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African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) 6th Edition: African Security in Times of Uncertainties

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2:00 pm July 2022

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5:10 pm July 2022
Add to Calendar 2022-07-20 14:00:00 2022-07-21 17:10:00 African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) 6th Edition: African Security in Times of Uncertainties Description Location Policy Center Policy Center Africa/Casablanca public

By invitation

APSACO

 

2021 was a year of global geopolitical disruption and geo-economic upheaval. As events gather momentum, the world enters a period of geopolitical and geo-economic transition; the end of one historical cycle foreshadowing the uncertain prospects of a new one. We are henceforth, in presence of a true global shift with multiple pressure points and driving geopolitical, economic, climatic, technological, security and health-related forces.

The African continent, which over the past two decades pursued a process of diversification of economic, political, and military partnerships at State and institutional levels – both continental and regional – stands to be affected to varying degrees. Indeed, global economic conditions combined with Africa's structural challenges exacerbate underlying trends with irreversible geopolitical consequences. First, the war in Ukraine occurs at a time when the global geopolitical stage is fraught with China-U.S. tensions and difficulties in defining new world order leverage points. It therefore becomes a stake in an already entrenched dynamic sustained by a logic of optimal solution (minimum cost-maximum benefit). Next, food security in Africa is jeopardized. The capacity to securely access sufficient food is severely impacted by the sequence of conflicts, natural disasters, and epidemics.  Additionally, climate change increases conflict risk in several areas by further exacerbating existing social, economic, and environmental factors. Populations in these areas are among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis and the most neglected by climate action. Finally, the institutional weakness and instability of several States are major obstacles in the fight against violence and poverty.  Overcoming this vulnerability, in its economic and environmental dimensions, is a vital priority for Africa.

This state of affairs begs a few critical questions:

What are the repercussions of war on African States in terms of struggles for influence on the continent as well as economic, military-security and diplomatic constraints? What individual and collective resilience and affirmative strategies should African States pursue in the face of this situation? What implications are there for food insecurity in Africa? How can Africa’s food security be improved? What challenges does climate change entail for Africa? What specificities do fragile states have in Africa?  How to sustainably strengthen States in post-conflict contexts?

Sessions :

The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Africa
Russia's military engagement in Ukraine has very quickly become a major post-Cold War global event. The question is to what extent will this event alter global strategic arrangements and impact Africa?

Conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Africa
Conflict resolution and peacebuilding are at the heart of the ongoing debate on security and development in Africa. Mastering both processes requires a better understanding of the nature of conflicts, the mechanisms of resolution and the conditions for sustainable peace. This panel will shed the light on the importance of conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes in solving the problem of conflicts in the continent.

Security implications of climate change in Africa
Climate change is a threat to human security, generating multiple vulnerabilities and exacerbating social tensions. This panel will examine the correlation between climate change and conflicts.

The worsening of the food security challenge in Africa
Africa is at a pivotal juncture, demanding careful consideration of measures needed to strengthen food security for its people. This panel will therefore examine Africa's resilience to the enduring challenge of food security in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

African fragile states in times of uncertainty
State fragility remains a major obstacle to stability in Africa. This panel will reflect on how best to deal with post-conflict situations and discuss the right approach to help fragile states rebuild sustainably.

Report Discussion: Annual Report on Africa’s Geopolitics
The Policy Center for the New South is launching the fifth edition of the Annual Report of Africa’s Geopolitics. This new edition will focus on the continent’s socio-political and security situation in 2021. This year's retrospective work on Africa aims not only to recount last year’s highlights but also to detect trends and weak signals, through diverse analyses, so as to forecast future developments on the continent. The book gives a voice to African authors to develop an African narrative on the continent’s affairs. The aim of this publication is not to give Africa an artificial embellishment; however, its ambition is to describe Africa as it is; with its setbacks, but also its progress, ambitions, and opportunities. The report is in line with the Policy Center’s vision of a new South; a South that is aware of its limitations and vulnerabilities, yet strong because of its potential, means, and genius. This vision also advocates for the South to position itself in an ever-changing world.
Simultaneous translation in Arabic and French available.  

