GLOCEPS Team led by Ag Executive Director, Dr Ken Asemb, visited Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) Japan and held discussions with IDE research team led by Miki HAMADA, Director General Development Studies Centre. The team later visited IDE Library where Prof Mohamud Jama’s title Gender, Environment and Development in Kenya is shelved. You can guess the excitement!

On November 27-28, 2024, GLOCEPS represented by Denis Muniu participated in a workshop organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in collaboration with the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) and the Life and Peace Institute (LPI). The dialogue centered on the Horn of Africa’s (HoA) security and defense cooperation, assessing the region’s capacity to address its multifaceted challenges. Key drivers of the discussion included escalating violence within member states, inter-state tensions, terrorism, economic instability, migration, and the region’s susceptibility to external interventions. The workshop brought together policymakers, diplomats, academics, and representatives from think-tanks to deliberate on these issues.

GLOCEPS Team led by Ag Executive Director, Dr Ken Asembo visited Sasakawa Peace Foundation, a leading research institution and Think Tank in Japan and held discussions with the Peace Foundation research team led by Programme Director Maho Nakayama with deliberations focused on research partnerships for climate action and Peace and security in Eastern Africa within the framework of FOIP.

GLOCEPS team led by Ag Executive Director Dr. Ken Asembo held a meeting with Prof. Takeuchi Shinichi of African Studies Centre at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Japan. Discussions centered on leveraging the opportunities & skills of Japan aging population to address youth buldge in Africa.

On November 27, 2024, Denis Muniu participated in a policy dialogue hosted by the Foreign Service Academy (FSA) in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. The dialogue, led by Dr. Folashade Soule, Principal Investigator at Blavatnik, focused on “Negotiating Africa’s Digital Partnerships.” It convened academics, policymakers, and civil society representatives to explore Africa’s navigation of digital partnerships amid great power competition, particularly between the US and China. Key discussions included digital diplomacy, the influence of geopolitical competition on Africa’s digital landscape, and strategies to maximize benefits while safeguarding sovereignty and promoting local development

GLOCEPS Team held discussions with Masaaki Yasukazu & Akira Jingushi, Senior Research Fellows at the National Institute for Defense Studies, Ministry of Defense, Tokyo, Japan on leveraging FOIPS for peace and prosperity in Eastern Africa.

Gloceps team led by Ag. Executive Director, Dr Ken Asembo paid a courtesy call to Amb Moi Lemoshira, MBS @kenyaTokyo. The visit to Japan aims to strengthen and create new networks of friendship and collaboration between GLOCEPS and like minded Japanese institutions in areas of mutual interests. Key among them is research partnerships and collaboration in the key GLOCEPS pillars of security and defence, foreign policy, governance, development and transnational organised crimes. The visit further aims to facilitate knowledge and skills transfer between Japanese expertsv and Eastern Africa professionals on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy ( FOIPS). This is in line with GLOCEPS Key Results Area 4 on Strategic Engagement and Visibility as in the Strategic Plan 2022-2027. During the Visit, GLOCEPS will engage with researchers from National Institute for Defense Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO).

Denis Muniu represented GLOCEPS in a thought-provoking seminar organized by the University of Nairobi’s Africa Center for the Study of the US (ACSUS). The seminar held on 19th November 2024 reflected six decades of US-Kenya diplomatic, trade, and investment relations. It brought together academics, policymakers, and business leaders to deliberate on critical topics including AGOA, STIP, and Kenya’s strategic positioning as a gateway to East Africa. The seminar underscored the vital role that think tanks can play by conducting actionable research to refine Kenya’s trade policies, enhance its negotiating strategies, and promote its strategic relevance

GLOCEPS Congratulates Senior Associate Dr Janet Kiguru following her graduation with a PhD in International Relations. The Thesis: The Incoherent Protocol: A theoretical dissection of The East African ‘Common’ Market (2010 – 2023) was conceived at GLOCEPS.