Obasanjo, Mahama, Sirleaf Back New African Institute To Train Sovereign Negotiators

A coalition of African leaders and policy institutions has launched the Sankoree Institute of Global Negotiators (SIGN), a new continental initiative aimed at equipping African officials with advanced negotiation skills to secure better deals in mining, debt restructuring, trade, climate finance and health procurement.

The initiative, unveiled in Kigali on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum, is a joint project of AfroChampions and the African School of Governance under the broader Accra Reset sovereignty agenda.

The agreement establishing the institute was signed by AfroChampions Co-Chair Paulo Gomes and ASG President Francis Gatare.

The programme enjoys the endorsement of prominent African statesmen, including Olusegun Obasanjo, John Dramani Mahama, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Hailemariam Desalegn.

Organisers described SIGN as Africa’s first structured credentialling programme dedicated to sovereign negotiators — the public officials and technical experts who represent governments in high-value international agreements.

According to the organisers, African countries negotiate transactions valued at hundreds of billions of dollars annually but often lack the institutional preparation and technical support available to multinational corporations and foreign governments.

They said this imbalance has contributed to unfavourable mining concessions, weak debt agreements, unenforceable technology transfer clauses and poor procurement outcomes across the continent.

To bridge the gap, SIGN will offer practice-based training through “Deal Labs” that simulate real negotiation environments. The programme will also deploy an AI-powered platform known as the OCTagon Suite to provide real-time precedent analysis, scenario modelling and access to a library of sovereign negotiation case studies.

The institute will be headquartered at ASG’s campus in Kigali, Rwanda, with graduates earning Associate and Fellow designations subject to periodic revalidation.

Promoters of the initiative said the programme is intended to build a new generation of African negotiators capable of protecting national interests and strengthening the continent’s bargaining power in strategic sectors.

They added that SIGN is a flagship project of the Accra Reset movement, a platform backed by Heads of State that advocates stronger sovereign agency for Africa and the Global South.

The broader initiative also includes programmes focused on health innovation, labour mobility, industrialisation and reforms to global governance systems.

ASG, co-founded by Paul Kagame and Hailemariam Desalegn, will provide academic and accreditation support for the institute, while AfroChampions will contribute political networks, research on negotiation, and policy engagement across the continent.

The launch ceremony was held at the Kigali Convention Centre.