Saraki joins world leaders for workshop on US global role

Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has joined global leaders and policy experts at an international workshop in Lake Como, Italy, to discuss the future of global partnerships amid concerns over the United States’ changing role in international development and diplomacy.

The three-day workshop, organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, is themed “Big Daddy Gone? Global Partnerships Without U.S. Leadership.”

The workshop is scheduled from June 29 to July 1.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Head of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the gathering would examine the implications of a gradual reduction in United States engagement in global partnerships and explore emerging opportunities for other regions.

Saraki is expected to present the African perspective during the fifth panel of the workshop on Tuesday, where he will speak on “Development Policies: Withdrawal of the United States from International Development – Opportunities and Challenges.”

The former Senate President was selected to represent Africa at the forum based on his experience in both the private and public sectors, including his tenure as Senate President, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State.

He will participate in a panel alongside the Vice President for Training and Programme at Primero Justicia, Dr Paola de Aleman, and a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, Christian Leuprecht.

The session will be chaired by Policy Advisor at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Dr Tillman Feltes.

Other issues scheduled for discussion include the future strategic priorities of the United States, Germany’s approach to international partnerships, emerging global alliances, strategic dependencies, new opportunities for cooperation and defence partnerships.

The workshop, which concludes on Wednesday, has participants drawn from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, India, Argentina, Venezuela, the Philippines, Chile, Liberia and Poland.

The meeting comes amid wider global discussions over shifting geopolitical alliances and the need for new frameworks for international cooperation beyond traditional Western leadership structures.