What happens when Africa stops waiting for capital and starts negotiating over the resources the world needs most?

In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge and Ndu Okoh sit down with Maureen Farrell, Vice President for Global Partnerships at Valar Frontiers , a U.S.-based strategy and risk firm working across Africa, and also a former senior U.S. defense official for African affairs.

Drawing on decades of experience across the continent, Farrell describes a growing sense of African agency as governments assert themselves in conversations about investment, infrastructure, and strategic minerals.

From the legacy of M-Pesa to the global demand for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, Africa is moving from the margins to the centre of supply chains powering the energy transition and advanced technologies.

The conversation explores how capital flows, mining, and security partnerships intersect in a multipolar world, and why investors and governments alike are increasingly viewing Africa not as a risk to manage but as a strategic partner to engage.

A sharp discussion about resources, power, and Africa’s place in the global economy.

Lagos to Lamu. Cape Town to Cairo. This is Panel 54, a global perspective through an African lens.

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