Dr. Muhammad Dan Suleiman is a political scientist and IR scholar with a background in international law. His work sits at the intersection of the international politics of Africa, Gulf-Africa relations, and security studies, and has been published in leading journals such as International Studies Quarterly, Australian Journal of Politics and History, African Security, Peace and Conflict Studies, African Identities, Frontiers in Political Science, and Critical Studies on Terrorism, among others. His current funded project on “Saudi Arabia’s Soft Power in West Africa” investigates the complex interdependencies, challenges, and opportunities that exist in the historical and contemporary engagements between the Kingdom and the subregion in the context of Saudi Vision 2030. At IRC-FDE, he plans to focus on relations between Africa and Saudi Arabia across emerging sectors such as fintech, critical minerals, and the green energy transition. His research carries a clear normative commitment to more equitable and dialogic political-economic partnerships that advance models of international engagement for mutual benefits.