About
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Amb. Martin Kimani is the President and CEO of The Africa Center in New York, where he is advancing an agenda focused on capital ownership, cultural power, and Africa–diaspora connectivity. For most of his professional life, Kimani has served in high-stakes public leadership, including as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a senior advisor to three Kenyan presidents. He is Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, a role that aligns with The Africa Center’s mission to elevate African and Afro-descendant voices in shaping global systems.
He is widely recognized for his 2022 speech at the UN Security Council on Ukraine, which invoked Africa’s anti-colonial experience to defend the principle of territorial integrity—a moment that redefined diplomatic language on sovereignty.
Kimani played a central role in transforming Kenya’s counterterrorism strategy from a reactive security framework into a nationally coordinated prevention effort built on several linked innovations. He was a major actor in regional peace mediation and in efforts to confederate East African states as a model for sovereignty-sharing and regional integration. He began his career in the private sector in New York, working in financial markets and political risk analysis.
His doctoral research at King’s College London examined the ideological roots of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, a theme that has informed his approach to conflict prevention, the need to restrain power, and institutional leadership. He has chaired UN development institutions and working groups on climate-security, conflict prevention in Africa, and multilateral reform.
A Fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, he also serves on the board of the International Rescue Committee. He is the father of two children, whose questions about the world continue to shape how he leads and lives
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