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Ibrahim Gambari, Professor and Nigeria’s renowned diplomat and scholar, on Monday, said he would participate in a series of high-profile engagements at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
This is further cementing Nigeria’s pivotal role in continental and global affairs. His trip follows a strategic meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, where the five-member High-Level Panel of Eminent Experts of which Gambari is a member began a comprehensive review of the African Union’s (AU) Governance, Peace and Security frameworks.
As a statesman, Gambari has served as Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, UN Under-Secretary-General, Joint AU-UN Special Representative for Darfur, and most recently, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
He has been invited to chair a High-Level Roundtable on September 25 themed “Unlocking Energy, Oil & Gas, Minerals, Aviation and Maritime Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea: A Roadmap for Peace and Security”, convened by The New Diplomat.
Gambari, in a chat with newsmen, explained that the panel chaired by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa, while some other eminent Africans were also featured, including Amre Moussa, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and ex-Secretary-General of the Arab League; Sam Kutesa, former Ugandan Foreign Minister; and Mahamet Saleh Annadif, former UN Under-Secretary-General, Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), and former Chadian Foreign Minister as well as Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security.
The Nairobi meeting was said to have been held from September 1–5 under the auspices of AU Reform Champion President William Ruto of Kenya, stemming from a mandate issued at the 38th AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2025.
The panel’s mission is to reposition the AU to better confront persistent and emerging threats, strengthen institutional coherence, and advance the peace and security goals of Agenda 2063.
Gambari’s role in this reform process underscores Nigeria’s leadership within the AU and ECOWAS, as well as its influence in shaping Africa’s peace and development architecture.
Following the Nairobi sessions, Gambari is heading to New York for multiple events on the sidelines of UNGA. His itinerary includes delivering the keynote address at the African Economic Global Convergence (AEGC) Summit on September 21, where he will also receive the prestigious AEMA Black Prize for excellence in international service and diplomacy.
He is also scheduled to participate in a Presidential Roundtable entitled “From Ezulwini to an Equitable World Order: Power, Peace, Prosperity and Reparations”, organised by the Africa Governance Institute and the Open Society Foundations.
The event will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Ezulwini Consensus, which asserts Africa’s demand for permanent representation on the UN Security Council.
His forthcoming engagements in New York are widely viewed as part of efforts to advance Nigeria’s interests, strengthen West Africa’s voice and contribute to building a more peaceful, prosperous and just World order.
