The Director of the National Defence Institute, Professor Isabel Ferreira Nunes, has the honour of inviting you to attend the international conference “Africa in a Fragmenting World: Security, Power and Partnerships", which will take place on 22 October 2026, at Auditorium 1 of the National Defence Institute in Lisbon.
This conference, jointly organized by the National Defence Institute of Portugal and the Egmont Institute of Belgium, will address security, power and partnership dynamics across three interrelated dimensions: the fragmentation of the global order, the fragmentation of regional security landscapes, and the fragmentation of authority at state and local levels, while examining how international partnerships can help restore coherence.
The event will take place in Lisbon as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the National Defence Institute, providing a timely opportunity to reflect on these issues at both strategic and operational levels.
PROGRAMME
14:00 – 14:30 | Opening Session
Portuguese Deputy Minister for Defence Policy, Nuno Pinheiro Torres
Director of the National Defence Institute, Isabel Ferreira Nunes
Egmont Institute, Director of the Africa Program, Nina Wilén
14:30 – 15:30 | Panel I:
From Global Fragmentation to Regional Instability: External Actors and Conflict Dynamics
Daniela Nascimento, University of Coimbra
Folashadé Soulé, University of Oxford / University of Ghana
Nina Wilén, Egmont Institute
Moderator: Pedro Seabra, National Defence Institute
15:30 – 15:45 | Break
15:45 – 16:45 | Roundtable:
Rebuilding EU Partnerships with Africa in a Fragmented World
Johan Borgstam, EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region
Rita Laranjinha, Former Managing Director Africa, EEAS
Moderator: Pedro Seabra, National Defence Institute
16:45 – 18:00 | Panel II:
Fragmented Authority: Non-State Actors and Hybrid Threats
Lieutenant General João Boga Ribeiro, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Army
Will Brown, European Council on Foreign Relations
Commodore António Neves Rodrigues, Coordinator, Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security
Signe Cold-Ravnkilde, Danish Institute for International Studies
Moderator: Nina Wilén, Egmont Institute
Registration deadline: 20 October 2026 – REGISTER HERE
With the support of:
Embassy of Belgium