On June 28th and 29th, 2018, Sonja Nietz and Michael Staack took part in the international conference “Quo vadis APSA? The Future of the African Peace and Security Architecture”, organized by the Federal Academy of Security Policy (BAKS) in Berlin. The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), established under the umbrella of the African Union (AU), is the central framework for peace and security on the African continent. For more than ten years, the German government has been supporting the development of APSA through various measures in different fields at the continental, regional, as well as the local level. The Berlin conference addressed future prospects of APSA and the role the German government´s comprehensive approach will play in this regard. In his opening speech, John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana, underlined that currently, due to structural disadvantages, Africa is de facto excluded from equal and fair participation in international economic and political affairs. Moreover, Mahama pointed out that structural change is a necessary prerequisite to establish better and more effective problem-solving capacities within APSA. As a rapporteur, Sonja Nietz summarized the proceedings of the conference. All participants agreed that the conference referred to a very complex issue for which there are no simple answers. In conclusion, despite substantial progress both within APSA and German engagement over the last years, however, further efforts are strongly needed to foster quick actions and to support long-term peace and security in Africa.

Conference notes by the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS)