IIASA at the 6th Strategic Leadership Seminar: Anticipatory Governance and Systems Thinking

The four-day program will bring together public administrators, policymakers, development practitioners, researchers, and representatives of international organizations, civil society, and the private sector. It will explore how anticipatory governance, systems thinking, and digital technologies can help public-sector leaders respond to increasingly interconnected challenges and build more resilient and future-ready institutions across Africa. 

Borghi’s participation also reflects IIASA’s wider engagement in Africa through its Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organization (SSARMO). SSARMO provides an important regional platform for connecting IIASA’s expertise in systems analysis with research and policy communities across sub-Saharan Africa, supporting capacity development, collaboration, and the application of systems approaches to regional challenges.

The seminar offers an opportunity to further strengthen these connections with African public-sector leaders and policymakers, particularly around systems thinking, anticipatory governance, foresight, and the research–policy interface. SSARMO will also be highlighted in opening remarks from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, and the participation of Professor Kambidima Wotela of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, representing the SSARMO delegation, providing a further connection to IIASA’s ongoing regional engagement.

Across the four days, the program will address anticipatory governance and future-ready leadership, systems thinking for public-sector transformation, digital technology and evidence-based policymaking, ethics and accountability, citizen-centered governance, and leadership and wellbeing. It will combine presentations and discussions with practical exchanges and a study tour in Mombasa.