Oxford University China Africa Network (OUCAN) Annual Conference 2026

Structural transformation sits at the heart of Africa’s development challenge. Across the continent, productivity growth has been persistently slow, manufacturing bases remain narrow, and many economies are still positioned at the lower end of global value chains. At a time when global production networks are being reshaped by climate imperatives, geopolitical shifts, and technological change, the question of how African economies can accelerate structural transformation has never been more urgent.

The Oxford University China-Africa Network will once again bring together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and industry leaders, for a one-day, in-person conference on Economic transformation, industrial policy and the green transition in Sino-African relations.

Join us to hear from keynote speaker Prof Arkebe Oqubay (SOAS and former Senior Minister of Ethiopia), and three stellar panels of academics, policymakers and industry practitioners examining questions ranging from a changing China, to the present challenges and future opportunities of African industrial transformation. Scroll down for the amazing speaker line-up!

The event is free, with lunch and refurbishment provided.

Keynote speaker

• Prof Arkebe Oqubay (SOAS) — British Academy Global Professor at SOAS University of London and former Senior Minister and Special Adviser to three Prime Ministers of Ethiopia, a leading scholar-practitioner on African industrial policy, economic transformation, and the greening of development.

Panel 1 - Changing China in a Changing World

• Prof Todd Hall (Oxford) — Professor of International Relations and Director of the China Centre at the University of Oxford, specialising in Chinese foreign policy and the role of emotion in international relations.
• Dr Michal Meidan (OIES) — Head of China Energy Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and a leading voice on China's energy markets, gas sector, and decarbonisation trajectory.
• Prof Seth Schindler (Manchester) — Professor of Urban Politics and Development at the University of Manchester's Global Development Institute and co-founder of the Second Cold War Observatory, working on US–China rivalry, infrastructure, and the future of globalisation.
• Prof Xiaoyang Tang (Tsinghua) — Chair and Professor of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, and a leading scholar of China's economic engagement in Africa and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Panel 2 - Present challenges: African industrial transformation in the current policy arena

• Prof Alemayehu Geda (Addis Ababa University) — Professor of Economics at Addis Ababa University, specialising in African macroeconomic policy, development finance, and China–Africa economic relations.
• Prof Adam Harris (UCL) — Associate Professor in Development Politics at University College London, researching ethnic and racial politics, governance, and political behaviour across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Prof Nathaniel Lane (LSE) — Assistant Professor at Department of International Development at LSE and Principal Investigator of the Industrial Policy Group, working on industrial policy, long-run development, and the political economy of state-led growth.
• Dr Georg Lammich (Duisburg-Essen) — Senior Researcher in International Relations and African Politics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, focusing on China's policy transfer, security engagement, and influence on African regional integration.

Panel 3 - Opportunities for the future: innovation, green transformation and structural change in Africa

• Prof Joseph Onjala (University of Nairobi) — Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nairobi's Institute for Development Studies, with research on environment and development economics, China–Africa economic relations, China–Kenya trade, development lending, infrastructure, and debt sustainability.
• Dr Yuezhou Yang (Oxford) — Departmental Lecturer in Development Studies at Oxford's Department of International Development, researching the political economy of Chinese capital in African agriculture, land, and critical minerals.
• Mr Sam Williams (Africell) — Group Communications Director at Africell, a mobile network operator serving close to 20 million customers across Africa, and producer of Lobito Bound: A Journey to Africa's New Frontier, a documentary on the Lobito Corridor, critical minerals, and African connectivity.
• Mr Guang Xue (Duoley) — Founder and CEO of Duoley, a leading food processing enterprise in Ethiopia and maker of the popular flavoured milk JoJo.