Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · 15 July 2025
The African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, on behalf of H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, officially launched the African Union Fellowship Programme on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation on 15 July 2025 at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Ambassador Adeoye was joined by Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council for the month of July, and Ambassador Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union.
Origins and Strategic Purpose
The AU Fellowship Programme was established following a decision by the AU Peace and Security Council in May 2024. It represents not only a training initiative but a strategic investment in nurturing the next generation of African peacemakers, negotiators, and disarmament specialists.
The programme is designed to equip participants with knowledge on multilateral arms control frameworks, sharpen their diplomatic negotiation skills, and strengthen their capacity to broker mutual agreements between and among states. These efforts are intended to advance regional stability, limit the proliferation of weapons, and promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology in Africa, with the overarching view to contribute to global peace and security.
Target Participants
The programme's target groups include:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Diplomats | Diplomats from AU Member States |
| Senior Officials | AU Special Envoys, High Representatives, Special Representatives of the Chairperson of the Commission |
| Mediators | AU Mediators and Heads of AU Missions |
| Strategic Leaders | Other strategic-level leaders in peace and security |
| Practitioners | Individuals working in the disarmament field across Africa |
| Civil Society | Representatives from civil society and academia |
| Policy Makers | Policy makers and practitioners in relevant fields |
| International Partners | Representatives from international partner organisations |
Africa's Disarmament Context
The launch of the fellowship programme comes at a time when Africa faces significant disarmament challenges. The continent has experienced increased arms flows in several regions, including the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region, where illicit small arms and light weapons fuel instability and armed conflict.
Africa is also home to key nuclear non-proliferation instruments, including the Pelindaba Treaty, which established the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty. The treaty, which entered into force in 2009, commits African states not to develop, manufacture, or acquire nuclear weapons, while preserving the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy for development purposes.
The fellowship programme aims to build the human capital necessary to implement and strengthen these frameworks, ensuring that African negotiators are equipped to engage effectively in multilateral disarmament fora, including the Conference on Disarmament, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) review process, and the Arms Trade Treaty.
Building on the AU-UN Partnership
The presence of Ambassador Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to the African Union, at the launch underscores the programme's alignment with the broader AU-UN partnership on peace and security. The two organisations have increasingly collaborated on conflict prevention, mediation, and post-conflict reconstruction, and the fellowship programme adds a dedicated capacity-building dimension to this cooperation.
Implications for African Diplomacy
The fellowship programme addresses a long-identified gap in African diplomatic capacity: the shortage of trained disarmament specialists who can represent African interests in international negotiations. Historically, many African states have lacked dedicated disarmament desks within their foreign ministries, relying instead on generalist diplomats who may not have specialised knowledge of arms control treaties and verification mechanisms.
By targeting not only current diplomats but also mediators, envoys, and strategic-level leaders, the programme aims to embed disarmament expertise across multiple layers of African peace and security architecture. The inclusion of civil society and academia also suggests an intention to build a broader community of practice that can sustain expertise beyond individual diplomatic postings.
Sources
- African Union, "Official Launch of the African Union Fellowship Programme on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation," Press Release, 15 July 2025, au.int/en/pressreleases/20250715/
- African Union Peace and Security Council, decision authorising the fellowship programme, May 2024
- United Nations Office to the African Union, official records
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