 

For more information, please reach out to Zakaria Jouhari, Partnerships Manager, at: z.jouhari@policycenter.ma.

July 20th, 2022

14h00-14h30 

Registration & welcome coffee

14h30-14h40  

Opening remarks
- Rachid El Houdaigui,
Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South – MOROCCO

14h40-15h10

Keynote address
- Bankole Adeoye,
Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission – NIGERIA
- Fouad Yazourh, Ambassador, Director General of Bilateral Relations and Regional Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad – MOROCCO
- Lieutenant General Daniel Sidiki Traoré, Force Commander, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) – BURKINA FASO

15h10-15h55

Panel 1:  The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Africa

Chair:
- Bakary Sambe, Regional Director, Timbuktu Institute - African Center for Peace Studies – SENEGAL

Speakers:
- Andrea Grazioso, Senior Analyst, NATO Strategic Direction – South Hub – ITALY
- Major General Francis Ofori, Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, KAIPTC – GHANA
- Licina Simão, Coordinator, Atlantic Centre – PORTUGAL

15h55-16h25

Discussion

16h25-16h45

Coffee Break

16h45-17h30

Panel 2: Conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Africa

Chair:
- Leon Hartwell, Senior Advisor for the Central and South Eastern European Programme (CSEEP) at IDEAS, London School of Economics
– USA

Speakers:    
- Jalal Abdel-Latif,
Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South – ETHIOPIA
- General Birame Diop, Military Adviser, Office of Military Affairs, Department  of Peace Operations, United Nations – SENEGAL

- General Mohamed Znagui Sid’Ahmed Ely, Head of Defense and Security Department, G5 Sahel – MAURITANIA

17h30-18h00

Discussion

19h30-21h00

Dinner

July 21st, 2022

10h00-10h45

Panel 3: The worsening of the food security challenge in Africa
Chair:
- Eniola Mafe, Founder/ Principal, EMA Advisory and Lead for 2030Vision Initiative – NIGERIA

Speakers:
- Mohamed Ait Kadi,
President, General Council of Agricultural Development – MOROCCO
- Michael David Terungwa, Founder, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation – NIGERIA
- Hamza Rkha Chaham, Co-founder and Managing Director, SOWIT – MOROCCO

10h45-11h15

Discussion

11h15-11h30

Coffee Break

11h30-12h15

Panel 4: Security implications of climate change in Africa

Chair:
- Serge Daniel Gbogbohoundada, Journalist and Writer – BENIN, FRANCE

Speakers:
- Yonas Adaye Adeto, Commissioner, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission – ETHIOPIA
- Fatma Ahmed, Capacity Building Specialist, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – SWEDEN
- Rama Yade, Senior Director, Atlantic Council Africa Center – SENEGAL, FRANCE

12h15-12h45

Discussion

12h45-14h15

Lunch Break

14h15-15h00

Panel 5: African fragile states in times of uncertainty

Chair:
- Badreddine El Harti, Chief, Ceasefire Monitoring Component, United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) – LIBYA

Speakers:
- Younes Abouyoub, Director, Governance and State-Building (MENA Region), United Nations – MOROCCO, USA
- Fadel Sereme, Specialist in organizational engineering and planning & Expert in marketing management and conflict management – BURKINA FASO
- Gilles Yabi, Founder and Executive Director, WATHI – BENIN

15h00-15h30

Discussion

15h30-15h45

Coffee break

15h45-16h30

Report discussion: Annual Report on Africa’s Geopolitics

Keynote:
- Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South – MOROCCO

Chair
- Nchimunya Hamukoma, Head: Funder Partnerships & Strategic Projects, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator – SOUTH AFRICA

Speakers:
- Nezha Alaoui M’Hammdi, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South – MOROCCO
- Lassina Diarra, Researcher and Consultant, Centre for Strategies and Security for the Sahel Sahara –  IVORY COAST
- Sâ Benjamin Traoré, Professor of Law, Faculty of Governance, Economics and Social Sciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (FGSES-UM6P) – BURKINA FASO

