In Episode 16 of Panel 54, hosts Waweru Njoroge and Ndu Okoh sit down with veteran Kenyan diplomat, Tom Amolo and former Ambassador to Germany and US, to unpack Africa’s missing seat at the world’s top table.
The conversation explores how diplomacy became one of Africa’s quiet strengths yet lost its strategic edge. From Kenya’s evolving foreign policy to Nigeria’s regional ambitions, from South Africa’s moral authority to the larger influence of smaller nations like Qatar and Norway, Ambassador Amolo examines why Africa wields moral capital but struggles to turn it into real global power.
Drawing from his years of service in Washington , Berlin, Nigeria , Amolo reflects on how Western nations use diplomacy, soft power, and institutional strength to project stability and influence.
He argues that Africa’s future partnerships must be built on shared values of accountability, transparency, and long-term planning rather than dependency or aid. Amolo calls for diplomacy grounded in continuity, strategy, and clear national purpose to help Africa take its rightful place in the world.
Lagos to Lamu. Cape Town to Cairo.
This is Panel 54, a global perspective through an African lens.

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