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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250918
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250920
DTSTAMP:20251020T194354Z
CREATED:20251009T194438Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T194354Z
UID:10000905-1758153600-1758326399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:September 2025 African University Seminar Series\, South Africa (AUSS-SA)
DESCRIPTION:The African University Seminar Series\, South Africa (AUSS-SA)\, was hosted from September 18 to 19\, 2025\, at the University of the Witwatersrand\, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg. Under the theme “South Africa at the Crossroads: Reflections on Inequality\, Peacebuilding\, Security\, and Development\,” conveners invited current and former APN and Next Gen fellows based in South Africa to showcase their research and collaborate. \nCo-Chairs of the Local Organizing Committee of the AUSS-SA\, Ms. Kgomotso Komane (Next Gen 2024 & 2025) and Dr. Anselmo Matusse (Next Gen 2020)\, welcomed attendees to the inaugural national seminar of the AUSS-SA\, highlighting that the event would be a space “to share knowledge\, sharpen ideas\, and build a community that can pave the way towards conviviality and endurable peacebuilding in the country and beyond.” \n \nRemarks delivered on behalf of Dr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen\, expressed his expectation that the seminar would be a highly productive exchange of ideas and would shape the future of building an integrated knowledge community in South Africa. \nWelcoming remarks were made by Dr. Ekeminiabasi Eyita-Okon\, representative of the Head of the Wits School of Governance\, University of Witwatersrand\, and Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli (APN 2018)\, Head of Department and Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg\, who spoke on behalf of Prof. Trynos Gumbo\, Head of the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg. \nProf. Shose Kessi\, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Professor in the Department of Psychology\, University of Cape Town\, delivered the Day One Keynote Address\, “The Role of African University in Advancing Social Justice.” By considering the post-independence geopolitical landscape within which African communities imagine themselves\, she argued that Pan-African identity is most often defined and shaped by the nation-state and African elite\, rather than by all Africans. She demonstrated how African scholars can utilize participatory action research methods to challenge epistemic violence and mobilize people to contribute to the imagination of the national community. In particular\, she presented her utilization of the photovoice method\, which involves marginalized community members photographing their communities\, discussing their own ideas of unity and solidarity\, and embracing Pan-African ideas; thereby\, participating in shaping their futures. She concluded that contributing to social justice requires multiple approaches\, methodologies\, and contributions to institutional building\, as well as viewing academia as a potential space of resistance and healing. \nPanel 1\, Governance\, Violence\, and the Criminalised State\, was moderated by Dr. Garikai Chaunza (Next Gen 2023). With presentations by Dr. Tapiwa Madimu (APN 2020)\, Dr. Sisanda Mguzulwa (Next Gen 2016 & 2018)\, Ms. Kimberley Usher (Next Gen 2019)\, Mr. Mpumezo Ralo (Next Gen 2019)\, Dr. Carina Bruwer (Next Gen 2017)\, and Prof. Anthony C. Diala (Next Gen 2014 & 2015)\, the panel displayed various gaps within the existing South African government policies related to informal economies in mining and native plant harvesting\, community participation in criminal justice systems\, and legitimacy and uneven development of healthcare\, economies\, and security being experienced at the margins.  Consequently\, these policy and theoretical lapses have furthered the experiences of inequality and precarity for those most vulnerable. \nPanel 2\, Identity\, Belonging\, and the Afterlives of Apartheid\, included presentations from Dr. Sifiso Ndlovu (Next Gen 2015)\, Dr. Tamuka Chekero (Next Gen 2019\, 2020\, & 2021)\, Mr. Bambo Miti (Next Gen 2022)\, and Dr. Keneuoe Thibello-Maphosa (Next Gen 2023)\, and was moderated by Dr. Silindile Mlilo (Next Gen 2024). The panel highlighted diverse experiences of migrant\, racial\, and gendered identities\, their interactions with the state\, and the creation of their own places of belonging within communities\, including the establishment of their own support networks and involvement in religious spaces\, as well as how they contest notions of the state and nationhood in South Africa. \nThe film “Inkululeko: Queering democracy and inequality in the everyday afterlives of apartheid\,” by Prof. Hlengiwe Ndlovu (Next Gen 