To promote peace and stability on the continent, four former African leaders converged at the Sandton Convention Centre to formalise a groundbreaking partnership aimed at 'silencing of the guns' through African-led diplomacy.

During the opening session of Johannesburg Arbitration Week (JAW) 2026, a Letter of Understanding (LoU) was signed between the Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government (Africa Forum) and the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA).

This agreement officially establishes the Africa Forum Conflict Resolution Centre (AFCRC).

The signing was witnessed by an assembly of global legal experts and diplomats, led by Joaquim Alberto Chissano from Mozambique, Uhuru Kenyatta from Kenya, Goodluck Jonathan from Nigeria and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from Liberia.

The AFCRC represents a strategic "power-match", combining the moral authority and lived political experience of 37 former African Presidents with the technical, arbitration and mediation infrastructure of AFSA.

With over 50 active armed conflicts currently impacting various regions of Africa, the AFCRC hopes to serve as a practical intervention that provides home-grown, sustainable solutions to disputes that have long hindered continental progress.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chissano, also Africa Forum chairperson, emphasised that the heart of the initiative was a shift in mindset.

“There is no substitute for constructive dialogue that takes into account the interests of all concerned parties in conflict,” Chissano stated.

“Africa needs to develop and inculcate a culture of tolerance and a sense of commitment to promote an environment conducive to peace.”

Kenyatta remarked that Africa’s “deep-seated historical issues” must be tackled to move past current divisions, expressing confidence that such forums are vital for continental unity.

Meanwhile, AFSA chairperson advocate Michael Kuper hailed the new partnership as a unique and practical bridge between Africa’s veteran leadership and professional expertise in resolving disputes.

FOCUS ON WOMEN

A central aim of the AFCRC is to equip African women to serve as high-level technical advisers and mediators.

By providing specialised training in peace-building, conflict prevention, and transitional justice, the centre empowers women to take meaningful positions at negotiation tables across the continent.

This focus is strongly supported by Sirleaf, who emphasised that women are essential to peace and reconciliation.

Sirleaf highlighted the success of women-led, Economic Community of West African States-supported initiatives in the Gambia as proof that women bring vital, distinct perspectives that produce lasting stability.