16h30-17h00

Discussion

17h00-17h10

Closing remarks
- Karim El Aynaoui,
Executive President, Policy Center for the New South – MOROCCO

Speakers
Jalal Abdel-Latif
Ethiopia
Senior Fellow
Jalal Abdel-Latif is Senior Fellow at Policy Center for the New South and Senior Social Policy Advisor, Gender and Poverty, Social Policy Division, UNECA. Jalal has over 25 years of professional experience in the areas of corporate social responsibility, civic engagement, grant making, project design and enhancing the capacities of non-profit organizations. He began his career as researcher and capacity analyst at UCLA African studies center, before working as Grants manager for USA for Africa (the We Are the World project) in California. He was also a co-founder and CEO of Inter-Africa Group, a regional think thank.  He was previously appointed by the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia to serve on the Ethiopian Telecommunications Board of Directors to assist in its modernization ...
Younes Abouyoub
Morocco, Usa
Director, Governance and State-Building (MENA Region), United Nations
Younes Abouyoub is a senior United Nations official with a long experience in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, governance, and sustainable development. He previously worked as the Director of the political office of the UN Under-Secretary General for Conflict Prevention; Senior political advisor to the UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Burundi. He directed the political office of the UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Yemen and acted as his Senior special advisor. Among several other positions with the United Nations, Mr Abouyoub was also the senior political officer in charge of the regional affairs in the UN political mission to Libya (UNSMIL), and Senior Regional Expert in the Un Security Council Panel of Experts on Sudan (Darfur). He has also worked in different ...
Bankole Adeoye
Nigeria
Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission
Bankole Adeoye is a Pan-African Career Diplomat with over 3 and half decades of experience. A strong advocate of Africa’s regional integration and inclusive partnerships, Ambassador Adeoye building synergy across Africa for good governance, durable champions the peace, security and sustainable development. Ambassador Adeoye assumed office as the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security on 15th March 2021, having been elected in February 2021 during the 34th AU Summit. Prior to this appointment, he served as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the AU and the UNECA and Ambassador to Ethiopia with concurrent accreditation to Djibouti from 2017 to 2020. With educational qualifications including B.A. (Political Science & History – Ife) and MSc ...
Yonas Adeye Adeto
Commissioner, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission and Former Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS)
Associate Professor of Peace Studies, Former Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University (AAU); Current Commissioner, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC). He has published peer reviewed articles in international journals, and edited book chapters on: Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Security Sector Governance, Peace Education, Preventing Violent Extremism/Terrorism, Diplomacy, International Relations and Global as well as Regional Security. He has taught at Addis Ababa University over twenty-five years and is currently offering various courses related to theories, issues and praxis of Peace, Global and Regional Security to MA and PhD programmes at IPSS and elsewhere in Africa and beyond. Dr. Adeto holds a PhD in Peace Stud ...
Fatma Ahmed
Sweden
Capacity Building Specialist, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
As the Capacity Building Specialist at the UNDP Regional Programme for Africa, Fatma Ahmed supports the African Union on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. For over 9 years, she has worked across Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, focusing on stabilization, early recovery initiatives, countering and preventing violent extremism and conflict prevention. Fatma formerly acted as the Deputy Chief of Party during the establishment and setting up of the IGAD Center of Excellence in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in the Horn and East Africa region. ...
Mohamed Ait Kadi
Morocco
President, General Council of Agricultural Development
Pr. Mohamed Ait-Kadi is currently President of the General Council of Agricultural Development. The Council is a high-level policy think tank of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Development and Forestry in Morocco where he has also served as Secretary General and Director General of the Irrigation Department. He is President of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation AAA (Adaptation of African Agriculture to climate change) Mohamed is a member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology and Professor at the Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II. He is also a member of the Academy of Agriculture of France, Oslo International Water Academy and the International Advisory Panel of the Bioeconomy World Summit.. ...