2016 & 2019 & APN 2025)\, documents her interviews with people in Duncan Village about how they define and conceptualize Democracy. The documentary and interviews revealed the consequences of post-Apartheid uneven development and reconciliation processes that have not involved African ontologies and epistemologies in the governance systems built in the wake of the Apartheid state: “South Africans didn’t fight for democracy\, they fought for Inkululeko\, for freedom.” \nIn Panel 3\, Memory\, Resistance\, and Youth Struggles\, presentations were made by Mr. Kagiso Nko (Next Gen 2024)\, Dr. Stephen Temitope David (Next Gen 2017)\, Dr. Thatshisiwe Ndlovu (Next Gen 2017\, 2021\, & 2023 & APN 2024)\, Ms. Gorata Chengeta (Next Gen 2025)\, and Ms. Medina Moosa (Next Gen 2023 & 2024). Moderated by Prof. Hlengiwe Ndlovu\, the panel focused on recent and historic movements\, including online hashtag movements with lasting impact on the experiences of Black students at historically white South African universities\, the need to reconsider the carceral strategies to address sexual violence with a feminist abolitionist approach\, and the influence of international Mujahadeen movements for their contributions to the South African Apartheid struggle. Additionally\, the everyday resistance of work and hustle culture for survival\, as well as the unfinished business of Apartheid memory. \nTo conclude the activities of Day One\, a discussion was facilitated in which attendees reflected on how this knowledge community should organize moving forward\, as well as on their shared research focus and experiences in academic spaces. While attendees recognized the frustrations and ongoing challenges faced by scholars\, there was also an acknowledgement of the gains that have been made\, as well as what needs to change further. \nResuming on Day Two\, Prof. Cori Wielenga (APN 2013)\, Head of Centre for Mediation in Africa and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science\, University of Pretoria\, gave the Keynote Address\, “A relational approach to peacebuilding\, security and development in Africa\,” Prof. Wielenga problematized the ongoing and cyclical nature of conflicts addressed through the existing mediation toolkit\, recognizing that individuals and communities are not typically taught to mediate conflicts. She argued for the need to radically rethink peace mediation\, centering on the critical importance of relationships\, to disrupt the current peacebuilding market. To do so\, she advocated for the collective political act of resistance through anti-hegemonic and anti-imperial love\, which fosters radical self-love\, community care\, and a commitment to building ethical relations between people and with the land\, thereby dismantling oppressive systems and affirming a shared\, humanized existence beyond colonial power structures. \nPanel 4\, Peacebuilding\, Traditional Authority\, and Religion\, moderated by Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli\, included presentations from Mr. Gerald Mandisodza (Next Gen 2023)\, Ms. Kgomotso Komane\, Dr. Tyne Williams (Next Gen 2024)\, Ms. Pretty Abraham (Next Gen 2025)\, Dr. Edmore Chitukutuku (Next Gen 2013 & 2015 & APN 2018)\, and Dr. Garikai Chaunza. The panel of scholars presented cases that highlighted the need for Indigenous knowledge and religion\, traditional authority\, and women’s leadership in peacebuilding processes\, acknowledging where these important facets of African knowledge have been historically excluded from peacebuilding. The panel concluded with an important reflection and a caution to scholars to maintain a “responsibility to understand South African historiography” when conducting work. \nPanel 5\, Environmental Justice\, Space\, and Everyday Violence\, was moderated by Dr. Anselmo Matusse\, with presentations made by Dr. Margaret Monyani (Next Gen 2017\, 2018\, & 2019 & APN 2025)\, Prof. Thulisile Mphambukeli\, Mrs. Safiyya Goga (Next Gen 2017)\, Dr. Samson Faboye (Next Gen 2023)\, and Ms. Tamia Botes (Next Gen 2024). This final panel encompassed diverse everyday interactions within communities\, particularly South African communities in Black townships\, those proximate to national borders\, or within large urban centers\, which take on roles of social ordering and justice from the state by reproducing and contesting migrant communities\, crime\, or foreign identities. Through various processes\, they negotiate the making and remaking of place in the post-Apartheid context of South Africa. \nThe inaugural AUSS-SA event concluded with messages of gratitude for the attendees\, Keynote speakers\, Local Organizing Committee\, and University administrators. The event was supported by the African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social Sciences and Africa (APN and Next Gen)\, with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY).
