News release
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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation visiting fellowship seeks to strengthen Africa’s voice in global governance
Aweis Ahmed will join Chatham House’s Africa Programme as its first Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) visiting fellow.
The SNF visiting fellowship places mid-career African professionals in residence with the Africa Programme for 12 months. It seeks to strengthen Africa’s voice in global governance through research, policy engagement and collaboration with Chatham House experts, as well as policymakers, academics, diplomats and business leaders.
Aweis is the Policy Lab Director for Somali Public Agenda, a research organization based in Mogadishu. He has worked as a researcher, lecturer, project coordinator and programme manager at various institutions in Somalia. His expertise covers politics and society in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia’s public policies and services.
Through the generous support of the SNF, Chatham House will host in total three visiting fellows between 2026 and 2028.
The SNF visiting fellowship supports Chatham House’s mission to address geopolitical challenges and international problems. Through this, Chatham House aims to help governments and societies to build a secure, sustainable, prosperous and just world.
The fellowship builds on the Africa Programme’s success in hosting visiting fellows from Mozambique and Sierra Leone between 2023 and 2025, and whose work focused on supporting their countries as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Aweis joins Chatham House in May. While at Chatham House he will conduct policy-relevant research on Somalia’s international and regional relations in a shifting global order, with the aim of supporting Somalia’s contributions to global governance.
SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos, said: ‘SNF is proud to build on our long, multifaceted collaboration with Chatham House to support this opportunity for international exchange of knowledge and mutual strengthening of expertise.’
Bronwen Maddox, Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House, said: ‘The SNF visiting fellowship will provide African professionals with the tools to shape global debates and influence policy decisions that impact Africa. We are grateful to the SNF for funding this initiative.’
Aweis Ahmed said: ‘I am honoured to join Chatham House as an SNF visiting fellow. At a time of a rupturing international order, Somalia remains an arena for geopolitical rivalry among the great, emerging, and regional powers. This fellowship offers an opportunity to bridge Somali perspectives with global discussions on tackling geopolitical challenges and international problems.’