Nezha Alaoui M’hammdi
Senior Fellow
Mrs. Nezha Alaoui M’Hammdi is Senior Fellow at Policy Center for the New South (since 2020) and the current Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco to Ethiopia and Djibouti since 2016. She has served as first Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco after its return to the African Union by 2017, and to the Peace and Security Council of the AU (April 2018). She is currently Dean of the Council of Arab League Ambassadors to Ethiopia She also served from 2013 to 2016 as an Ambassador of Morocco to Ghana, Togo and Benin, being the first Moroccan female Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Africa. After joining the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco in 1989, Mrs. Nezha Alaoui M’Hammdi served mainly in Italy and Ghana. During her assignment, from 2 ...
Abdelhak Bassou
Senior Fellow
Abdelhak Bassou is a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. He is also an Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Bassou has had an extensive career in Moroccan National Security, where he served in various capacities including as head of the border division from 1978 to 1993. He was the former director of the Royal Institute of Police in 1998 and served as Head of Regional Security (Errachidia 1999-2003, Sidi Kacem 2003-2005) and as Central Director of General Intelligence from 2006 to 2009.   He holds a master's degree in political science and international studies from the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Social Sciences in Rabat. His academic research delves into inte ...
Hamza Rkha Chaham
Morocco
Co-founder and Managing Director, SOWIT
Hamza is the co-founder of SOWIT, a start-up providing decision support systems to African farmers. He is a 2018 Marshall German Fund and Policy Center for the New South Emerging Leader. SOWIT is incorporated in France, Morocco and Senegal and leverages all the power of remote-sensing, AI and agronomy to provide key insights to farmers enabling them to optimize crucial operations such as fertilization or harvest. Hamza is co-author of the landmark report published by the African Union entitled “Drones on the horizon: Transforming Africa’s Agriculture”. The report forms the basis upon which the AU Executive Council issued the Decision  EX. CL/Dec. 986-1007 (XXXII), recommending all Member States harness the opportunities offered by drones for precision agriculture. ...
Lassina Diarra
Ivory Coast
Researcher and Consultant, Centre for Strategies and Security for the Sahel Sahara
Lassina Diarra has a degree in political science. He is a teacher-researcher at the University Institute of Abidjan and at the École nationale supérieure des armées du Bénin. Lassina is currently a researcher at Timbuktu Institute in Dakar. His research focuses on security and defense issues in West Africa, particularly terrorism and violent extremism in the West African region. He is the author of several books including ECOWAS face to transnational terrorism mechanisms and strategies of fight Ed. L'Harmattan and scientific articles: Facing Terrorism Radicalization and perception of the terrorist threat in the extreme north of Côte d'Ivoire: the case of Bounkani.  ...
General Birame Diop
Military Adviser, Office of Military Affairs, Department of Peace Operations, United Nations
General Birame Diop was born in Thies, Senegal on 29th March 1961. After completing his Secondary Education, the General joined Senegal Airforce initially completing training at the Royal School of Marrakech, Morocco. During his illustrious career, the General had held numerous key positions. Notably, he was appointed as Chief of the Airforce on promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in January 2015. He remained the Chief of Staff of the Private Staff of the President of Senegal from November 2017 to December 2019. On his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General in January 2020, he took over as the Chief of the General Staff of the Senegal Armed Forces. He was promoted to the rank of Airforce General in January 2021. General Diop has a vast working experience as part ...
Karim El Aynaoui
Executive President
Karim El Aynaoui is Executive President of the Policy Center for the New South. He is also Executive Vice-President of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Dean of its Humanities, Economics and Social Sciences Cluster.   Karim El Aynaoui is an economist. From 2005 to 2012, he worked at the Central Bank of Morocco where he held the position of Director of Economics, Statistics, and International Relations. At the Central Bank of Morocco, he was in charge of the Research Department and equally a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. Previously, he worked for eight years at the World Bank as an Economist for its regional units of the Middle East and North Africa and Africa.   Karim El Aynaoui has published books and journal articles on macroeconomic issues in developing countr ...