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/september-2025-african-university-seminar-series-south-africa-auss-sa/
CATEGORIES:Africa
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250925
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250926
DTSTAMP:20251113T181422Z
CREATED:20251113T181240Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T181422Z
UID:10000908-1758758400-1758844799@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Event Report: ASAA 2025 — Developing African Frameworks for Navigating Peace Vulnerabilities in an Emerging Post-COVID World Order
DESCRIPTION:The African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) sponsored a panel at the African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA) 2025 Conference\, held on September 25\, 2025\, at the University of Cape Verde. Under the theme “Developing African Frameworks for Navigating Peace Vulnerabilities in an Emerging Post-COVID World Order\,” the panel brought together fellows to examine how African actors are re-imagining resilience and peacebuilding in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. \n \nDr. Titilope F. Ajayi (Institute for Security Studies / Next Gen 2017 & 2019\, APN IRF 2018) who moderated the session welcomed participants and introduced the APN and Next Gen’s mission of strengthening African scholarship on peace and development\, and underscored the panel’s goal of exploring self-determined approaches to recovery and transformation. \nDr. Johannes John-Langba (University of KwaZulu-Natal . APN IRF 2015) presented his paper\, “Beyond Dependency: Reclaiming Public Health Sovereignty in Post-COVID Africa.” Drawing on the WHO Health Systems Performance Assessment Framework\, he examined Africa-led efforts to achieve public health autonomy\, highlighting local vaccine manufacturing\, investment in national health systems\, and policy ownership. “COVID-19 was a wake-up call for all of us\,” he noted\, underscoring that the pandemic revealed both the vulnerabilities of African health systems and the need to move beyond dependency. \nDr. Rosette Sifa Vuninga (University of Cape Town\, APN IRF 2024) followed with “How Does Being Part of the SADC Help Us? Interrogating the Economic and Political Benefits of DR Congo’s Southern African Development Community Membership from the Perspectives of Congolese Immigrants in South Africa.” Her presentation explored the disconnect between South Africa’s regional peacebuilding role in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its domestic treatment of Congolese refugees. Using digital ethnography and interviews with community leaders\, she demonstrated that post-COVID regional security responses often remain detached from humanitarian realities\, highlighting the need for inclusive\, refugee-sensitive domestic policies to complement African-led peace initiatives. \nIn her own presentation\, “Whose Recovery? Centering Gender Justice in Africa’s Post-COVID Reconstruction\,” Dr. Ajayi examined the gendered dimensions of the pandemic’s aftermath. She argued that recovery frameworks are often skewed against women\, citing increases in gender-based violence\, child marriages\, and unpaid care burdens. Dr. Ajayi called for African feminist frameworks that foreground care\, accountability\, and collective well-being to ensure recovery that is not only inclusive\, but transformative. \n \nDr. Sean Maliehe (National University of Lesotho / APN IRF 2024) presented his paper on “Transnational Mobilities\, Post-COVID Responses\, and Peace in Southern Africa: Case Study of Mobile Money in Diepsloot\, South Africa.” Reflecting on fieldwork conducted between 2016 and 2023\, he analyzed how migrant networks developed transnational systems of trust\, remittance\, and economic exchange under precarious conditions. His analysis highlighted how economic pluralism and solidarity are critical for building inclusive African futures\, particularly in contexts where state responses remain exclusionary. \n  \nDr. Sokfa John (University of Pretoria / APN IRF 2024 & APN RPF 2025) concluded the panel with a paper titled\, “Post-Digital Praxis\, Local Power: Reimagining African Governance through Digital Transformation.” He demonstrated how rapid digitalization during the pandemic both enabled and constrained civic participation\, emphasizing the importance of grounding digital innovations in local epistemologies\, trust-building\, and conflict-sensitive design. \nDuring the discussion\, Dr. Rosette Sifa Vuninga asked about the role of traditional medicine in post-COVID recovery. In response\, Dr. Johannes John-Langba emphasized the importance of integrating mental health and community-based care into national health systems\, noting that traditional medicine can complement formal health services. The conversation eventually highlighted a shared commitment among panelists to centering African agency in post-pandemic recovery frameworks. \nIn his closing remarks\, Dr. Sofka John expressed gratitude to APN and Next Gen for creating spaces that “allow African researchers to pursue the work they believe in” and underscored the irreplaceable value of “meeting in person to build intellectual and social capital.” The session concluded with appreciation to the African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) program\, whose support made the panel possible\, and to the ASAA 2025 organizers and participants.