Webinars

Josaphat Musamba, a Congolese researcher, is a PhD student at Ghent University. He is affiliated with the Group for Studies on Conflicts and Human Security (GECSH). He has also served as a liaison officer in the security and safety department of Handicap International and as a Congolese staff member in the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Peer Schouten is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, associate researcher at the International Peace Information Service, and editor-in-chief of Theory Talks. His work combines deep fieldwork in Central Africa with theory development and engagement with policy debates.

Ben Radley is a political economist and lecturer in international development at the University of Bath. His research centres on the interplay between green transitions and economic transformation in Central Africa, with a focus on labour dynamics and the roles played by northern corporations. He is the author of “Disrupted Development in the Congo: The Fragile Foundations of the African Mining Consensus,” to be published in November.

Adeoti Dipeolu is a research associate at the African Leadership Centre (ALC), King’s College London. She is also the coordinator of the ALC’s Leading Practitioners that convenes senior practitioners in the field of peace, security and development, and the Leading Feminist Voices in Africa project. She holds a PhD in Leadership Studies with reference to security and development from King’s College London, and an MA in Public Policy from the University of East Anglia. Her research interests include diaspora, migration, peacebuilding, peace and security.

Emmaculate A. Liaga holds a doctorate degree from the University of Pretoria. She is a post-doc researcher at the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg. Her research investigates the peacebuilding strategies employed by both local and international organizations of peace operations in post-conflict communities. Her research interests include peace and security, conflict resolution, agency of communities in policymaking, and international relations theories.

Dr. Primerose Z. J. Bimha is a postdoctoral fellow at Stellenbosch University. She is an international relations and gender studies scholar who has worked in academia, government, and think tank environments. Her research interests include diplomacy, democracy, business strategy, migration management, and gender justice. She has authored and co-authored many works, including “The Status of African Women in Foreign Policy”.

Suntosh R. Pillay is a clinical psychologist, researcher and activist in South Africa. His areas of interest are community and social psychology, public mental health, psychotherapy, decoloniality, LGBTI+ affirmative practices, and socio-political change. He is the co-founder of KZN Mental Health Advocacy Group and is a council member – of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA).

On June 5, 2021, the Nigerian government announced its suspension of Twitter in the country on grounds that certain actions by the social media company jeopardized the country’s “corporate existence.” But the ban on Twitter was one of the many policies pursued by the Muhammadu Buhari regime that has stifled free speech. The country is also considering a social media bill that promises to limit the freedom of expression. African Liberty senior fellow, Feyisade Adeyemi gets the view of two Nigerian investigative journalists, Damiloa Banjo and Socrates Mbamalu (also of Kenyan descent) on the issue.

Dr. Raphael Obonyo is an adjunct professor at Brandeis University, where he teaches International Youth Policy. He has extensive knowledge and experience in public policy, international development, political economy, governance and human rights. Obonyo serves on the World Bank’s Global Youth Network, Global Diplomatic Forum and Africa Leadership Institute board. He holds a Master Degree in Public Policy from Duke University and he is a Ford Foundation Fellow. Raphael Obonyo is a multi-award winner, author and co-author of many books.

Dr. Henry Amadi holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Leipzig, Germany. He has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and is a Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the same University. He has several years of experience in teaching, research, and supervision in International Relations, Political Sociology, public policy analysis, and security governance. He also has several publications to his name.

More than ever before, African countries are challenged by ravaging insecurity of different iterations. There is equally an unprecedented enthusiasm about the prospects of trade on the continent. Is there any form of relationship between free trade and insecurity? If so, how could African countries use trade policies to remedy insecurity?

Dr. Michael Nwankpa is an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and the Founding Director of Research at the Centre for African Conflict and Development in London. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Roehampton and held two prestigious fellowships at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, and at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland. His research areas are the nexus between conflict and developments, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, foreign and security policy, and African security.

Alazar Melkamu is a lecturer at Jigjiga University, Ethiopia. He holds a Master of Arts in Peace Studies and conflict resolution from the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is an author and coauthor with work appearances in national and international journals, including the International Journal of Peace and Development Studies. His research works focus on conflict detection and resolution, unemployment, African Continental Free Trade Area, the security sector and governance, amongst others.