Badreddine El Harti
Director, Security Institutions Service, United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)
Mr. Badreddine El harti is currently Director, Security Institutions Service for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. He served in 2021-2022 as  Head, Ceasefire Monitoring Component in Libya too. Previously,  he was the UN Special Adviser to the President of Burkina Faso for national security (2017-2021) and the Deputy Chief of policy at the UN Secretariat in New York (2011-2015). He has served and supported UN engagement in mediation, human security, Security Sector Governance, Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration and Protection of Civilians in Haiti, Central African Republic, Libya, Yemen and Syria.,  He has also held senior responsibilities with the Moroccan defense institution as Chief of research and of training & equipment. Badreddine holds a PhD in ...
Rachid El Houdaigui
Senior Fellow
Rachid El Houdaïgui is a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South and an Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. He also serves as a professor of International Relations at Abdelmalek Essaadi University's Law Faculty in Tangier. His expertise encompasses international relations, geopolitics, defense and security, focusing on the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and the Arab world. He also serves as a professor at the Royal College of Advanced Military Studies in Kenitra and is a visiting professor at Cergy-Pontoise University (Paris), Cadiz University (Spain), and La Sagesse University (Beirut, Lebanon).   He is the founder of the Moroccan-Spanish review "Peace and International Security" and oversees the Observatory of Mediterranean Studies ...
Serge Daniel Gbogbohoundada
Benin, France
Journalist and Writer
Journalist-writer of Franco-Beninese nationality, Serge Daniel Gbogbohoundada is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Lille (France). He is the winner of the Norbert Zongo Prize for the best investigative journalist of the continent (2019) and Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et de la Culture in France. He is also the author of four reference books on the Sahel and the former Ivorian rebellion ...
Andrea Grazioso
Italy
Senior Analyst, NATO Strategic Direction – South Hub
Graduated in Economic and Financial Politics, he spent 14 years working as an analyst both in Italy and abroad with primary think tanks, including RAND Corporation in Washington D.C., Centre for Defence Studies and Caucasus Policy Institute of the King’s College of London, ISIS Europe in Brussels, as well as in the Italian Centre for High Defence Studies, Military Centre for Strategic Studies (CeMiSS). Adjunct Professor at Pavia University since 2011, from 2012 to 2018 he was Senior Civil Servant (Dirigente) in the Office of the Italian Minister of Defence, and Advisor to the Minister for politico-military matters and for academic activities. Among his achievements, he was co-author of the Ministerial Directive for Military Policy of 2012 and of the Italian Defence Whi ...
Nchimunya Hamukoma
South Africa
Head: Funder Partnerships & Strategic Projects, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Nchimunya Hamukoma is the Head: Funder Partnerships & Strategic Projects Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a South African based youth employment organization serving 2.5 million young people through their online mobile platform SAYouth.In her role she is responsible for driving and incubating new priority sectors within the organization  such as Micro- enterprise  and Agriculture and  working with funder partners to co-create impactful grant programs. She is an economist & policy strategist passionate about optimizing the conditions for human thriving. Her work focuses on understanding the building blocks of Africa's future and helping governments and organizations solve complex problems. During Covid-19 she worked with organizations to forecast the trajectory of ...
Leon Hartwell
USA
Senior Advisor for the Central and South Eastern European Programme (CSEEP) at IDEAS, London School of Economics
Dr. Leon Hartwell is the Senior Advisor for the Central and South Eastern European Programme (CSEEP) and a Sotirov Fellow at IDEAS, the London School of Economics, and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington D.C.  His research interests include conflict resolution, genocide, transitional justice, diplomacy, and democracy. Previously, Hartwell was CEPA’s Acting Director of the Transatlantic Leadership Program and a Title VIII Fellow.  From 2012 to 2013, he was also the Senior Policy Advisor for Political and Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe, where his work included government and civil society engagement, political reporting, peace building projects, and supporting human ri ...
Eniola Mafe
Nigeria
Founder/ Principal, EMA Advisory and Lead for 2030Vision Initiative