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/event-report-asaa-2025-developing-african-frameworks-for-navigating-peace-vulnerabilities-in-an-emerging-post-covid-world-order/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250925T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250925T160000
DTSTAMP:20250926T181629Z
CREATED:20250822T170327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T181629Z
UID:10000903-1758812400-1758816000@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Creating Moves to Opportunity: Mixed Methods Evidence on Barriers to Neighborhood Choice
DESCRIPTION:About The Lecture\nLow-income families often live in neighborhoods with fewer opportunities to get ahead\, even when they have housing vouchers that would allow them to move to neighborhoods with more potential for upward mobility. In this SSRC lecture\, Johns Hopkins sociologist Stefanie DeLuca will explore why through two randomized interventions. In these experiments\, housing voucher recipients were given varying levels of information\, financial support\, and customized search assistance to move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. The treatment increased the share of those moving to high-upward-mobility areas from 15% to 53%. Qualitative interviews with participants in the program showed that the intervention increased families’ optimism about new neighborhoods and housing\, eased demands on families’ time and attention and addressed their specific needs. The combination of the two experiments and the qualitative data reveal that the customized support and search assistance provided by the program navigator staff was the necessary driver of the experimental impacts\, not financial assistance or information alone. These findings imply that many low-income families do not necessarily prefer to stay in low-opportunity areas and that barriers to housing searches significantly increase residential segregation by income. \nEvent Recording\n﻿ \n\nAbout Stefanie Deluca\nStefanie DeLuca is the James Coleman Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at the Johns Hopkins University\, where she directs the Poverty and Inequality Research Lab. \nDr. DeLuca uses sociological perspectives to inform education and housing policy\, and conducts mixed-methods studies that combine qualitative research with experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Some of her work focuses on the effects of programs to help low-income families relocate to safer neighborhoods and better schools through housing vouchers. Based on some of this work with young adults in the Baltimore site of the Moving to Opportunity program\, Professor DeLuca wrote a book\, Coming of Age in the Other America (with Susan Clampet-Lundquist and Kathryn Edin)\, which was named an Outstanding Academic Title from the American Library Association\, and won the William F. Goode Award from the American Sociological Association. Additional research examines how young adults make postsecondary decisions. Her work has been funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development\, National Science Foundation\, Russell Sage Foundation\, William T. Grant Foundation\, Annie E. Casey Foundation\, Spencer Foundation\, MacArthur Foundation\, Abell Foundation\, Smith Richardson Foundation\, National Academy of Education\, Gates Foundation and the Department of Education. \nIn 2021\, Dr. DeLuca received the ASA Publicly Engaged Scholar award and is an elected member of the Sociological Research Association. She currently serves on a NASEM consensus study on economic and social mobility in the U.S. \nDr. DeLuca earned a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Chicago\, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/creating-moves-to-opportunity-mixed-methods-evidence-on-barriers-to-neighborhood-choice/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250928
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250930
DTSTAMP:20251121T170347Z
CREATED:20251121T170323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251121T170347Z
UID:10000909-1759017600-1759190399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:African University Seminar Series Nigeria (AUSS-NG) Event Summary
