MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR THE AFRICA PEACE FELLOWS (APF)

Abdulai Kamara is a Sierra Leonean researcher, policy practitioner, and development professional with over ten years of experience in conflict resolution, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and governance. He is the Executive Director of the Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Sustainable Development (CD-RIMS), providing strategic leadership for research-informed policy advocacy and multi-partner programming on peacebuilding, resilience, and sustainable development. He holds an MA in Sustainable Development, an MSc in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and a BSc in Peace and Conflict Studies, alongside international certifications in humanitarian assistance, MEL, and human rights. His work supports evidence-based policy on food security, climate adaptation, and community resilience.

Dr. Onoseme Fortune Afatakpa is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Security Studies at Dominion University, Ibadan, and a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Nottingham (UK), where he researches security, democratization, and elite politics in the Sahel. He holds a PhD and MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan and a BA in Religious Studies from Obafemi Awolowo University. With over 30 scholarly publications, Dr. Afatakpa is widely recognized for applying indigenous African knowledge systems to conflict management, peacebuilding, and peacemaking. He is a member of leading professional bodies, including the Society for Peace Studies Practice, American Association of Anthropologists, and the KAICCID Fellows Network, and leads community initiatives such as The Good Boys Project, focused on preventive peace education.

Colonel (Dr.) Alex Cann is a senior Ghana Armed Forces officer, defence and security scholar, and practitioner with over two decades of experience in peace operations, counterterrorism, conflict resolution, and security sector reform across Africa. He serves as Director of Research at the Ghana Military Academy, leading strategic security research, curriculum innovation, and policy-relevant scholarship. A former Chief Plans Officer with the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS/AUSSOM), he has held senior command and planning roles in UN peacekeeping missions in DR Congo, South Sudan, Mali, and Sierra Leone. Colonel Cann holds a PhD in International Relations, an MBA, and is a Board-Certified Certified Protection Professional (CPP) committed to advancing African-led peace and security solutions.

Alier John Atem is a peacebuilding and development practitioner with experience in project design, research, and community engagement. He has contributed to initiatives focused on conflict resolution, youth empowerment, DDR-related programming, and social protection. Alier is committed to advancing inclusive peace, community resilience, and sustainable development, particularly in conflict-affected and fragile communities.

Augustine Igweshi is a peacebuilding and development practitioner with over a decade of experience advancing peace, conflict prevention, youth engagement, and policy advocacy across Africa. He serves as Executive Director of the Center for Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development (CEPASD), leading initiatives on youth, peace and security, nonviolent civic engagement, community dialogue, and regional peace advocacy. Augustine has trained over 500 young Peace Ambassadors and engaged thousands of youth through grassroots and digital peace campaigns. He leads the Youth Model African Union (YMAU) Peace and Security Council simulations, equipping young leaders with practical experience in multilateral decision-making and continental peace architecture across the ECOWAS region.

Charity Yavala is a peace researcher and conflict analyst with over seven years of experience at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja. She is a Positive Peace Ambassador with the Institute for Economics and Peace, a Rotary International Peace Fellow, and a member of Nigeria's National Technical Working Group on Durable Solutions for IDPs. Her research focuses on conflict early warning and response, counterinsurgency, gender and security, extremism, and safe migration. Charity has contributed to Nigeria's National Action Plan on Migration and co-authored IPCR policy briefs on the 2023 general elections, Sahel resilience, and small arms proliferation. She holds master's degrees from Peking University and Ahmadu Bello University.

Fatoumatta Darboe Jaguraga is a justice and peacebuilding practitioner from The Gambia, currently serving as Children's Ombuds at SOS Children's Villages. A former Senior Magistrate, she brings extensive experience in criminal justice, child protection, restorative justice, and conflict mediation. Her work emphasizes trauma-informed, community-based approaches to peacebuilding, focusing on youth vulnerability, safeguarding, and early violence prevention. Fatoumatta is dedicated to child-centered, rights-based, and restorative practices that advance dignity, accountability, and sustainable social cohesion.

Freddy M. Bisetsa is a peacebuilder and gender equality advocate with over 13 years of experience in the African Great Lakes region, promoting women's participation in peace processes, addressing gender-based violence, and advancing socio-economic empowerment. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Women Concern, leading community-based and donor-funded initiatives on women's empowerment, peacebuilding, and resilience in conflict-affected areas. Freddy has engaged in high-level advocacy with ECCAS, ECGLC, and EAC, and represented civil society in international peace and disarmament forums in Vienna, New York, and Europe. He holds an MA in Gender and Development and is fluent in French, English, and Swahili.

Dr. Frederick Maelo is a Kenyan peace and security practitioner with a PhD in Peace Studies from Durban University of Technology, a Master's in Security Management and Police Studies from Kenyatta University, a B.Ed (Arts) from Moi University, and a diploma in Security Management and Legal Studies. He has served in the Kenya Police and is currently Senior Security Officer at Sport Kenya. His research focuses on community conflict resolution, including football-related violence in Nairobi County and farmer–pastoralist conflicts in Isiolo County, using participatory dialogue to build trust, understanding, and sustainable peace.

