Abidjan — Renowned African historian, philosopher and, political scientist, Joseph Achille Mbembe will be the key speaker of the 21st edition at the African Development Bank's Eminent speakers series scheduled to take place on Friday, 29 September from 14h15 to 16h45 at the headquarters of the institution in Abidjan.

Mbembe, who recently contributed to the ongoing discussions on the Green Paper on International Migration, will speak on "The cost of borders in Africa".

The seminar will be an opportunity to enrich the discussions on African integration spearheaded by the AfDB under the "Integrate Africa" component of its High 5 priorities". The cost of borders is perceived as an obstacle to the elimination of non-tariff trade barriers and the creation of regional infrastructures and attractive markets. It also undermines efforts to initiate sound policies and regulatory frameworks across Africa.

Mbembe is an eminent professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research of Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa. He was Executive Director of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in Dakar, Senegal. He has also been a visiting professor at the universities of Harvard, Duke and California in Berkeley in the United States.

He has been recognized by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa as one of the continent's top researchers. The large number of his publications earned him a spontaneous reputation in the field of research at the global level.

Journalists interested in interviewing Achille Mbembe, are kindly requested let us know before Wednesday, 27 September at 17h00.

Since its launch in March 2006, AfDB's Eminent Speakers series, which has a 5,000 audience, has attracted high-profile speakers from around the world.