The African Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA) will hold its 2026 Biennial Conference at the The Institute of African Studies (IAS)), University of Ghana,Legon.
Theme: Reimagining Peace in Africa in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainty: Democracy, Power, and Environmental Security
VENUE: The Institute of African Studies (IAS)), University of Ghana, Legon
DATE: 29-30th September 2026
Abstracts Submission Deadline: 15th June 2026
Overview
Africa currently stands at a critical historical inflection point. The traditional “liberal peace” framework which for decades prioritized state-centric, market-oriented development and universalist human rights models is increasingly viewed as insufficient to meet the continent’s complex, 21st-century realities. Relatedly, the emerging multipolar geopolitical order poses significant challenges to the pursuit of sustained peace in Africa. The 2026 AFPREA conference invites scholars and practitioners to present perspectives that move beyond reactive peacebuilding and toward a proactive, African-centered epistemic shift in the context of rising political uncertainty amidst shifting geopolitics.
As global power dynamics shift toward a multipolar order, Africa is witnessing a resurgence of geopolitical competition, with external interests often exacerbating local fractures.
Simultaneously, the continent is grappling with a “poly-crisis”: democratic backsliding and the erosion of civil liberties are intersecting with the existential threat of climate change and environmental degradation. These overlapping crises are not merely “risks” to be managed but are fundamentally redefining the landscape of conflict and cooperation.
This conference provides a high-level platform to interrogate alternative frameworks rooted in African perspectives, indigenous knowledge systems, and lived experiences. We seek to foster 2 a multidisciplinary dialogue that is contextually grounded, ecologically sensitive, and capable of forging sustainable peace amid global uncertainty.
We invite individual papers, pre-organized panels, and workshop proposals that engage with the following four strategic pillars:
Track 1: Geopolitics, Power, and the Multipolar Order
▪ Deconstructing the impact of a multipolar world order on African security architectures.
▪ Regional bodies (AU, ECOWAS), external influences, and the search for African-centric solutions.
▪ The political economy of peace: Economic partnerships, debt, and resource extraction.
Track 2: The Crisis of Governance and Popular Agency
▪ Interrogating democratic backsliding: Contested elections and accountability.
▪ Amplifying African Agency: The role of grassroots social movements and youth activism.
▪ Media and digital technologies as frontiers for both peace and democratic disruption.
Track 3: Decolonizing Peace and Justice
▪ Decolonizing peace studies: Moving from Western-centric theory to African epistemologies.
▪ Feminist and intersectional approaches to peacebuilding and security.
▪ Local peacebuilding: Reclaiming indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms.
▪ Grassroots social movements, women and youth in peacebuilding
▪ Non violent approaches to peacebuilding
▪ African epistemologies in Peace Education
Track 4: The Environment-Security Nexus
▪ Ecological Justice: Addressing the intersection of climate change and conflict.
▪ Traditional epistemologies in the management of environmental security.
▪ Redefining “Environmental Security” in the context of African borderlands and resource-dependent communities.
▪ Intangible Cultural Heritage and environmental Security in Africa
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Presenters should submit abstracts of 200 words stating the focus of the paper, methodology,
theoretical framework and key research question/s as well as their institutional affiliation and
present country of residence through afprea2026@gmail.com
Travel/Accommodation Grants
There will be limited partial Travel and/or Accommodation grants for early career researchers and PhD students based in African institutions who will be expected to submit full papers by a deadline that will be communicated after acceptance of their abstracts.
Any questions should be directed to the Conference organizing committee through Dr. Sebastian Paalo (sebastianpaalo@gmail.com) and CC afprea2026@gmail.com
Conference Registration Fees
Regular participants based in Africa: $60 inclusive of AFPREA membership for one year.
PhD students from African Institutions: $30 inclusive of AFPREA membership for one year.
Regular Participants from Outside Africa: $100 inclusive of AFPREA membership for one year
PhD students based outside Africa: $50 inclusive of AFPREA membership for one year.
Early Bird Registration
All participants who register by 30th August 2026 will pay less $10 in the respective specified Category above