All episodes

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Desirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Hafsa Halawa, independent consultant and mediation expert, and Dr. Asnake Chanie, political scientist and Associate Fellow at CARPO, to discuss the growing interconnectedness between the Horn of Africa and the Gulf.

The conversation explores how geography, trade, migration, development cooperation, and regional politics have created new forms of interdependence between both regions. Hafsa and Asnake reflect on how Gulf engagement has transformed the development landscape of the Horn of Africa, the opportunities and challenges this presents for governance and political legitimacy, and the ways...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Desirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Professor Anne K. Bang, historian at the University of Bergen and a leading scholar of the Indian Ocean world, to explore the historical and cultural connections linking East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The conversation challenges the idea of the Red Sea as a barrier between regions and instead presents it as a space of mobility, exchange, and connectivity. Professor Bang explains how maritime trade routes connected coastal communities across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, facilitating the movement of merchants, scholars, religious...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa Director at the International Crisis Group and host of The Horn podcast, to explore the growing interconnectedness of the Horn of Africa, the Gulf, and the wider Red Sea region.

The conversation traces how Gulf engagement in the Horn has evolved over the past decade, examining the impact of Gulf rivalries, the war in Sudan, tensions in Yemen, and the fallout from the Iran crisis on regional security dynamics. Alan discusses how conflicts across the Red Sea increasingly spill...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh explore the evolving economic relationship between Africa and the Gulf in the context of an increasingly multipolar world.

They are joined by Aparupa Chakravarti, a strategist working at the intersection of geopolitics, business, development, and social impact across Africa and the Gulf. Drawing on her extensive experience across both regions, Aparupa discusses why Gulf countries have become interesting partners for African states and how their investment approaches differ from those of more traditional external actors.

The conversation also examines emerging sectors of cooperation beyond the commonly discussed...

In this special World Cup episode of the WASSAP podcast, we explore how football is increasingly shaping relations between Africa and the Gulf, from the expanded 2026 tournament to Saudi Arabia’s hosting ambitions for 2034.

Host Desirée Custers is joined by Hubert Kinkoh and Dr. Sebastian Sons to examine how football has evolved into a field of geopolitical competition, diplomacy, and strategic engagement. The discussion highlights the growing role of Gulf states as key actors in global sports and unpacks how major tournaments and investments are embedded in broader political and economic agendas.

At the same time, the episode considers...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, we explore the role of energy, ports, and infrastructure corridors in shaping Gulf–Africa relations.

Hosts Desirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Dr. Maddalena Procopio and Dr. May Darwich, who provide insights into how Gulf states are expanding their economic engagement across Africa through investments in energy, logistics, and port infrastructure.

The discussion examines the structural drivers behind these developments, including shifting global economic dynamics and the strategic repositioning of Gulf actors. It also highlights how African governments engage with and leverage these partnerships to advance national priorities.

Importantly, the episode moves...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, we explore a less frequently discussed dimension of Africa–West Asia relations: Iran’s engagement with the African continent and how African actors navigate their relationships with Iran.

Hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Ambassador Frederic Gateretse‑Ngoga and Dr. Hamid Talebian, who bring institutional and research perspectives on Iran–Africa relations. Together, they unpack how Iran engages with African countries across diplomatic, economic, security, and cultural domains, and how its approach compares to that of Gulf actors.

The conversation also situates Iran–Africa relations within broader geopolitical and security dynamics, including the interconnections between...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, we take a closer look at how African agency unfolds in real-world partnerships with Gulf countries.

Moving from abstract conceptualization of agency to concrete examples, hosts Desirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Dr. Bob Wekesa and Dr. Amare Aweke, who bring perspectives from South Africa and Ethiopia. Together, they explore how African actors engage with Gulf partners in areas such as investment, infrastructure, and regional security.

Drawing on their research and policy experience, the guests highlight how African countries are not simply responding to external influence, but are actively shaping their...

In this inaugural episode of WASSAP: The Africa-West Asia Podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh introduce the WASSAP project (West Asia – Sub‑Saharan Africa Partnerships in Flux) and set the stage for the podcast series.

Together with Jan Hanrath, CEO and co-founder of CARPO, and Dr Sebastian Sons, Senior Researcher of CARPO, the episode explores why relations between Gulf countries and Sub‑Saharan Africa are becoming increasingly strategic, how these partnerships are changing in a multipolar global order, how they different between Gulf countries, and why they matter for policymakers, researchers, and European audiences alike.

A central focus of the...