By
Fahad Muganga
The 8th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference opened at Makerere University on Wednesday with calls to address the growing threat of online misinformation, especially among the youth who consume digital content with little regulation.
This is one of the pleases that Dr. Hellen Nambalirwa Nkabala made while opening the two-day event, on Wednesday. Nkabala was representing the Makerere university vice Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe.
The event, which began on Wednesday, brings together experts from Uganda, Africa, and across the globe to discuss pressing global issues. It is organized in partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the Embassy of France in Uganda, and Alliance Française Kampala. Over the past eight years, the conference has grown from a modest gathering into one of the region’s most significant platforms for geopolitical discourse.
Addressing participants at the Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility 2, Nkabala warned that while artificial intelligence has enabled major advancements, it also facilitates the rapid spread of misinformation, often consumed uncritically by young people.
“As we explore ways to protect security on our high seas, we’re also facing a looming threat from misinformation powered by artificial intelligence,” she said. “While AI has been harnessed for innovations like disease detection and air quality monitoring, it can also be used for malicious purposes.”
Nkabala noted that the conference comes at a critical time to discuss global challenges affecting the Global South, including the recent withdrawal of aid by the United States government.
“This conference provides a platform for debating pressing topics shaping regional and global discourse,” she said. “We’ve already seen the impact of global events, such as President Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, which affected research funding, especially in the College of Health Sciences.”
She added that ongoing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan have displaced thousands and drawn Uganda’s military into regional peacekeeping efforts. Uganda’s dependence on imports, she said, makes it imperative to address maritime security issues, including piracy and attacks in the Suez Canal and Gulf of Oman.
Nkabala also called for a deeper historical understanding of present-day conflicts. “We must go beyond the 1994 genocide and reflect on colonial-era border demarcations that fractured ethnic identities,” she said.
She criticized the role of certain Western actors in the DRC, accusing them of hiding behind peacekeeping missions while exploiting the country’s mineral wealth. “As long as profit trumps peace, true stability in the DRC will remain elusive.”
The conference will cover a range of themes, including United Nations Security Council reform, maritime security, artificial intelligence and misinformation, and peacebuilding in Africa. Professor Nawangwe also commended Alliance Française Kampala for enriching the event with a cultural dimension, including performances.
French Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Xavier Sticker, underscored the importance of Africa carefully managing the adoption of artificial intelligence. “AI brings both opportunities and risks, and Africa must navigate this balance. The economic and political implications of AI regulation are significant,” he said.
Nils Wörmer, Director of the Regional Programme Security Dialogue for East Africa at KAS, discussed peacekeeping in Africa and how global developments are shaping regional stability. “This year, we are focusing on Africa’s quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and examining peacekeeping models in the DRC, Somalia, and the Lake Chad Basin,” he said.
Wörmer also reflected on the global climate of uncertainty, noting that a return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency could reshape relations between the United States, Africa, and Europe.
“In Europe, we’re confronting a hybrid war waged by Russia involving propaganda, disinformation, and cyber-attacks,” he said. “The European Union has responded by investing heavily in defense and security, including an 800-billion-euro funding package.”
Uganda, once a fragile state, now plays a key role in regional security. However, it continues to grapple with instability in neighboring countries and looks ahead to the 2026 presidential elections.
On his part, Dr. Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a political scientist, said that lasting peace in Eastern Congo requires building a functional state capable of securing its borders and integrating refugees. “External interventions—especially those led by Western powers—have often worsened rather than resolved the crisis,” he said.