(Accra – Saturday, 6th December 2025) The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has hosted a commemorative symposium to celebrate the 75th birthday of Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, one of Africa’s most distinguished diplomats and peacebuilders.
The event brought together senior statesmen, policymakers, security experts, academics, and civil society leaders to reflect on his decades-long contribution to peace, democracy, and regional integration across West Africa and the wider continent.
Organised by close associates and admirers of Dr Chambas, the ceremony served both as a tribute to his remarkable achievements and a platform for dialogue on his diplomatic career and contributions to peace and security. It also marked the beginning of a long-term effort to document his life’s work through written and visual records.
A Legacy of Regional Leadership
Speakers traced Dr Chambas’ illustrious career—from his tenure as Executive Secretary of ECOWAS to his service as United Nations Special Representative for West Africa, and later as African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns.
His contributions include establishing the ECOWAS Mechanism for Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping, mediating political transitions, supporting peaceful elections, advancing regional trade reforms, and shaping high-level responses to conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Benin, and several other countries.
Air Commodore David Anetey Akrong, Acting Commandant of KAIPTC, described hosting the symposium as “a fitting tribute to a statesman whose work has profoundly shaped Africa’s peace and security architecture.” He praised Dr Chambas for his “wisdom, resilience, warmth, and unwavering leadership,” noting that generations of peacebuilders continue to draw inspiration from his example.
Panel Reflections on Peacebuilding and Regional Security
The symposium theme, “Inclusive Peacebuilding, Local Agency, and Multilevel Governance: Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Partnerships for Sustainable Peace in West Africa and the Sahel,” was explored in depth during a panel moderated by Prof Kwesi Aning, Former Director of Academic Affairs and Research at KAIPTC.
Panellists included leading peace and governance experts: Barrister Femi Falana, SAN; Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, Executive Director, WANEP; Dr Abdul Kamara, African Development Bank Country Director, Nigeria; Dr Linda Darkwa, Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD); Dr Emmanuel Bombande, Senior Peace and Conflict Practitioner; and Mr George Amoh, National Peace Council, Ghana
Drawing from their experiences, the panellists reflected on lessons from Dr Chambas’ decades of mediation and preventive diplomacy, highlighting many instances in which his quiet but decisive leadership helped stabilise political transitions.
Discussions underscored the necessity of strengthening local agency, regional coordination, and community resilience in addressing crises in West Africa and the Sahel. The panel also emphasised the importance of mentorship and institutional memory in shaping the next generation of African peacebuilders.
Participants acknowledged that documenting Dr Chambas’ contributions is vital to preserving Africa’s peace and security history. The event also recognised the collective efforts of individuals, institutions, and friends who supported the celebration—described as a “donor-free initiative driven by proud and grateful Africans.”
A Call to Defend Africa’s Dignity
Delivering a keynote, Dr Chambas urged Africans to stand firmly in defence of their dignity, history, and cultural identity. He cautioned that the continent risked becoming “too timid” in confronting historical and ongoing injustices, including colonialism, racism, and contemporary marginalisation.
“We must begin to defend our history and our heritage, and not allow others to demean us as a people,” he said, commending cultural institutions such as the Pan-African Heritage Museum for preserving and projecting the “African personality.”
He outlined a vision for African development anchored in unity, human rights, stability, and the effective utilisation of the continent’s demographic and natural resources. Africa’s aspirations, he emphasised, are straightforward: “to live peacefully, in dignity, with rights respected, and to prosper by harnessing the energy of our youth and women.”