British Academy Writing Workshop on International Politics in Africa
A British Academy–funded writing workshop that supports scholars working on the international politics of Africa, organised within the IPIA network.
Workshop Overview
The BA Writing Workshop on International Politics in Africa brings together a select group of academics to work intensively on draft papers, receive feedback from peers and journal editors, and take part in sessions designed to strengthen academic writing and research methods.
Participants prepare a paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and use the workshop process to refine their arguments, framing, and evidence. Thematically, the workshop focuses on international politics in Africa in a broad sense: how African societies, citizens, governments, regional and international organisations, and non-governmental actors experience and shape international politics.
The workshop is generously funded by the British Academy and culminates in a three-day in-person meeting at the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) in Nairobi in April 2026.
Objectives
The workshop pursues three main objectives:
- To explore how Africa’s political, social, and economic history can contribute to developing an African International Relations school.
- To review and discuss methodologies for empirically investigating international politics in Africa.
- To consider strategies for publishing research on Africa’s international relations in reputable outlets and address methodological training needs to help close publishing gaps.
Timeline and Tentative Schedule
- 18 August 2025 – First virtual introductory meeting of organisers and participants
- 29 September 2025 – Second virtual meeting, discussion of methodological needs and state of draft papers
- November 2025 – Third virtual meeting, mentor assignment and paper status updates
- January 2026 – Individual meetings with mentors
- February 2026 – Submission of paper drafts
- 1 March 2026 – Circulation of paper drafts among participants
- April 2026 – In-person workshop at the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), Nairobi
Workshop Organisers
Dr Mwita Chacha (PI)
Associate Professor in International Relations, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham. His work examines regional integration and its links to domestic political and security outcomes.
Dr Florian G. Kern (Co-PI)
Associate Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex. His research focuses on governance in Africa, with particular interest in how foreign policy reflects public preferences.
Eniye C. Dubakeme
Assistant Lecturer in the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, Baze University. Her research centres on foreign affairs and governance for security in Africa.
Dr Consolata Raphael Sulley
Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Dar es Salaam. Her work covers democratisation, elections, party politics, gender and women’s political empowerment, governance, and public policy in Africa.
Dr Israel Nyaburi Nyadera
Lecturer at the National Defense College, National Defense University, Nairobi, and postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Geneva Graduate Institute. His research examines conflict, security, and foreign policy in Africa.
Dr Alecia Ndlovu
Political scientist and Lecturer at the University of Cape Town, specialising in Comparative and International Political Economy and quantitative methods. Her work focuses on political institutions and development in Africa’s resource-rich economies.
Participants and Their Research
The workshop brings together early-career and established scholars working on a wide range of topics in international politics in Africa. Below is an overview of participants and their research projects.
Andre Ben-Moses Akuche
Research interests include diplomacy, energy politics, foreign policy, international organisations, and conflict resolution.
Research topic: The Global Energy Transition and Nigeria’s Natural Gas Diplomacy
Caroline Shisubili Maingi
Lecturer in International Studies and Philosophy and doctoral candidate in International Relations, working on regional integration, foreign policy, and political philosophy.
Research topic: Enhancing Popular Participation for Effective Integration: The Imperative of Involving the Populace in the Processes of the East African Community (EAC)