Engaging the Values of Local Participation in African Peacebuilding Processes

This article explores the fundamental contemporary factors in conflict transformation perspectives to peacebuilding. It harnesses the essential functions that pull together mechanisms that may be useful in empowering local institutional capacity in post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding in Africa. Through analysing secondary data on discourse analytical studies, on conflict and peacebuilding in Africa, the paper explores legitimacy, inclusivity and coherent peace practices, as measures for bestowing value in local or community stakeholders, to ensure sustainable peacebuilding processes. The paper adopts an integrative peacebuilding approach, which recognises hybrid peace initiatives as essential to addressing contemporary peace challenges in local communities. Examples from multiple peace processes across Africa are drawn to expose the limitations of the hegemonic peace practices that exclude the local, particularly women and the youth in peacebuilding practices, thereby affecting the sustainability of peace.