Leadership and peacebuilding in Africa
Dr Kayode Fayemi, the former Governor of the Ekiti State (Nigeria), former Minister of Solid Minerals Development of Nigeria and a visiting professor at the ALC, delivered the keynote address on leadership and peacebuilding in Africa.
He focused on praxis, drawing from his experience as a political leader and scholar. He interrogated the nexus between leadership and peace across three realms – scholarship, political praxis and activism. Dr Fayemi highlighted the collective nature of leadership, stressed the need to move beyond populism, and the importance of seeing change through the prism of small improvements, as opposed to ‘big bang’ transformations. This requires political dexterity to balance short-, medium- and long-term targets. He also spoke about the need to move away from the conception of peace as mere absence of violence and the central role of leaders in dealing with structural violence.
In a panel discussion moderated by Dr Gloriana Rodriguez Alvarez, Dr Eka Ikpe, ALC Director, argued against essentialising 'African' leadership under one negative umbrella. She suggested that due consideration be given to culture and time when discussing leadership and peace. Sonia Warner, PhD student at the ALC, argued that feasible collective solutions can only come from leadership that is culturally-specific and connected to people's interests.
Emerging patterns in state-building practices in Africa
In the second panel, Dr Barney Walsh, Senior Lecturer at the ALC, chaired a discussion on ‘Emerging patterns in state-building practices and state ruptures in Africa and the challenges of peacebuilding’. Dr César Moquet Flan, director of the Centre de Recherche Politique d'Abidjan, spoke about political transitions in Africa since 1990, examining the new patterns of peacebuilding in relation to African state-building efforts. Focusing on Francophone Africa, Dr Flan discussed how the government in Cote d'Ivoire initiated political reforms and focused on national reconciliation and social cohesion by involving grassroots actors.
Dr Clement Sefa- Nyarko, Lecturer at the ALC, explored the emergence of the environment as a key theme in state building in Africa, using Ghana as a case study. He spoke about the importance of green energy for enhancing Ghana's electricity production capacity and ensuring technological advancements. Dr Adeoti Dipeolu, researcher at the ALC, commented on the role of diaspora in the post-conflict context with reference to Liberia. She argued that diaspora remittances, advocacy efforts, and their role in filling governance gaps demonstrate their significance in the country's development and peacebuilding processes.
Role of African institutions in peacebuilding in Africa
Dr Wale Ismail, Senior Lecturer at the ALC, led a panel discussion on the role of African institutions in peacebuilding in Africa. Linganaden Murday, ALC PhD student, argued that the African Union recognises the importance of addressing structural violence but the failure to tackle the vestiges of colonialism prevents structural transformation. Dr Alfred Muteru, ALC Research Associate, remarked that the AU’s plan to generate revenue to finance peace and security activities through a trade tariff was novel as it funds up to 75 per cent of its operations. This could potentially reduce Africa’s reliance on external funding. However, this plan remains caught up in AU’s institutional quagmire.
Dr Sylvanus Wekesa, ALC Research Associate, examined how Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are responding to security challenges in their spheres of influence, especially in Eastern and Southern Africa. He argued that one can commend RECs for taking prompt actions but questions remain about their effectiveness, especially in a context where individual member-states' interests take precedence over regional and continental imperatives.
Reflections on a decade of the ALC PGR programme
ALC staff and researchers reflected on the achievements of the ALC PGR programme, a decade after its inception. Dr Wale Ismail and PhD student Dr Lorina Johnson- Prince presented statics on the programme. Professor Abiodun Alao described how the leadership programme moved from PGT to PGR and his experience in accompanying that movement. Dr Barney Walsh shared his experience as the first ALC PhD graduate and noted that the programme was designed to disrupt established ideas and methodologies concerning how knowledge works. By bringing leadership to bear on the question of peace and security, the ALC is creating a new academic discipline. He also underlined the strength of ALC’s African agenda.
Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin stressed the importance of multi-disciplinarity in leadership studies and the need to ensure that knowledge generated by the ALC has an impact on the contexts being studied. The session was also an opportunity for a discussion on the way forward around issues of institutional engagement to further promote the ALC and the need for media training to enhance public engagement.
The conference was concluded with a forward looking discussion on the future of peace in Africa, chaired by Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin. Professor Olonisakin emphasised the importance of lived experience in interrogating the meaning of security, development, and peace. While this may involve the adoption of Western concepts, it is important to transcend them, challenge extant knowledge and evolve new perspectives.
With contributions from:
Ahmed Abdulkadir Ibrahim (MSc Global Leadership and Peacebuilding Fellow, ALC)
Keenan Govender (MSc Global Leadership and Peacebuilding Fellow, ALC)
Shannon Arnold (MSc Global Leadership and Peacebuilding Fellow, ALC)