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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) has said that it will host a discussion to come up with ideas for strengthening democratic government and security throughout the continent.
Important participants from all over the continent will gather in Abuja for the conference which is themed: “The Africa We Want and the United Nations We Want”. to discuss the problems that African nations are currently facing and to devise solutions.
The dialogue was co-sponsored by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, Abuja, the Stimson Centre in Washington DC; One earth Future foundation based in the USA; the US Institute of Peace; Humanity United Foundation, among others.
Ibrahim Gambari, the founder of SCDDD and a former chief of staff to former President Mohamadu Buhari, stated at a news conference held in Abuja recently that the rapidly evolving dynamics in the global system necessitate critical analysis and significant strategic changes in the organisation.
Represented by Head Research, Abdulwahab Ademola Lawal, he said: “The Conference will be attended by mainly African experts from different African and Global Think Tanks, Universities, Civil Society Organizations, the private Sector and global/regional organizations including the UN, African Union and the ECOWAS.
Gambari said the conversations would focus mainly on five major thematic areas considered as the most crucial to Africa: Peace, Security and Defense;
Sustainable Development and Democratic Governance; Human Rights and Humanitarian Action; Climate Governance and; Rules-Based World Order and the place of Africa in Global Governance.”
Speaking on the objective of the dialogue, he said: “The objectives of the conference are:
To convene leading policy Researchers, Practitioners and Advocates from Africa and around the world to discuss and recommend specific regional and global Institutional policy and operational innovations that could promote African perspectives and priorities.
“To establish a new platform for African Policy Researchers and Advocates to critically discuss and advance policy research on “What Africa Wants” and the type of relationship the continent needs to have with the UN, its agencies and the International Financial Institutions;
“To strengthen the African Union, the ECOWAS and other Regional Economic groups and the UN Collaboration, including through The New Agenda For Peace, Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.”
Also, while bemoaning the poor state of security in the Sahel, Gambari called for, as a matter of urgency, the evacuation of armories in the Sahel.
His words: “All Africans are worried about security in Africa, and in particular, the Sahel as you are aware the problem of Sahel is the International meddlesomeness. International meddlesomeness in that all powers are already there, with influx of arms and ammunition.
“Remember that it started with Libya. Immediately Muhammed Gaddafi was removed from power, all the arsenal and the armory of Libya were let loose and that has created a lot of challenges.
“And I think that the first and most important thing for us as Africans is to ensure that arms and ammunition are mopped up and properly removed from this Sahel. It has to be removed.”
