Dr. Alhassane Abdourahamane Najoum

Visited the IAS from July to August 2024

I am Alhassane A. Najoum, lecturer at Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey (Niger). I was in Bayreuth from July 1 to August 2, 2024 as part of a project to strengthen academic activities between Abdou Moumouni University and University of Bayreuth. The purpose of my stay was twofold: 1) to discuss ways of strengthening the existing cooperation between the Abdou Moumouni University and the University of Bayreuth, and 2) to hold a round table discussion on the political situation in Niger one year after the events of July 26, 2023. At the end of my stay, all the objectives set had been achieved.

Thus, during my stay, I was able to advance discussions with a view to strengthening the implementation of an existing memorandum of understanding between the two universities, notably on the mobility of students and researchers from both universities and the development of joint research projects.

In addition, on Thursday July 18, 2024, a workshop was held on « The political situation in Niger after one year under the military regime », and more specifically on the influence of religion in the new political situation in the AES states. In this round table, I gave a presentation on: How did religious figures get involved in the crisis and how do the military leaders position themselves on the national and international stage. Further presentations by Nigerien colleagues followed on: 1) What are the activities, positions, and reactions of religious groups since the coup? 2) How are regional and international actors such as ECOWAS, EU, USA, Russia, China, and Turkey involved in this crisis and what are their reactions and positions?

My stay in Bayreuth between July and August 2024 was enriching in terms of opportunities to share knowledge and strengthen the existing partnership between Abdou Moumouni University and University of Bayreuth.