WACC Evening Speaker Series:
Africa: Power, Conflict, & Competition
Date: March 23, 2026
Time: 5:15 Reception, Speaker Program 6:00-7:00 pm
Place: Capers Hall at the Citadel, 1 Lee Ave., Charleston, SC
Cost: Free for WACC Members (no registration required). Non-members register and pay online.
Africa is surging with energy, mining, and infrastructure agreements, fueled by a new wave of financing and investment that move beyond the donor-driven development models of the past. Yet even as capital flows in, long-simmering conflicts have flared anew, and new regions face the threat of instability. Global powers are vying for influence across the continent.
The humanitarian catastrophe of the Sudanese civil war grinds on, the Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda economics-for-peace initiative advances in fits and starts, and many African countries remain without a confirmed U.S. ambassador.
Against this backdrop, what is the United States’ current policy, security, and economic strategy in Africa? Retired Major General Jami Shawley will give us an insider’s perspective on this question.
Shawley is an experienced executive leader with expertise across U.S. government defense, national security, foreign policy, infrastructure, and development sectors. Shawley recently retired from the U.S. Army, most recently serving in defense policy and as acting senior director for Africa Policy at the National Security Council. Previously Shawley served as Commanding General of the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa, headquartered in Djibouti.
For more information or to register for this event click here.
–Tidelines Editors
(Image credit: World Affairs Council of Charleston)