“Justice is never justice if conducted in a language one does not understand,” said Kenyan author Ng?g? wa Thiong’o.

At the?Academic Conference on Africa in Kikuyu, Mr. wa Thiong’o spoke about African languages, the people of Africa, and their denial of truth, power, and justice.

His keynote address aptly reflected this year’s conference theme "Power, Justice, and the People: Human Rights and the Rule of Law for Africa’s Transformation".

Speakers and participants called for a paradigm shift that fosters more innovative Africa-centred solutions to the continent’s challenges. They emphasized the importance of enhancing collaboration between academics and policymakers to work more closely as allies, using institutions for transformation to address the deficit of scholar-practitioners, developing more contextual people-centred policies, and nurturing development building on the continent’s rich Indigenous knowledge to resolve current challenges.

Concluding the event, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa Cristina Duarte?said the continent has the capacity and resources to finance its development and is already financing most of it, with external aid providing a fraction of the development funding.

However, she said, efforts must consider the quadruple nexus of development, peace and security, humanitarian work, and human rights.

She summed this up in four?points:

  • Durable peace in Africa requires sustainable development

  • Sustainable development requires sustainable financing

  • Sustainable financing requires control of economic and financial flows

  • Control over economic and financial flows requires effective States (governance)

This requires greater collaboration between African scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to generate African-led solutions that enhance peace and security, the rule of law, and human rights to create a conducive environment for development.

The recently launched UN 2.0, which seeks to build a UN system that can better support Member States in the years to come, is an excellent opportunity to provide the required support.

As a follow-up to the conference, the?Office of the Special Adviser on Africa?has issued a call for papers on original research, case studies, and policy analyses that explore Africa's journey toward more inclusive and effective justice systems.

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