African Peacebuilding Network

Event

APN-Next Gen Regional Proposal Development Workshop

From July 28-29, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN)-Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) Program hosted a Regional Proposal Development Workshop for Southern Africa in Gaborone, Botswana in collaboration with the University of Botswana. The workshop brought together facilitators and prospective applicants to the APN-Next Gen fellowships to discuss the proposal-writing process in relation to the intent and scope of APN-Next Gen fellowships. The workshop featured participants from universities in Botswana, Malawi, Madagascar, South Africa, and Lesotho. After the opening of the workshop on the 28th, Prof. Gabriel Faimau (University of Botswana) delivered the workshop’s keynote lecture, “Developing Innovative …

Event

APN-Next Gen Research Methods Workshop

From July 24-27, 2023, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN)-Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) Program hosted its Research Methods Workshop for the 2023-24 cohort of APN Individual Research fellows and the Next Gen Doctoral Dissertation Proposal, Research, and Completion fellows. The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the University of Botswana at the Grand Palm Hotel and Convention Center in Gaborone, Botswana. On Monday, July 24th, the workshop began with opening remarks from the APN-Next Gen Program Director, Dr. Cyril Obi, and Prof. Gabriel Faimau, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Botswana and the head of …

News

Introducing the African Peacebuilding Network’s and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa’s 2023 Fellows

Each year, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN)–Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program selects a new cohort of fellows for its highly competitive fellowships. This year, the APN awarded 17 Individual Research Fellowships (IRF), while Next Gen awarded 38 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships and 6 Post-Doctoral Writing Fellowships. Among the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships, 8 are Dissertation Proposal fellows, 14 are Dissertation Research fellows, and 16 are Dissertation Completion fellows. APN Individual Research Fellowship The Individual Research Fellowship (IRF) supports six months of field-based research, through which recipients produce research-based knowledge that is relevant to and has a significant impact on peacebuilding …

Convening

Policy Dialogue on Peace, Trade, and Youth: Investing in US-Africa Cooperation

On Monday, December 12th, 2022, the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) co-organized a policy dialogue as a side event ahead of the US-African Leaders Summit, in conjunction with Search for Common Ground, the African Union Youth Ambassadors for Peace, the United States Institute of Peace, and the George Washington Elliott School’s Institute for African Studies in Washington, D.C. The event, titled “Peace, Trade, and Youth: The Future of US-Africa Cooperation,” brought together policymakers, academics, youth, and civil society from the United States and Africa to discuss the most pressing issues facing African youth and US-Africa cooperation. …

Convening

African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting

The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs hosted two panels at the 2022 African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on November 17-19. The panels were an opportunity for current and former fellows of the program to showcase their research findings, connect with peers from across the world, and receive feedback from conference participants. The first panel, titled “Digital Cultures, Voice and (New) Forms of Civic Participation in Africa,” was chaired by Dr. Duncan Omanga and featured Dr. Charles Prempeh (Next Gen fellow, 2016), Dr. Toyin …

Outreach

APN-Next Gen Outreach to Kenya: Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST)

The African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa program, which are part of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), have been engaged in outreach to African universities with the goal of reaching graduate schools in African countries whose students have not received fellowship awards from either program. Specifically, the university outreach program amplifies the reach of ongoing competitions by providing information and advice on navigating the fellowship application process, including testimonials from former APN and Next Gen fellows on their experiences with the fellowships and the opportunities provided. Ultimately, the overall objective is to diversify the …

Conference

APN-Next Gen Joint Research Methods Workshop in Partnership with AIPECT

The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) programs held their joint Research Methods Workshop in Casablanca, Morocco in partnership with the African Institute for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation (AIPECT) on Sept 26-29, 2022. The event commenced with opening remarks by Dr. Fred Palm, the vice president of the SSRC, and Dr. Cyril Obi, the program director of APN and Next Gen. This was followed by the introduction of SSRC fellows and workshop facilitators by Dr. Duncan Omanga, the senior program officer of APN and Next Gen. Dr. …

Webinar

The Future of the (non) Maghreb Peace and Integration

The Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA) held a webinar on “The Future of (non)Maghreb Peace ad Integration.” The webinar provided an opportunity to brainstorm the implication of the persistent paralysis in North African integration and its implication for peace and security in the region. Participants included experts and activists, APN fellows and alumni, scholars, and practitioners in the field. The event commenced with welcome remarks by the Director of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa program, Cyril Obi, who chaired and moderated …

Conference

Conference on Conflict and Peacebuilding in North Africa and the Sahel

The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN), in collaboration with the African Leadership Center (ALC) of Kings College London, and Wilton Park held a two-day virtual conference on “Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sahel and North Africa.” The conference was the latest in the “Peacebuilding in Africa” series launched in 2015 aimed towards “moving peacebuilding beyond state and elite-centered approaches to encompass the wider communities involved in conflict, including, youth and women’s networks on the continent.” The event explored the connections between peacebuilding and the “historical and extensive socio-cultural, economic, and strategic connections between North Africa and the …

Webinar

Virtual Book Launch: The Failure and Feasibility of Capitalism in Africa

The event started with opening remarks and an introduction of the author, Kenneth Omeje, and two discussants, Ndongo Samba Sylla and Toni Haastrup, by the moderator and director of the SSRC’s APN and NextGen program, Cyril Obi. This was followed by an overview of the book by the author. He identified the main objectives of the book as providing a critical assessment of capitalism in Africa, providing explanations for the failure of capitalism to lead to Africa’s development, and exploring options of transforming African political systems in ways that could lift millions of Africans out of poverty. Omeje noted that …

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