Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has been invited to deliver the 16th edition of the prestigious Thabo Mbeki Africa Day Lecture scheduled to hold in Cape Town, South Africa.
According to the statement by Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, Head of the Fayemi Media Office, Abuja, the invitation was conveyed in a letter dated May 1, 2026, signed by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, who also serves as Patron of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation.
According to the organisers, the annual lecture, held to commemorate Africa Day, has over the past 16 years become a major platform for reflection, dialogue and engagement on issues affecting the African continent.
This year’s lecture, which will take place in Cape Town, is themed: “Rebuilding African Unity in an Age of Fragmentation – Sovereignty, Solidarity and the Renewal of Institutions.”
Dr Fayemi, who currently serves as Executive Chairman of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, is expected to speak on Africa’s evolving place in the global order and the need for stronger continental institutions and cooperation.
The former governor is widely regarded as a leading pan-Africanist with decades of involvement in policy advocacy, democratic activism and governance across the continent.
He is also a Professor at the African Leadership Centre and President of the Forum of Regions of Africa.
Past speakers at the Africa Day Lecture include former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, former Organisation of African Unity Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim, Ugandan scholar Mahmood Mamdani, Senegalese academic Abdoulaye Bathily and Nigerian historian Toyin Falola.
