How can the Africa Strategy contribute to 'the right not to have to leave'?
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Favoritenstraße 15a, 1040 Vienna
Language: English
Organisers: Vienna Chamber of Labour, Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC)
Registration: fanizadeh@vidc.org
Background
Against the backdrop of the announced Austrian Africa Strategy 2026–2029, our panellists will discuss the contribution that stakeholders from politics, business, public administration, the diaspora, social partnership and civil society can make. A central pillar of the strategy is the practical implementation of its objectives. This includes targeted initiatives to expand trade volumes between Austria and African partner countries, as well as efforts to strengthen local value chains and uphold high labor and social standards. The strategy’s success will be measured by its ability to create decent working and living conditions, foster fair foreign trade relations, and contribute sustainably to local economic growth. Given that precarious economic conditions and unfair trade structures—alongside wars, conflicts, and the climate crisis—are key drivers of forced migration, our event builds on previous panel discussions organized by the Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK Wien), the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB), and the VIDC. These discussions centered on the principle of ‘the right not to have to leave.’
Keynote
Stefan Scholz
is Head of the Department for Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Union at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA). His previous posts include Ambassador to Iran and Nigeria, Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States, and Head of the Department for Geographical Planning in Austrian Development Cooperation.
Podium
Akhator Joel Odigie
is the General Secretary for the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa, www.ituc-africa.org), which provides stewardship to over 18 million workers in 52 of the 54 African countries. The ITUC-Africa is a pan-African trade union organisation based in Lomé, Togo, in West Africa. He is a Nigerian, Pan-Africanist, and Humanist. Akhator Joel Odigie received his Bachelor of Public Administration from Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria and his Master of Labour Policy and Globalisation from the Berlin School of Economics and Law.
Michelle Amoakoh
is an expert in diaspora finance and strategic diaspora engagement. She advises institutions and the business sector on how diaspora resources – including capital, networks and expertise – can be mobilised in ways that are politically and economically viable. Her approach is shaped by her experience in angel investing: in her role as an investment analyst, she mobilised and facilitated diaspora investments for start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa. With a background in consulting, corporate strategy and venture building, she now heads the Ventures Unit at AiDiA, a diaspora organisation promoting economic development in the DACH region. There, she develops cooperation models at the interface between the diaspora, private capital and institutional partners. She completed her studies in international economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Ruth Mirembe
is a Doctoral researcher at the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law – Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). She was previously a research and teaching associate at the WU Transfer Pricing Center. She has diverse experience in corporate legal & tax advisory and dispute resolution in Uganda. Ruth is an advocate of the Courts of Judicature in Uganda and a member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA). Ruth holds an LLM in Taxa/on from the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) and an LLB from Makerere University (Uganda).
Werner Raza
has been head of ÖFSE since October 2010. He is an economist specialising in international trade and development and a lecturer at various universities and universities of applied sciences in Austria and abroad. Dr Raza has also served as a member of advisory bodies in the areas of foreign trade promotion, development financing and development policy. His regional expertise covers North and East Africa, as well as South America.
Moderation: Miriam Mona Mukalazi
holds a doctorate in political science in the field of security policy and heads the Africa programme at the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC).