Amani Africa Policy Dialogue on the Review of the African Peace and Security Architecture 

Concept note

At the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in February 2025, Kenya’s President William Ruto, serving as AU Champion for Institutional Reform, presented a proposal with eight priority measures to accelerate AU reforms. Among them was the recommendation to review African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), noting that ‘the dire peace and security situation in Africa partly indicts the continent’s peace architecture.’ Earlier, during its 1163rd ministerial-level meeting on 21 July 2023, the PSC had similarly requested the AU Commission to launch a review of APSA to adapt it to the continent’s evolving and complex security landscape.

The AU Assembly agreed with the AU Champion and ‘authorised the Chairperson of the AU Commission in consultation with the Champion to appoint a High-Level Panel comprising five Eminent African Experts, to review the AU’s Peace and security Framework within the next four months.’ Following the assumption of office in March and subsequent months, the new AU Commission Chairperson constituted a high-level panel made up of five eminent personalities. They commenced work in September 2025 with the convening of a meeting on the strategic review of the APSA involving experts and practitioners.

As the process for the review of the APSA and the related governance architecture takes place, there are at least two needs that have emerged. The first of these is the need for the proposed reform measures to be grounded in and informed by evidence-based analysis of the nature and sources of the setbacks the AU’s peace and security role and architecture faced. The second is the need for galvanising wider support and engagement, both on the part of AU member states and the wider AU stakeholders, in shaping this review of the APSA and the governance architecture.

In view of the foregoing, Amani Africa Media and Research Services (Amani Africa) convenes a policy dialogue under the theme ‘From the PSC Summit on re-energising conflict prevention and resolution to the review of the APSA.’ The policy dialogue seeks to stimulate debate, enhance wider engagement and facilitate contributions for the review process.

The policy dialogue will be based on the following and related questions:

1. What is the background to and why is the review of the APSA necessary at this point in time?
2. What does the review exactly entail? Does it and should it involve changing AU normative and policy instruments and structures?
3. How far has the review process progressed, and what role has the AU Panel of Eminent Persons the review of the APSA?
4. What insights can be discerned from current conflicts on the continent on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the reform of the APSA?
5. How can the ongoing APSA review focus on identifying ways of advancing implementation and effective conflict prevention, management and resolution initiatives, including by building on and taking forward the measures outlined in the September 2025 PSC summit outcome?

Agenda

9:00 – 9:30     Arrival and Registration

9:30 – 9:40     Welcoming and Introductory Remarks , Dr Solomon Dersso, Founding Director, Amani Africa

9:40 – 9:55     Strategic perspective on the review of the APSA, Dr Korir Sing’Oei, Principal Secretary, State Department for Foreign Affairs of Kenya (TBC)

9:55-10:10     The role of the Panel of Eminent Persons and the outcome of its work, Ambassador Mahamat Salah Annadif, Member of the AU Panel of Eminent Persons on the Review of the APSA and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Chad

10:10 – 10:25     The scope of the APSA review and what a successful review looks like, Mr El-Ghassim Wane, Member of the Reference Group on the Review of the APSA and Former Director of Peace and Security at the AU and former SRSG and Head of MINUSMA

10:25 – 10:40     Insights from past experiences of the AU on review of the APSA, Ambassador Said Djinnit, Former Commissioner for Peace and Security, AU Commission (2003 – 2008)

10:40 – 10:55     Strategic review of the Continental Early Warning System in the context of changing conflict dynamics and institutional reform of the AU, Ms Orit Ibrahim, Coordinator, Situation Room, AU Commission

10:55 – 11:10   Aligning AU Commission reform and Africa’s agenda, Dr Paul-Simon Handy, Regional Director, ISS Africa

11:10 – 12:25     Open Discussion and Reflections

12:25        Concluding Remarks, Ambassador George Orina, Permanent Represengative of Kenya to the AU