By Amin Kef Sesay
Hawa Sally Samai, the Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), on July 3rd, 2024, delivered a key address at the 4th Edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development. The forum, themed: “Africa in a Changing World: Re-envisioning Global Governance for Peace and Development,” was held in Cairo, Egypt.
Madame Samai’s presentation, titled: “Rebuilding Hope: Advancing Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Africa,” highlighted the crucial lessons from the Peace Commission’s work. She emphasized how these insights could guide the implementation of the Africa Union’s Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) policy and aid other African nations in their post-conflict journeys toward lasting peace and stability.
The session, moderated by Libakiso Matlho, Executive Secretary for the African Union Centre for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, featured a distinguished panel including Dagmawit Moges Bekele of the Peace Fund Secretariat of the African Union, Jean Van Wetter, CEO of Enable, the Belgian Development Agency, Yero Baldeh of the African Development Bank, Habib Ur Rehman Mayar, Deputy Secretary-General of G7+, Yuko Dohi of JICA, and Solomon A. Dersso, Founding Director of Amani Africa.
Sierra Leone’s successful post-conflict transition, which exceeded international expectations, was a central theme of Hawa Sally Samai’s talk. She credited this success to the strong political will and commitment to the peace process, as well as the establishment of the ICPNC, which plays a vital role in preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts to maintain sustainable peace. The Commission’s significant work, particularly in facilitating dialogue between the Government and the main opposition leading to the signing of the Agreement for National Unity, has garnered widespread acclaim.
In addition to her main address, Hawa Samai participated in a breakfast round-table organized by the Aswan Forum, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the African Union. The session reviewed efforts by the African Union and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in implementing the Country Structural Vulnerability Assessment (CSVRAs) and Country Structural Vulnerability Mitigation Strategies (CSVMS) in African countries.
It underscored the roles of various stakeholders, including youth and women, in conflict prevention and strengthening national resilience. Hawa Samai’s presentation emphasized effective conflict prevention strategies and the importance of involving women and local actors in these efforts. She also discussed how organizations like the Peace Commission can better utilize early warning systems to sustain peace and cohesion.
Prominent figures at the breakfast roundtable included HE Marie-Antoinette Rose Quatre, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism Continental Secretariat, HE Elizabeth Spehar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DAAP), Ambassador William Azumah Awinador-Kanyirige, Senior Governance and Peacebuilding Advisor of the Commission for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union and Dr. Paul-Simon Handy, Regional Director for East Africa and Representative to the AU Institute for Security Studies.
Hawa Samai also contributed to the panel discussion: “Through Her Eyes – Women’s Experiences Across the Conflict Cycle,” organized in collaboration with UN Women. Her presentation outlined the mechanisms and processes implemented by ICPNC to harness the positive role of women in promoting and maintaining sustainable peace. She shared valuable lessons from Sierra Leone’s experience that could benefit other nations dealing with ongoing conflicts or emerging from them.
She was joined on the panel by Therese Kayiwamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Effie Owuor, Chair of FEMWISE Africa and Chair of the Africa Panel of the Wise, Miez Doraid, Regional Director of the Arab States ad interim, UN Women, and Fauziya Abdi, Founder and President of Women In International Security, Horn of Africa.
