Sh5.7m award to promote peace in Africa launched

A Sh5.7 million (50,000 Euros) annual award to recognise initiatives and personalities in Africa that promote meaningful dialogue among political and social actors to avert conflicts has been unveiled in Nairobi.

The award is named after current Senegalese President Macky Sall who is acclaimed for his efforts in using dialogue proactively to prevent and resolve conflicts in his country and across Africa since he came to office in 2012.

The award was founded by the Independent Centre for Research and Initiatives for Dialogue (CIRID) based in Geneva, Switzerland.

It is headed by renowned former Burundi diplomat, teacher and journalist Deo Hakizimana and enjoys a special consultative status with the United Nations.

The event in Nairobi was part of efforts to promote visibility of the award across the continent ahead of the naming of the inaugural winner in September this year in the United Nations in Geneva by President Sall himself.

“African leaders should be at the forefront in creating platforms and institutions for meaningful and permanent political and social dialogues and space for mutual consultation between the political, economic and social actors to address burning issues before they boil over into conflict,” he said in a speech in Nairobi.

HONORARY COMMITTEE

The winner will be selected by a Honorary Committee that includes Ivory Coast’s President Allassane Ouattara, King Mohamed VI of Morocco, international artists Youssou Ndour and Angélique Kidjo from Benin as well as former Secretary-General of the intergovernmental organization of La Francophonie Mr Abdou Diouf. A Kenyan representative to the committee is expected to be announced soon.

“Dialogue is what happens before conflicts occur, after that it is no longer dialogue but negotiations.

“What we need in Africa is more effective political and social dialogues to address the real issues and avoiding conflicts,” said Hakizimana.

CIRID, which launched the award in December 2016 in Geneva, works with governments, religious and civil society institutions to develop platforms for dialogue to conflict resolution, sustainable development and peace across Africa and the Diaspora.

President Sall was key in the dialogue that ended conflict in Burkina Faso in 2015 after a Coup d’Etat against the then President of the Transitional Authority Michel Kafondo. In Senegal, he created he set aside May 28th every year as the national day for dialogue

Sall was the newly elected chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). He also helped resolve conflicts in Gambia and Burundi.

 “Senegal under President Sall has promoted dialogue not only by its own means, but also in a proactive way without any conflict forcing this approach as is often the case.

The Senegalese experience of dialogue is a good example for Africa,” said Hakizimana.