matters of peace and conflict. She is also co-founder of the Decolonial Terrorism Studies Network, where she works with scholars and stakeholders in the Global South to advocate for local solutions to terrorism. Her research interests include counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), decolonial methodologies, restorative justice, criminal and transitional justice, peacebuilding, and security studies. She has published widely in journals including The African Review and Critical Studies on Terrorism.

Damyana Bakardzhieva is Senior Research Fellow leading the Economic Diplomacy Programme at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (UAE). She is a seasoned economist with extensive experience in international economic research, teaching, training, and consultancy. With a dual PhD in Economics from the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis (France) and Sofia University (Bulgaria), Dr Bakardzhieva has taught Economics and Sustainable Development in Bulgaria, France, Monaco, the United States, and Egypt. Prior to joining AGDA, she was Chief Consultant for Global Economics and Finance Consulting (Monaco), and Associate Professor of Economics and Sustainable Development as well as Campus CSR Advisor at the International University of Monaco. She also held the positions of Associate Department Chair and Director of Graduate Programmes at the Department of Economics of the American University in Cairo, where she received a Research Excellence Award in 2021. She is the Senior Editor, Economics, for the International Journal of Emerging Markets. Her research focuses on international macroeconomics, comparative economic studies, and sustainability.

Eyad Alrefai is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. He heads the Middle Eastern Studies Unit at the Centre of Arab Eurasian Studies. Eyad is a Fellow at the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project at Lancaster University. His research interests include international relations of the Middle East, identities, state weakness, security, and legitimacy.

Bob Wekesa is the Director of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa. Dr Wekesa teaches and supervises postgraduate projects in the disciplines of media and geopolitics. He is the coordinator of the Africa-U.S. Universities Network and lead convenor of the annual Amplifying African Voices for Strategic Action Conference. He is the Inaugural Africa Visiting Fellow, Africa–U.S. Initiative, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP), University of Southern California; visiting professor at the Center for African Studies/Department of African Studies, Howard University, Washington, DC; and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi. He earned his doctoral and master’s degrees from the Communication University of China in 2012 and 2015 respectively. He is a widely published scholar and public intellectual in media and geopolitics, with a focus on African agency toward global powers, Africa-U.S. higher education partnerships, and public and digital diplomacy. His books include Africa’s Policy Towards the U.S.: The Biden Era (Good Governance Africa, 2021), China’s Footprint in East Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), and Africa in the Global South (Emerging Scholars Initiative, expected in November 2025). He is an editorial board member of three international journals and a board member of the Georgetown/Michigan State University-based Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network. An alumnus of the Commonwealth Press Union (UK), Dr Wekesa is a member of the African Studies Association (USA), International Relations Society of Kenya, South African Association of Political Studies, and South African Communications Association, among others.

Nimo Jirdeh is a leading Governance and Public Sector Specialist, widely recognized for her visionary leadership, deep community insight, and strong track record in advancing peace, governance, and development across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. She is the Director of the HOME Institute (Horn of Africa and Middle East Institute), the first academic and policy research institution dedicated exclusively to bridging the strategic, political, and socio-economic dynamics of the two regions. Through HOME, Nimo has created a credible and inclusive platform for knowledge exchange, dialogue, and collaborative action among thought leaders, civil society, academia, and policy actors. With over 15 years of experience in international development, governance reform, and policy advisory, Nimo is known for her ability to navigate complex political landscapes, lead cross-sectoral partnerships, and design transformative and inclusive programmes to strengthen state institutions and independent civil society. She has completed higher education and advanced training at prestigious institutions including Harvard University, the Graduate Institute of Geneva, the University of Basel, and Edith Cowan University, Australia.

Dr Sebastian Sons is Senior Researcher at CARPO. Previously, he served as an advisor for the Regional Programme “Cooperation with Arab Donors” (CAD) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. He holds a Ph.D. from Humboldt University Berlin with a thesis on media discourses on labor migration from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. Sebastian studied Islamic Studies, History, and Political Sciences in Berlin and Damascus. Prior to that, he trained as a journalist in print, TV, and radio media at the Berlin School for Journalists (Berliner Journalisten-Schule). Before joining GIZ, he was Head of Research and Editor-in-Chief of the academic magazine Orient at the German Orient-Institute from 2009 to 2014, and project researcher at the Program Near East and North Africa at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.