Ngoma, Kondwani

I am an Ax:son Johnson Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication (CSSC).

I completed my doctoral studies in Economic History at the University of Gothenburg’s School of Business, Economics and Law in May 2024. My dissertation, "Disentangling Empire and Decolonisation", was awarded the 2025 Coleman Prize by the Association of Business Historians (ABH) for the best PhD dissertation in the field.

The thesis examined state-business relations in Southern Africa during colonisation and decolonisation, analysing their co-development and the political risks that emerged. Focusing on four aspects of strategic risk management - corporate domicile determination, property rights acquisition and loss, and responses to economic sanctions - the dissertation demonstrated how firms leverage political processes to secure land and mineral rights. It also highlighted key dimensions of decolonisation, such as sanctions and expropriation, to underscore the critical role of legitimacy in state-firm relations.

My current research investigates the design and implementation of economic sanctions in 20th-century Southern Africa, with a particular focus on Britain and South Africa. By analysing how sanctions were conceived, enforced, and contested, I explore the intersection of statecraft, corporate strategy, and geopolitical interests during periods of systemic conflict, such as apartheid.