By Boris Esono Nwenfor
YAOUNDE, June 22, 2023 – Greater investment in human security is critical to counter peace and security challenges in Africa, said experts at the Nkafu Peace and Security Forum as they reviewed strategies to enhance human security on the African continent.
Under the theme “Human Security and Strategic Peacebuilding for Sustainable Development in Africa”, the second edition of the Nkafu Peace and Security Forum, organized by the Peace and Security Division of the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation took place June 21, in Yaounde.
The main objective of the Nkafu Africa Forum was to discuss strategies to advocate and promote investment in human security and strategic peacebuilding for sustainable peace and development in Africa.
Human security is an important component of the global political and development agenda. It encompasses the protection of individuals as a strategic concern for national as well as international security and spells out the security conditions for people’s development. Human security does not seek to supplant state security, but rather to complement it.
“The issue of human security in Africa has played a big role in the conflicts that arrived in Africa. Many governments including the African Union, AU, have been negligent in meeting the challenges of Africans as far as human security is concerned,” Francis Tazoacha, Director of the Peace and Security division of the Nkafu Policy Institute said. “Human security is about looking into the wellbeing of the normal citizen, it is putting the human interest at heart, more than that of the nation, and it doesn’t mean we should not protect the nation from outside invaders.”
“The Human security issue is not known to Africans. There is a need for countries, communities to invest in the security of individuals. Human security and the military option should be a balance of scale. That is why the Nkafu Policy Institute has taken that move to assist states, RECS and the African Union to put on board what we have today.”
It is evident that if world nations and leaders collaboratively focus on enabling human security in the peacebuilding and development process, they have a chance of meeting their citizens’ aspirations for security, and peace, thereby contributing towards a peaceful and equitable society and by extension also contributing to sustainable development.
“Thanks to this initiative, we have to start thinking differently because this is the moment we need to start thinking as humans and not as people from different nations,” Otia Vitalis, a participant at the Peace and Security Forum said. “We need to stand as one people in Africa. A lot is going on social media but there is a need for action as one body on the continent.”
Human security is people centred
According to Kemi Okenyodo, governments need to take into consideration the needs of the people and the aspect of colonialism still explains why many governments in Africa still prefer the military solution in bringing to an end a conflict.
She said: “We need the element of human security and the military approach. We need to move away from the thinking that the military approach is the only option and that human security plays a small part. The two go together and the military is needed to protect the country.”
Dr Emmaculate Asige, says there is a need to avoid overdependence on military solutions as it often fails and leads to further conflicts in the long run. She has advocated for a multidimensional approach to solving the various conflicts on the continent. “Military plays a role in peace and security of a country but should not be the single approach. Conflicts are complex and relying on military solutions often fails. There need to be more long-term approaches in dealing with conflict solutions. Conflict prevention and peacebuilding should be factored in when looking at solving a particular conflict,” Dr Emmaculate Asige added.
About the Nkafu Policy Institute
The Nkafu Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, independent think tank at the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Its mission is to provide independent, in-depth and insightful policy recommendations that advance the Cameroonian economy and the economies of other sub-Saharan African countries. Nkafu seeks to advance public policies that help all Africans prosper in free, fair, and sustainable economies. Its reputation is founded on its independence, high-quality research and innovative policy prescriptions.
