This is our third episode of IFAIR's podcast Hot Seat, a show where young people interview & debate with policymakers, academics and journalists about current hot topics in world politics and what it means to work in the field of international affairs.

This time, IFAIR Podcast host and Regional Co-Director for EU & Europe Julien Strandt and IFAIR's Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa Gelila Enbaye talked with Thierry Dongala, head of Accountable Africa, where he advises African stakeholders on fiscal accountability, about the state of sovereign wealth funds in Africa. What are the challenges and opportunities of these financial instruments? Which obstacles do African governments face in establishing sovereign wealth funds? How do they fit into the global financial architecture and agendas of international financial institutions and Western partners? Tune into the conversation to find out more from our guest Thierry.

After a brief introduction into the topic of sovereign wealth funds by Gelila, we unpacked the variety of sovereign wealth funds across the African continent. We discuss why sovereign wealth funds can enable resource-driven economies to provide for future

generations and why governance matters. In our last section, Thierry offered some insights into his career in public finance and in government and shows us that both worlds are not as far apart as it seems. To conclude, he explained to us why he is a Pan-Africanist and how Pan-Africanism can be continent’s way forward.

This episode was recorded on June 12, 2021.