The 21st century has been a particularly challenging one for countries on the African continent. Despite the fact that most countries in Africa achieved their independence in the 1960s, they have been unable to turn the continent to one of the leading global powerhouses of innovation and development. Various factors such as endemic poverty, diseases, illiteracy, religious, ethnic conflicts and wars have been responsible for Africa’s inability to realize its full potentials. To this hotch-potch, one can now add the issues of terrorism and identity politics. Unlike identity politics, terrorism is a 21st century cankerworm that has increasingly eaten deep into the marrows of African countries and become too tough to tackle. From Nigeria’s Boko Haram in West Africa, to Somalia’s Al Shabaab in the Horn, to the Al Qaeda affiliates in the Maghreb, to the Islamic States’ satellites in North Africa and the Allied Democratic Forces in East Africa, terrorism has not only affected individual states on the continent but has also retarded growth and development in Africa generally. Also, Identity politics has not only contributed to the political anomie experienced across Africa but it has also stifled the growth of democracy and democratic principles on the continent. Apart from affecting intra-state relationship in a multi-ethnic society like the ones in Africa, identity politics has affected governance and further spawned a raft of authoritarian rulers on the continent. The policies of these rulers, coupled with the dearth of democratic tenets, have negatively affected development on the continent. The LASU-UGA conference is timely and significant because its themes tackle the twin issues of terrorism and identity politics that have made it impossible for Africa to emerge as a powerhouse of technological innovations and revolutionary ideas in the 21st century. It is a given that socio-political and conomic development is only possible in an atmosphere of peace. The dyad of terrorism and identity politics has made peace seemingly unattainable on the continent in the 21st century. This international conference, therefore, seeks to aggregate the views of scholars, political office holders, policy makers, religious leaders, economists, scientists, inventors, cultural workers, legal practitioners, development workers, sociologists, and others, to proffer possible solutions to the problems. Papers are invited on the theme and sub-themes of the conference and other related areas.
Migration and citizenship crises in Africa
War, insurgency and asymmetric conflict in Africa
Corruption and Africa’s Development
Ethnic violence and politics in Africa
Election and electoral violence in Africa
Constitutionalism and the rule of law in Africa
Cultural revivalism and Africa’s development
Africans in Diaspora and Africa’s development
Religion’s conflict and Africa’s development
African arts, literature and culture and Africa’s development in the 21st century
The place of the youth in Africa’s social reengineering
Gender politics and Africa’s development
Afro-Asian relations and Africa’s development
Afro-American relations and Africa’s development
Afro-European relations and Africa’s development
Science, technology and Africa’s development
African languages, history and identity in the 21st century
Leadership and followership crises in Africa
Human rights violations and Africa’s development
Theories of terrorism and development in Africa
Laws and policies on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in Africa
Corruption, terrorism financing and Africa’s development
Terrorism and the place of youth in Africa’s social reengineering
Cyberspace and terrorism in Africa
Counterterrorism and counter insurgency strategies in Africa