Saraki Meets with International Leaders in Italy to Discuss Global Partnerships Excluding the U.S.

Former Senate President Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki joined an international experts workshop in Lake Como, Italy, over the weekend. The three‑day event focused on the future of global partnerships in the wake of the United States’ gradual withdrawal and its effects on different regions.

Organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), named after a former German chancellor, the gathering’s central theme is “Big Daddy Gone? Global Partnerships Without U.S. Leadership.”

The workshop runs from Monday, June 29 to Wednesday, July 1. Saraki will speak on Tuesday afternoon as part of the fifth panel, presenting the African perspective on “Development Policies: Withdrawal of the United States from International Development – Opportunities and Challenges.”

Although only two of the 22 participants are African, Saraki was chosen to represent Africa because of his experience in both the private and public sectors, and his roles as Nigeria’s Senate President, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and Governor of Kwara State.

His panel will include Dr Paola Bautiste de Aleman, Vice President for Training and Programme at Primero Justicia in Venezuela, and Prof. Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College in Canada. Dr Tillman Feltes, Policy Advisor in the Division of Analysis and Consulting at KAS, Germany, will chair the session.

Additional sub‑themes for the conference include “The United States in 2030: Western Hemisphere First – Indo-Pacific Second? Strategic Priorities of the United States of America,” “Germany’s Priorities for Strong International Partnerships,” “Partners, Competitors, Rivals – New Alliances Around the Globe,” a Fireside Chat titled “The Western Hemisphere and the US – Back to 1823?,” “Strategic (Inter‑)Dependencies and New Opportunities,” and “New Defence Partnerships.”

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