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The last few years have seen forms of rupture in the ECOWAS institutional framework that transformed Africa’s response to conflict in the 1990s symbolized by the breakaway of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. At the same time, a new generation of African citizens with rising anti-France and anti-Western sentiments hold mutuality with these states in the face of perceived double standards by ECOWAS and global actors in their response to unconstitutional change of governance. Nigeria’s previously undisputed leadership of the region has been called into question by these Sahelian nations and their citizens in a quest for new notions of sovereignty.

The high-level panelists will discuss the extent to which ECOWAS is living up to its promise of being an ECOWAS of peoples given the complex interactions between African institutional infrastructure, continental hegemons, and the West African peoples.

About the panelists

Mr El Ghassim Wane

Mr Wane has three decades of experience in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacekeeping. He served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Mali and Head of MINUSMA (May 2021-December 2023), and previously as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (January 2016-September 2017).

At the Organization of African Unity/African Union, he held key leadership positions: Head of Conflict Management Division, Peace and Security Director, and Chief of Staff to the Commission Chairperson. He contributed significantly to AU's conflict prevention strategies while strengthening AU-UN partnership in peace and security.

In 2024, he led a team drafting "The Future of Peacekeeping, New Models and Related Capabilities" for the 2025 Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in Berlin. Previously, he conducted a review of UN Peacekeeping Protection of Civilians in four critical missions: MINUSMA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, and UNMISS.

His academic roles include Visiting Professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King's College London's African Leadership Centre. He holds a master's in International Public Law and International Relations (University of Dakar) and a postgraduate degree in International and European Studies (University of Lille II).

Mme Hanna Tetteh

Ms Tetteh is the former UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa. She served since 2019 as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU).  Prior to that, she served as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.  

She also served in the cabinet of the Government of Ghana as Minister for Foreign Affairs during which time she was also a member of the National Security Council and the Armed Forces Council (2013-2017).  She was Minister for Trade and Industry (2009-2013).  From 2014 to 2015, she was the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers as well as Chairperson of the Mediation & Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States.

During her term as Minister for Trade and Industry, she was a member of the Government’s economic management team, the board of the Millennium Development Authority and the National Development Planning Commission as well as the Chairperson of the Ghana Free Zones Board.  In 2009, she served as Spokesperson for President John Evans Atta Mills’ Administration transition team. 

She was a Member of Parliament in 2000-2005 and 2013-2017.  She was appointed Co-Facilitator in the High-Level Forum for the Revitalisation of the Agreement for the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (2017-2018). 

Ms. Tetteh holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana, Legon.  She was called to the Ghana Bar in 1992.  

Dr Kayode Fayemi

Dr John Kayode Fayemi is Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre. He received his doctorate degree from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London in 1994, specialising in civil-military relations after receiving degrees in History, Politics and International Relations from the Universities of Lagos and Ife, Nigeria. His research and policy interests include democratisation, constitutionalism, security sector governance, and regionalism in the global context.

Dr Fayemi previously served in various advisory and related capacities including, as adviser on transitional justice, regional integration, constitutionalism, security sector reform and civil-military relations to the Governments of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana. He was the main technical adviser to Nigeria’s Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel) which investigated past abuses. He also served on the Presidential Implementation Committees on Security Sector Reform, on NEPAD and on the Millennium Development Goals during the Obasanjo administration.

He was technical expert to ECOWAS on small arms and light weapons and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on governance issues. He was also a member of the Africa Policy Advisory Panel of the British Government. He has served as a consultant to the OECD and chaired the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative’s Committee of Experts. John completed his second term as Governor of Ekiti State in Southwest Nigeria, in October 2022. He was also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and President of the Forum of Règions of Africa. He was Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development in the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2018.

He was on the Adjunct Faculty of Security Studies at the African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, USA and a Visiting Professor in the African Studies Programme at Northwestern University, Evanston, USA in 2004.