Eniola Mafe is a strategist and international development leader with a track record of over 15 years in facilitating high-level engagement, frameworks for systemic change, program implementation and effective strategy for sustainable development in developing countries. She is the Founder and Principal at Eniola Mafe Advisory focused on helping those who think differently and those who want to think differently about development and social impact. Eniola led the growth and development of 2030 Vision Initiative, focused on harnessing 4IR technologies to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals within the next decade. In partnership with UNDP, Arm and more than 20 top technology companies, this platform provides a focal point to mobilize more concerted and coope ...
Major General Francis Ofori
Ghana
Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, KAIPTC
Major General Francis Ofori is the Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). Maj Gen Francis Ofori was commissioned into the Engineer Corps of the Ghana Army in August 1985. He has successfully completed all his mandatory career progression courses. The courses include the Junior Command and Staff Course at the Command and Staff College, Jaji, Nigeria, Combat Team Commander’s Course at Army Combat Training School (Ghana), Senior Command and Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College and Comparative Command and Staff Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth. Gen Ofori also attended the German Army Engineer School, Munich, Germany, the United States Army Engineer School, F ...
Bakary Sambe
Senegal
Regional Director, Timbuktu Institute - African Center for Peace Studies
Dr. Bakary Sambe was born in 1972 in Mbour. He is the regional director of the Timbuktu Institute - African Center for Peace Studies (Dakar, Niamey, Bamako). Founder of the Observatory of Radicalisms and Religious Conflicts in Africa, Sambe is a teacher-researcher at the Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis (Senegal). His current work focuses on endogenous strategies, cross-border dynamics, and the testing of agile approaches in crisis zones. As an expert for the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, etc., he designed and led the advocacy for the implementation of the G5 Sahel Regional Cell for the Prevention and Counter-Radicalization (CELLRAD), accompanied the process of developing national strategies in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and the Central African ...
Fadel Sereme
Burkina Faso
Specialist in organizational engineering and planning & Expert in marketing management and conflict management
Fadel Sereme is a specialist in organizational engineering and planning; an expert in marketing management and conflict management. He graduated from the University of Ouagadougou and the African Institute of Management in law and international business. Young and experienced, he has several strings to his bow. Indeed, he has held positions in the public administration, in political bodies and associations, as well as in the private sector. Currently a politician and businessman in Burkina Faso, Mr. Sereme began his professional career in the private sector as head of studies, planning and training of I2E consulting from 2012 to 2017. Then, he occupied the position of commercial manager of COGEFA / ex OBOUF group one of the largest distribution companies in Burkina Faso. Bel ...
General Mohamed Znagui Sid’Ahmed Ely
Mauritania
Head of Defense and Security Department, G5 Sahel
He did his primary and secondary studies in Mauritania before joining the Royal Military Academy of Meknes in Morocco from 1978 to 1981 where he followed his initial training as an officer. He occupied several functions in Command, in Schools and in Staff before completing his higher education in Mauritania, in France and in China. He then reached the high functions of Command and Staff before joining the Military Diplomacy. He was appointed to the rank of Brigadier General on January 1, 2012 and was appointed Chief of the Joint Staff Committee CEMOC in Tamanrasset then Inspector General of the Armed Forces and Security before being admitted to the reserve on February 20, 2014. General Znagui is currently a Defense and Security expert at the G5 Sahel. He is married with 6 ...
Lieutenant General Daniel Sidiki Traoré
Burkina Faso
Force Commander, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)
Lieutenant-General Sidiki Daniel TRAORE attended the Royal Military Academy (RMA) in Meknes (Morocco) from 1978 to 1981 and the Mechanized Infantry Basic Officer Course at Fort Benning (Georgia) in 1982.  He graduated from the Ecole de Guerre de l'Ecole Militaire de Paris. Lieutenant-General Traoré has held senior positions in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso.  General Traoré has also participated in various high-level courses, workshops, and seminars on peace operations, the most important of which are listed below: The 6th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa which was held from November 18-19, 2019. The 3rd Annual African Peace and Security Conference (APSACO) organized by the Policy Center for the New South in Rabat, Morocco, fro ...
Licina Simão
Portugal
Coordinator, Atlantic Centre
