Dr. Wemakor calls for stronger CSO collaboration to bolster peace and security at WACS Week 2025

Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Dr. Joseph Kobla Wemakor, has urged civil society organizations (CSOs) to deepen collaboration and unity in order to strengthen peace, security, and justice across Africa.

He made the appeal while speaking as a panelist at the 3rd West Africa Civil Society Week (WACS Week 2025), held from 19–20 November at The Palms by Eagle Hotel, Accra.

The two-day program featured 15 interactive sessions and two plenaries, bringing together over 300 civil society actors, peacebuilders, human rights advocates, and youth leaders from more than 10 West African countries.

The comprehensive program offered participants multiple platforms to discuss civic space, governance, peace, and security challenges in the region.

Dr. Wemakor participated in Session 3(b) on the theme: “Peace, Security and Justice Imperatives”, hosted by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and chaired by Dr. Vincent Azumah, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at WANEP.

Dr. Wemakor Highlights Structural Challenges in African Peace Operations

Speaking to a room filled with peacebuilders, civic activists, and regional policymakers, Dr. Wemakor outlined several persistent obstacles to Africa-led peace and counterterrorism operations, citing poor coordination, limited resources, and weak leadership as key factors undermining the impact and sustainability of these operations.

He called on civil society organizations to rally support for one another, collaborate, and unite strongly to complement governments and other stakeholders in achieving sustainable peace, security, and justice in Africa.

Report Underpins His Call: Link to Groundbreaking Research

Dr. Wemakor’s arguments drew heavily on evidence from the 50-page report, Mapping Civil Society Engagement in Africa‑Led Peace Operations, published by Spaces for Change (S4C).

The research, available online, provides a comprehensive mapping of CSO contributions across conflict-affected regions, covering counterterrorism initiatives, peacebuilding, community engagement, capacity-building, and humanitarian actions.

Read the full report here

He dedicated the report to all and sundry, urging civil society actors, policymakers, government institutions, and the public to read and be informed.

He stressed that the findings highlight gaps in civil society participation at the policy level and underscore the urgent need for CSOs to be meaningfully included in the design and implementation of security initiatives.

Dr. Wemakor further framed Africa’s leadership crisis as not just political but deeply structural, calling for bottom-up sensitization to transform how leadership is understood and practiced across civic, governmental, and intergovernmental bodies.

Expert Panel Discusses Shared Imperatives On the panel with Dr. Wemakor were:

Dr. Nansata Yakubu, Director, West Africa Programme, Conciliation Resources; Mr. Kop’ep K. Dabugat, Governance, Peace, and Security Expert, Nigeria; Mr. EI Moctar Cisse, President, Collectif Cri du Coeur (CCC), Mali; and Mrs. Joy Anima Debrah, Senior Public Education Officer, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Together, they engaged in discussion and Q&A on the importance of CSO involvement in peace operations and how civil society can reinforce accountability, justice, and preventive action in fragile contexts.

Democracy Alarm Raised by ECOWAS and Regional Leaders

The urgency of civil society’s role came against the backdrop of warnings issued by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah (PhD), ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

At the opening plenary of WACS Week, he cautioned that democracy in West Africa is under threat due to rising insecurity, governance failures, and shrinking civic space.

Other prominent voices at the event included H.E. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, who called for democracy that delivers social protection beyond elections; Dr. Nana Afadzinu, Executive Director of WACSI, who urged value-driven civil society action, transparency, and sustainable funding; Sola Sam-Adeniyi, Team Lead at Spaces for Change, who spoke of threats like violent extremism and suppression of freedoms, calling for local solutions and strengthened capacities; Onyinye Onyemobi, on behalf of the Ford Foundation, who reminded participants that hope is the oxygen of democracy; and Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff to Ghana’s President, who urged ethical engagement, community-centered peacebuilding, and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The closing plenary highlighted the critical role of empowered civil society in ensuring democracy and peace remain resilient across West Africa.

Key Takeaways from WACS Week 2025

• Strengthen local accountability and rebuild trust in grassroots communities
• Adopt sustainable funding models and deepen institutional capacity
• Elevate youth and women’s participation in civic processes
• Use technology responsibly to expand civic space and accountability
• Promote regional cooperation for judicial reform, governance, and anti-corruption

These takeaways reinforce Dr. Wemakor’s central message that civil society is not just a partner but a critical anchor for peace and democratic resilience in Africa.

About WACS Week

The West Africa Civil Society Week (WACS Week) is an annual gathering that examines the health of civic space in the region while plotting practical pathways for civil society’s effectiveness and democratic sustainability.

The 2025 edition was co-hosted by WACSI, Spaces for Change, and the Civil Society Resource Hub, with support from the Ford Foundation.

The program featured 15 sessions and two plenaries, creating multiple platforms for discussion, networking, and cross-regional learning.