Professor Abdoulaye Bathily - TBC

Professor Abdoulaye Bathily was appointed Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre in 2016. He is a leading practitioner on the Centre's Practice of Leadership programme. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and Doctor of State from University Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal. He is also the former Special Representative of the Secretary General and head of the UN Support mission in Libya.

Prior to retiring as a Professor from Cheikh Anta Diop, he served as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative in Mali (MINUSMA). He subsequently served as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Head of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) as well as Representative of the SG in the International Mediation on Central African Republic.

Abdoulaye had the honour of presiding over the Praesidium of the Bangui Forum in 2015. In addition, he has held several key positions in the Government of Senegal including as Minister of Energy and Water Resources and Minister of Environment.

He has been a Member of the National Assembly and Deputy Speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly. He was also a Member of the ECOWAS Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Environment and Natural Resources. He was Head of African Union (AU) Observers for several election processes. He has also been Convenor of the Coalition on Dialogue in Africa at the UNECA in Addis Ababa.

Abdoulaye has written and published extensively on Africa History and Politics. Amongst these are 'Mai 68 à Dakar la révolte universitaire et la Démocratie' (1992) and 'The Military and Militarism in Africa', which he co-edited with Eboe Hutchful. He continues to work as an Independent Expert, on conflict resolution, peacebuilding and democratic processes in Africa.

Ambassador Abdel Fatau Musah (TBC) 

Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, PhD, joined the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from the United Nations, where he served as the Director of the West African Division of the Departments of Political & Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations at United Nations. In that role, Amb. Musah backstopped the UN Special Political and Peacekeeping Field Missions, as well as broader peace and security engagements, in West Africa and the Sahel. Before assuming that role in January 2019, he was, from March 2016 until 31 December 2018, the Director of the Africa II Division in the UN Department of Political Affairs, handling Central, North and West Africa. He also served as Deputy Head of Office and Director of Political Affairs at the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU) from May 2014 to March 2016, where he led the political pillar of UN’s strategic partnership with the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities on peace and security, and supported good offices work in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Before joining the UN, Amb. Musah served as Director of Political Affairs at ECOWAS from 2009 to 2014, and Senior Conflict Prevention Adviser to the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and ECOWAS on West Africa (2005-2009). Amb. Musah spearheaded the development of the ECOWAS’ Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF), the Organization’s strategic document for operational and structural conflict prevention. He coordinated electoral and security assessment missions and played a lead role in formulating and backstopping political responses to crises across West Africa. He also facilitated the establishment of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance and Mediation Facilitation Divisions.

Amb. Musah has worked/consulted for, and served on the Boards of a number of institutions and INGOs/IGOs, including the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel, UN Women, International IDEA, the Open Society Institute, the Center for Democracy and Development, the African Leadership Centre, and the British-American Security Information Council. He has also served as visiting lecturer in leading European and African institutions, and has written extensively on democratization, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, privatization of security, and broader peace and security issues in Africa.

Amb. Musah received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana, Legon, followed by a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Doctorate Degree in International Historical Relations from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is fluent in English, French, Russian, Hausa and Twi. 

About the moderator

Ms Shuvai Busuman Nyoni

Shuvai Busuman Nyoni is a Gender, Peace and Security Practitioner and researcher. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the African Leadership Centre (ALC), Nairobi, Kenya. The ALC is a research and training initiative that focuses on nurturing next generation African leaders, thinkers and practitioners within the peace, security and development sector.

She has worked extensively with a range of regional and national policy makers, civil society actors and academics in post-conflict and transitional countries on the African continent.

Shuvai’s work also includes investigation and documentation of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict settings. Shuvai is undertaking a PhD in Leadership and Security Studies at the University of Pretoria and King’s College London; she serves on the Advisory Board of the United Nations Human Security Trust Fund.

About King's Africa Week

Hosted by the African Leadership Centre and Africa research group, Africa Week is an annual celebration of research, education and outreach activities on Africa.

King's Africa Week brings together academics, researchers and students from across King's – and offers the opportunity to hear from African scholars, leaders and thinkers. It also showcases King's collaboration with African universities and partners.

Find out more about Africa Week