DESCRIPTION:The African University Seminar Series Nigeria (AUSS-NG) held its inaugural seminar at the University of Abuja in Abuja\, Nigeria\, from September 27 to 28\, 2025. Funded by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation (Next Gen) Social Sciences in Africa Program and hosted by the Department of History & Diplomatic Studies\, University of Abuja\, the seminar assembled 26 APN and Next Gen fellows and alumni for a one-and-a-half-day convening on contemplating and “Reimagining Peace in Nigeria: Resilience\, Reconciliation\, Social Justice and Everyday Politics.” \nAn initiative by the APN and Next Gen Program to fund and support the self-organizing capabilities of APN and Next Gen fellows and alums in countries with critical numbers of fellows and alumni\, the African University Seminar Series is rooted in the principles of fostering a distinct APN and Next Gen community of fellowship award recipients that advance the goals of the Program by organizing a set of scholarly convenings that center on peacebuilding\, security\, and development within country-specific contexts while facilitating networking and mentorship activities for early\, mid and senior career scholars. The Program launched the first AUSS community in Kenya in 2023 and since launched others in South Africa and Nigeria. \nThe seminar opened with welcome remarks from Dr. Cyril Obi\, Program Director of the APN and Next Gen Program\, delivered by Program Assistant Ms. Maimouna Cherif. He acknowledged the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and the SSRC\, noting the Program’s impact: 840 fellowships awarded across Africa since 2012\, including 563 Next Gen and 277 APN awards. Dr. Obi emphasized the AUSS’s role in fostering a community of knowledge and practice\, highlighting the significance of launching the Nigerian chapter due to the strong contributions of fellows in Nigerian institutions. He concluded by thanking the University of Abuja’s Department of History and Diplomatic Studies\, the Faculty of Arts\, and the Local Organizing Committee for their support\, and he wished participants productive discussions. \nProfessor Muhammad Sani Umar\, representative for the Head of Department\, History and Diplomatic Studies\, University of Abuja\, followed with his own remarks. He commended the collaboration between the department and the program\, highlighting the SSRC’s impact since its inception\, and noting that it embraces the humanistic tradition of social sciences\, with a very high respect for the scholarly community. Addressing the timeliness of the seminar’s theme\, he emphasized the importance of “going back to the drawing board” in addressing the violence in the country. \nFollowing these remarks was a goodwill message from Professor Amuche U. Madu\, Dean of Arts. She is at the University of Abuja and expressed her gratitude for the SSRC’s APN and Next Gen Program’s collaboration with the university\, highlighting the importance of scholarly contributions to the topic of reimagining peace in Nigeria. LOC co-Chairs\, Dr. Joyce Agofure (APN IRF 2022)\, Senior Lecturer and Researcher\, Ahmadu Bello University\, and Dr. Sani Y Adam (APN IRF 2024 and Next Gen 2018\, 2\,019\, 2020)\, Lecturer\, Bayero University\, closed the opening session with a message of gratitude to the Program\, the AUSS-NG co-advisors\, the Department of History & Diplomatic Studies\, University of Abuja\, the keynote speaker\, and the fellows and alums for their astounding scholarship and the breadth and quality of the papers submitted for the seminar. \nProfessor Abosede Babatunde\, Professor at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies\, University of Ilorin\, delivered the keynote lecture\, “Reenvisioning the Local Turn in Peacebuilding: Traditional Leadership\, Community Resilience and the Management of Resource Conflicts in Nigeria.” Using Nigeria’s resource conflicts as an example\, Prof. Babatunde highlighted that although the idea of localizing peacebuilding sounds empowering in theory\, in practice\, it does not automatically\, “by itself\, lead to emancipation and can often promote exclusionary and divisive politics that contribute to violence.” Local contexts are often shaped by unequal power dynamics\, where traditional authorities and certain groups dominate access to resources and decision-making. “New approaches to managing resource conflicts must consider how interventions feed into the ‘politics of the local\,’” she urged. \nFollowing this\, panel sessions commenced. The first panel\, “Resource Conflicts\, Governance\, and Resistance\,” emphasized that conflicts over land\, forests\, and natural resources stem less from scarcity and more from corruption and poor governance. Presentations highlighted how marginalized actors resist state control and negotiate survival through resilience and local peacebuilding. Case studies from the Niger Delta and northern Nigeria showed how environmental degradation\, exploitation\, and unequal resource distribution deepen insecurity and mistrust between communities\, corporations\, and the state.The panel also explored the limitations of current conflict early warning systems and government