Licínia Simão holds a PhD in International Relations and is assistant professor at the School of Economics of the University of Coimbra, where she teaches in International Relations. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, in the same university. As of December 2018, she has been on official duty as a staff member in the office of the Portuguese Minister of Defence, where she has been coordinating the Atlantic Centre initiative since August 2021. She has several academic publications in national and international journals and editors. She is an auditor to the National Defence Course and is a member of several reflection groups at the National Defence Institute, namely dealing with the Atlantic and National Strategy. ...
David Michael Terungwa
Nigeria
Founder, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation
Michael Terungwa David is an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging leader and the founder GIFSEP- Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation based in Nigeria. He is the Africa Regional Coordinator for Citizens Climate International and also an Executive Board member of NGO Committee on Sustainable Development- NY. David is a PhD candidate in Environmental Management, a Master’s degree in Environmental Planning and Projection, a degree in Agricultural Engineering with a specialization in Soil and Water Management and a post graduate certificate in Renewable energy. David is the author of a book: Understanding Climate Change- A guide for Secondary Schools in Nigeria. His notable initiatives include: Trees and Gardens for all, School for Internally Displaced Persons Ca ...
Sâ Benjamin Traoré
Professor of Law, Faculty of Governance, Economics and Social Sciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (FGSES-UM6P)
Professor Traoré holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), an LLM in International Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and a Master in Public Law from the University from Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Prior to joining UM6P, Prof Traoré worked as the Project Manager for the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA). His work and research focused on the role of law in regulating business-related human rights and environmental impacts in Africa, traditional fields of international law and international relations, peace and security in Africa, human rights, international humanitarian law as well as the law related to refugees and internally displaced persons. He has published many academic articles ...
Gilles Yabi
Founder and Executive Director, WATHI
Gilles Olakounlé Yabi is the founder and CEO of WATHI, the West Africa Citizen Think Tank launched in 2015. WATHI is a unique participative and multidisciplinary citizen-focused think tank on West African issues (www.wathi.org). Gilles Yabi worked as senior political analyst and later as West Africa Project Director of the International Crisis Group, a think tank dedicated to conflict prevention and resolution. He led the research, policy, advocacy and media work of Crisis Group in West Africa and worked particularly on the political crises and conflicts in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Nigeria. Holding a Ph.D in Development economics from the University of Clermont-Ferrand in France, Gilles Yabi also worked as a journalist for the weekly magazine Jeune Afriqu ...
Rama Yade
Director, Africa Center Atlantic Council
Ambassador Rama Yade is director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center and senior fellow for the Europe Center. She is also a teacher of African affairs at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco and, since 2017, at Sciences Po Paris. Prior to joining the Council, she was a consultant for the World Bank, advising the institution on education, youth, sports, human capital, and disability issues in Africa. She also has strong experience in the private sector as an editor in London, where she overviewed a collection of books about African millennials, and as director for development at a French consulting firm in corporate and social responsibility. Ambassador Yade has over a decade of experience working in French, European, and international politics. At the age of thirt ...
Fouad Yazourh
Morocco
Ambassador, Director General of Bilateral Relations and Regional Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad
Fouad Yazourh is a career diplomat with over 30 years of experience. A strong advocate for Morocco’s foreign policy, he has held a wide variety of roles in Morocco’s diplomatic infrastructure. He is currently Director General of Bilateral Relations and Regional Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, assuming office in February 2018. Prior to this appointment, Ambassador Yazourh held several strategic positions supporting Morocco’s foreign policy. From 2003 to 2006, Ambassador Yazourh served as Minister Advisor to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Madrid. In 2006, Ambassador Yazourh was appointed Director of Communication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Ambassador Yazourh served in this role until ...