Africa in the Global Trading System: Challenges and Opportunities

The Geneva School of Diplomacy is pleased to welcome H.E. Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan for the Fall Semester 2026 Emerging Issues and Persistent Challenges seminar series.

This session, titled “Africa in the Global Trading System: Challenges and Opportunities,” will examine Africa’s position within the global trading system, the opportunities available to African economies, and the challenges shaping the continent’s participation in international trade.

As Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Djibouti in Geneva, H.E. Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan brings extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, trade, development, and international cooperation. Her perspective will offer students and participants valuable insight into Africa’s evolving role in global economic governance.

The discussion will explore key questions related to trade, development, representation, multilateral negotiations, and the future of Africa’s engagement in the international trading system.

Event Recap

The Geneva School of Diplomacy welcomed H.E. Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan for a timely discussion on Africa’s evolving position within the global trading system. Ambassador Hassan serves as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Djibouti to Switzerland and Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, the World Trade Organization and other international organisations.

Drawing on her extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and international trade, Ambassador Hassan examined the challenges facing African economies and developing and least-developed countries within global trade. The session considered how differences in negotiating capacity, institutional influence and access to international markets continue to affect participation in the global trading system.

The discussion also explored the opportunities created by stronger regional integration, greater institutional capacity and more effective African representation in multilateral negotiations. Students were encouraged to consider how African countries can move beyond adapting to externally defined rules and play a more influential role in shaping global economic governance.

Through their questions and contributions, GSD students connected trade and development with the practical realities of diplomacy, competing national interests and institutional reform. The session provided a valuable opportunity to engage directly with an experienced diplomat working at the centre of international trade negotiations.