interventions\, noting that top-down peace initiatives often fail to address local grievances. Underscored was that sustainable peace in Nigeria requires inclusive approaches that confront structural inequality and empower those affected by resource-based violence. Panelists included Dr. Alaba F. Ogwumike (Next Gen 2018\, 2019)\, Dr. Olugbenga S. Falas (Next Gen 2014\, 2016\, 2017\, 2020)\, Dr. Joyce Agofure (APN IRF 2022)\, Dr. Chukwudi G. Njoku (APN IRF 2025)\, Dr. Imomotimi Armstrong (APN IRF 2025)\, and Prof. Justin Agheyisi (APN IRF 2022). \nPanel 2\, “Radicalization\, Security\, and Youth Activism\,” explored diverse pathways to peacebuilding\, security\, and social cohesion in Nigeria\, addressing how both state and non-state actors shape these. It began with a discussion on digital activism and its gains and inhibitors—using the #EndSARS protests as an example. Topics also included the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) as an example of community-based initiatives that could shift from combative roles to non-kinetic ones\, such as de-radicalization and post-conflict transformation. Finally\, the panel explored non-traditional avenues for cohesion\, showing how football historically bridged ethnic and regional divides. The panelists were Dr. Dare Leke Idowu (Next Gen 2023)\, Prof. Chuka Ononye (APN IRF 2021 / LOC Member)\, Dr. Peter I. Awodi (Next Gen 2017\, 2018)\, Dr. Oluwole G. Adekola (Next Gen 2018)\, Dr. Sani Y. Adam (APN IRF 2024 and Next Gen 2018\, 2019\, 2020)\, and Dr. Timothy C. Anyanwu (Next Gen 2022). \nPanel 3\, entitled “Memory\, Identity and Post-War Narratives.” The panel explored the intersections of history\, memory\, governance\, and peacebuilding in Nigeria\, focusing on how legacies of conflict and state power continue to shape education\, identity\, and security. It explored topics like Nigeria’s post–civil war education reforms\, the resurgence of Biafra activism through “sit-at-home” protests\, the government’s use of silence as a communication strategy in responding to insecurity\, and the politics of remembrance and environmental remediation in oil crises. Panelists included Kenechukwu Nwachukwu (Next Gen 2023\, 2024)\, Dr. Scholastica Atata (Next Gen 2013)\, Dr. Ifeyinwa Chukwuokoro (APN IRF 2025)\, Dr. Gloria Longbaam-Alli (APN IRF 2024 and Next Gen 2021\, 2023)\, Dr. Jimam T. Lar (APN IRG 2016)\, and Prof. Victor Okorie (APN IRG 2014). \nDay one was concluded by the fourth panel\, “Displacement\, Reintegration\, and Humanitarian Responses.” This featured discussions on challenges and innovations in peacebuilding\, reintegration\, social cohesion\, and security in Nigeria\, highlighting the roles of vulnerable populations\, women\, and community-based initiatives in mitigating conflict. Topics included the examination of The Borno State model for reintegrating former Boko Haram members\, the role of female sex workers at the Idiroko/Igolo border in navigating risks from state actors and criminal networks\, the role of Igbo women in southeastern Nigeria in traditional and everyday peacebuilding\, and the Kano Covenant interfaith dialogue\, demonstrating how religious leaders\, political elites\, and community members can transform violent conflict. The panelists were Prof. Irene D. Mngutyo (APN IRF 2023 and Next Gen 2015\, 2020)\, Dr. Adole R. Audu (Next Gen 2014)\, Dr. Oluwaseun Kugbayi (Next Gen 2022)\, Dr. Elizabeth M. Animashaun (Next Gen 2016\, 2017\, 2020)\, Dr. Ngozi U. Emeka-Nwobia (APN IRF 2020\, and Next Gen 2013\, 2014)\, and Prof. Daniel O. Iweze (APN IRF 2017). \nThe second day of the seminar was opened by Prof. Oluyemi Fayomi\, of the Nigerian Army University Biu. She presented a paper on “Navigating the Ethics of Peace Research in Nigeria: A Qualitative Approach.” Prof. Fayomi underscored how Nigeria’s complex context—ethno-religious conflicts\, political instability\, and socioeconomic disparities—creates dilemmas that conventional ethical frameworks\, often designed for stable environments\, do not fully address. She called for prioritizing the safety and security of both participants and researchers\, reflexivity about positionality\, acknowledging how ethnic\, religious\, or regional identities can shape research\, and developing a context-specific ethical framework to guide research in conflict-affected settings. She concluded that “ethical research in Nigeria requires a continuous and adaptive process.” \nThe presentation was followed by reflections on the contributions and debates of panelists from the session chairs\, and a communique presented by Prof. Mngutyo. Lastly\, the LOC co-chairs\, Dr. Agofure and Dr. Adam\, reiterated the high quality of the papers and presentations submitted and expressed their gratitude to the APN and Next Gen for its support. \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/african-university-seminar-series-nigeria-auss-ng-event-summary/
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