APSACO 7th Edition - كلمة ترحيب / مقدمة / جلسة افتتاحية

July 10, 2023

Welcoming Remarks: Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Opening Conversation

Chair : Mounia Boucetta, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Speakers: Her Excellency Catherine Samba-Panza, Former President, Central African Republic

Speakers
Mounia Boucetta
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Mounia Boucetta has over 20 years of experience in public administration, holding numerous managerial and leadership roles, and working particularly on the development of industrial and commercial policies. She was most recently Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Morocco from 2017 to 2019.   A graduate from the prestigious Mohammadia School of Engineers (Morocco), Mounia Boucetta joined the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 1991 where she held numerous positions before her appointment as its Secretary General in 2010. In this context, she contributed to numerous projects including, but not limited to, reorganizational projects, implementatio ...
Rachid El Houdaigui
Senior Fellow
Rachid El Houdaïgui is a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South and an Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. He also serves as a professor of International Relations at Abdelmalek Essaadi University's Law Faculty in Tangier. His expertise encompasses international relations, geopolitics, defense and security, focusing on the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and the Arab world. He also serves as a professor at the Royal College of Advanced Military Studies in Kenitra and is a visiting professor at Cergy-Pontoise University (Paris), Cadiz University (Spain), and La Sagesse University (Beirut, Lebanon).   He is the founder of the Moroccan-Spanish review "Peace and International Security" and oversees the Observatory of Mediterranean St ...
Catherine Samba-Panza
Former President, Central African Republic
A company lawyer, human rights activist, Catherine SAMBA-PANZA, has conducted numerous actions in favour of women's law. A woman of dialogue, a member of the National Council of Mediation and the group of Wise of the Central African Republic, she has often been involved in the processes of dialogue and national reconciliation in her country. Appointed Mayor of the city of Bangui in May 2013, then elected Head of State for the Transition of the Central African Republic in January 2014, she succeeded in completing the Transition by the organization in 2015 and 2016 of free, transparent and credible elections Which She has not been a candidate, thus complying with the provisions of the Transitional Constitutional Charter. Since the end of her term, Ms. SAMBA-PANZA has participa ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    Alexis Arieff
    July 1, 2011
    This paper explores the recent evolution of security cooperation between the United States and Algeria, which have forged a strong partnership on counterterrorism despite lingering mutual distrust. The United States has strengthened its defense outreach to Algeria over the past decade, largely based on concerns over transnational terrorism, and Algeria has sought to benefit from this outreach as it positions itself as a vital player on regional issues following years of civil confli ...
  • Authors
    Jean-Luc Peduzzi
    February 20, 2010
    On November 5th 2009, a cocaine-loaded Boeing 727 aircraft arriving from Venezuela was discovered torched and emptied on a makeshift airstrip in the Malian desert (Gao region). The sahel-saharan area is clearly a contact zone between very distant worlds. ...
  • From

    30
    11:00 am October 2026
     Transnational organized crime has become a major driver of conflict and instability across Africa, exploiting porous borders, weak governance, and protracted crises. In regions such as the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Guinea, criminal networks involved in illicit trafficking and financial flows increasingly intersect with armed groups and violent extremists, undermining state authority, peace processes, and regional security.Against this backdrop, the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) is organizing a webinar on October 30, 2026, within the framework of the African Union Network of Think Tanks for Peace (AU NeTT4Peace) Knowledge Series, under the theme “Regional Cooperation in Responding to Transnational Organized Crime.”Recognizing tha ...
  • From

    13
    4:30 pm October 2026
     في ظل التوترات الجيوسياسية المتصاعدة، تتغير طرق التجارة العالمية وتتبدل معها موازين الممرات الاستراتيجية. تفتح هذه الحلقة من «حديث الثلاثاء» النقاش حول التقاء المسارات البحرية والبرية داخل هذه الممرات، والعوامل التي تتحكم في طبيعة السلع التي تعبرها. وتبحث كذلك في ما يمكن للمغرب أن يجنيه من موقعه، عبر موانئه وشبكاته البرية، لتعزيز اتصاله بإفريقيا وأوروبا، وفي المعايير التي يُحكم بها على نجاح هذه الممرات، بدءًا بحجم المبادلات وتقليص تكاليفها، وصولًا إلى القيمة المضافة التي تعود على الدول والمناطق التي تمر منها.  ...
  • From

    24
    4:30 pm September 2026
    Dans cet épisode d’Africafé, Amadou Diop analyse les défis de sécurité maritime auxquels font face les pays de l’Afrique atlantique, de la piraterie aux trafics transfrontaliers. Il souligne la nécessité de mutualiser les moyens et de partager l’information entre États. L’échange aborde aussi le potentiel économique de cet espace et les conditions d’une coopération maritime plus cohérente, notamment dans le cadre de l’Initiative atlantique du Maroc. ...
  • From

    10
    5:30 pm September 2026
    This episode of Africafé features H.E. Abdisaid Muse Ali, former Somali Foreign Minister, discussing Somalia's federal system tensions, the decline of Western support for peacekeeping missions, the Ethiopia-Somaliland MOU dispute over Red Sea access, and the growing role of Turkey and Gulf states in the region. He calls for durable political settlement and greater African ownership of security solutions. ...
  • From

    02
    5:30 pm July 2026
    This episode explores Russia’s growing influence in Africa through media, information warfare, and anti-Western narratives. It examines how Moscow uses historical ties, social media, local influencers, and security partnerships to shape perceptions, while questioning the real scope and long-term impact of its presence on the continent. ...
  • From

    16
    5:30 pm February 2022
    Rida Lyammouri, Senior Fellow at Policy Center for the New South, will be speaking at the webinar “security and governence in africa: sahel and libya” organized by frica Study Group in partnership with The Middle East Institute. The security dynamics of the Maghreb and the Sahel are intertwined and the consequences of the Libyan conflict on the Sahel have been serious. Since its beginning in 2011, this conflict has triggered global concern about the economic, security, and geostrategic impacts on the Sahel. Current threats are posed by the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation, and misuse of arms, as well as the flow of armed groups and mercenaries. Despite considerable international efforts, especially by African countries, the Sahel is still experiencing one of the ...