First established by LSE students and held in 2014, the two-day conference has since earned a reputation for centring afro-centric scholarship and exploring issues critically, in response to a rapidly evolving continent.
The 2022 LSE Africa Summit will bring together leading African policymakers, scholars, politicians, activists, and business people to engage in topical conversations about prosperity on the continent. ‘African prosperity’ acknowledges the interconnectedness of peace, health, and development while calling for an interrogation into how they support and rely on one another. More than ‘well-being’, prosperity can refer to material, physical, environmental, and cognitive flourishing and security, for which resolutions and advancements in peace, health and development are vital. Climate change, meanwhile, challenges the realisation of prosperity, exacerbating the effects of underdevelopment, inequitable healthcare and conflict—constituting an important lens of analysis.
The 2022 Summit will reflect these three strands of prosperity. For ‘Peace,’ the Summit will examine topics from combating violent extremism to the role of journalism in conflict regions, spotlighting the civil war in Ethiopia and recent upheavals in Sudan. For ‘Health’, the Summit will speak to the continuing impact of COVID-19 without letting the pandemic overshadow longer-term issues, such as digital platforms and investments for health systems. For ‘Development,’ the summit will explore the importance of trade, entrepreneurship, and digital innovations. Throughout the event, different sessions will foreground African voices including artists, startups, poets, authors, journalists, singers, painters, photographers, filmmakers, actors, and more, bringing diverse voices to these important issues.