Introduction to the special issue: Digital diplomacy in Africa

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank the South African Journal of International Affairs editorial team, specifically Martha Bridgman and Maxine Rubin, for their support and guidance in bringing our vision to fruition. We would also like to thank the long list of anonymous peer-reviewers for their constructive criticisms and insightful suggestions. The entire special issue, and the individual articles, are richer thanks to their diligence.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bob Wekesa

Bob Wekesa (PhD) is the ACSUS partnerships, research and communications manager. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Nairobi and masters and doctoral degrees from the Communication University of China. His background is in journalism. His area of research is the intersection of media and communications on the one hand and geopolitics, diplomacy and foreign policy on the other. He is specifically focused on public diplomacy. His current research work includes: Africa–US public diplomacy (including diaspora relations); cities as actors in international relations; Africa–US digital diplomacy and the representation of Africa in American media and America in African media. He is also working on the trilateral Africa–US-China engagement.

Yarik Turianskyi

Yarik Turianskyi is the Deputy Programme Head for African Governance and Diplomacy at the South African Institute of International Affairs. He joined the Institute in 2008 after completing a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Pretoria, which assessed the African Peer Review Mechanism as a standard for good governance on the continent. While completing his studies Yarik also lectured in Political Science and International Relations. During his time at SAIIA Yarik has authored over 12 research papers, focused on governance, technology and gender, and over 30 opinion articles on various governance themes. He has been to and conducted research in 10 African countries and is the co-editor of a book ‘African Accountability: What Works and What Doesn't’. Yarik has also been involved at various South African radio stations as both a presenter and correspondent since 2002. You may follow him on twitter: @Yarik_T

Odilile Ayodele

Odilile Ayodele is a Senior Research Associate with the BRICS Project in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Politics (University of Johannesburg), and her research explores the politics of digitalisation in Africa.