J. Muthoni Mwangi is a faculty member at the School of Law, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya, and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over ten years of experience in legal practice and education. She is a DAAD Scholar and Stehr-Boldt Fellow, an accredited mediator with the Strathmore Dispute Resolution Centre (SDRC), and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb). Muthoni led the inaugural JKUAT 40-Hour Mediation Certification Training and continues to mentor mediators through the Beyond 40 Hours: From Training to Action initiative, supporting practical skill development, community engagement, and structured learning.

Jacob Bukenya is a Ugandan development and defense professional working with the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs since 2014 as a Research Officer in the Department of Policy and Planning. In this role, he manages planning, budgeting, market surveys, policy analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Development Studies from Makerere University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Policies and Practices in Conflict and Fragility Management from the Geneva Graduate Institute. Jacob's work bridges policy, research, and strategic planning to support effective defense and development initiatives in Uganda.

Dr. Lukong Stella Shulika is a peacebuilding scholar and practitioner whose work bridges research, policy, and lived community experience. From human rights advocacy in Cameroon to her leadership in research and policy dialogue, she emphasizes people-centered peacebuilding. As Founding Director of the Global Alliance for Intergenerational Peace-Leadership, she promotes cross-generational leadership, women and youth participation in peacebuilding, and community resilience through governance approaches rooted in African contexts. Her Listening & Healing Circles model offers a practical framework for addressing the Anglophone Crisis and fostering inclusive, intergenerational peace leadership across Africa.

Mkong Immaculate Kelighai (Imma Mkong) is a Cameroonian peacebuilder and researcher with a Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication (University of Buea), a Master's in Information and Communication Science (University of Yaoundé II), and a certificate in Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, and Reconciliation (Hekima University, Nairobi). Since 2022, she has served as Associate Political Affairs Officer with MONUSCO in the DRC, contributing to conflict analysis, mediation, and peacebuilding processes. Imma has initiated innovative peace projects in Cameroon, including "Prisons for Peace" and "Arts for Peace Concert", and her doctoral research focuses on the transformative role of media and communication in conflict and intergroup relations.

Moses Segun Abolade is a peacebuilding consultant, educator, and facilitator based in Abuja, Nigeria, specializing in peace education, conflict transformation, human security, and digital peacebuilding. He is the Executive Director of the Peace Education and Practice Network (PEPNET) and works remotely with Peace Catalyst International (USA) and the World Citizen Peace Ambassador Center (USA). Moses holds a Master's in Peace and Conflict Studies, a Professional Diploma in Education, and is pursuing a PhD in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. He has led 50+ peacebuilding interventions, trained 6,000+ educators and youth, authored the Peace Education for Secondary Schools manual, and created Peace Zone on KAFTAN TV.

Dr. Mutiu Oyekale Raheem, SRMC®, is a Nigerian defense and security researcher and conflict data expert with ACLED, with extensive experience in peacebuilding and field research in conflict-affected areas of northern Nigeria. He is an alumnus of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), Frontier Risks, and the Austrian Centre for Peace, with strong expertise in threat and vulnerability assessments, crisis management, national security analysis, and conflict data analytics. Dr. Oyekale contributes to resilience-building, asset protection, and peacebuilding initiatives, supporting evidence-based responses to evolving security challenges across Africa.

Nneka Lynda Ikelionwu is a Research Fellow at Nigeria's Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), specializing in Alternative Dispute Resolution, policy analysis, capacity building, and advocacy across Africa. She leads research on security issues, advises on strategic interventions with a focus on human security and gender, and develops frameworks to empower youth in conflict-affected environments. Her interests include environmental security, climate change, and ethical AI in conflict management. Nneka holds advanced degrees in International Studies, Diplomacy, and Public International Law, combining academic expertise with practical experience to advance youth-led peacebuilding and technology governance.

Dr. Obioma Chisom Chike-Okenyi is a Nigerian legal practitioner and peace and conflict expert from Enugu State. She holds LL.B, B.L, LL.M, PhD (Law), and PhD (Peace, Conflict and Development) degrees and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2004. She currently serves as a State Counsel with the Enugu State Ministry of Justice and as Legal Adviser to the Deputy Governor of Enugu State. Dr. Chike-Okenyi represents Nigeria as a Field Monitor at the ECOWAS Directorate of Early Warning and Response and is a Visiting Lecturer at the Institute for Peace, Conflict and Development Studies, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

Dr. Seid Gna-Guele is a senior specialist in fragility, conflict, and resilience with extensive experience in peacebuilding and conflict prevention across West and Central Africa. He holds a PhD in International Public Law, focusing on human security and peacebuilding in Central Africa. Dr. Gna-Guele has served in senior expert roles with the World Bank Group in the Sahel, the African Development Bank in West Africa, and MINUSMA in Mali. He has contributed to interfaith dialogue initiatives addressing violent extremism with the African Union and GIZ. He currently serves as Program Officer with Sauvons le Lac Tchad, supporting ecosystem restoration and resilience in the Lake Chad Basin.

Yvonne Marvel Heroe is the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunition, ensuring compliance with national and international policies. She holds an MBA and a BA in Education from the University of Sierra Leone and is a certified expert in Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM). With over six years of experience in the security sector, she has led cross-functional teams in the military and police to prevent illicit proliferation of arms. Yvonne has also worked with CARE, Handicap, and Oxfam International on programs in health, agriculture, education, and livelihoods, and is passionate about peacebuilding and conflict mediation in Africa.