From the 10th to the 12th of June, the African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) marked its tenth anniversary at the Policy Center for the New South in Rabat. This edition was substantial in the event’s trajectory, especially given the participation of over twenty African countries.
APSACO brought together participants from more than twenty nations, including former ministers, senior United Nations officials, presidential advisors, NATO experts, senior African military officers, leading figures in diplomacy and mediation, as well as defense experts and specialists from Africa, Europe, and North America.
Over the course of ten years, APSACO has consistently addressed African security challenges. Topics have ranged from political transitions and regional conflicts to the emergence of technological warfare. Throughout this period, the conference has maintained a central objective: to create a platform for analysis and discussion of the continent’s security challenges, all made primarily by African actors. Furthermore, the dialogues have sought to move beyond theoretical frameworks by proposing innovative, realistic, and context-specific solutions tailored to the continent’s strategic environment.
The 2026 edition was held under the theme “A Decade in Review: Africa’s Evolving Security Landscape.” In this context, discussions examined the transformation of threats over time, ongoing counterterrorism strategies, governance models adapted to African political conditions, and the increasing role of technology as a strategic force multiplier in warfare dynamics.
The discussions also presented the main findings of this year’s Annual Report on Africa’s Geopolitics. The report comprises 26 papers, each examining Africa’s position amid the changing composition of the current world order. Additionally, the contributions explore the continent’s strategies to balance competing priorities, including security, development, sovereignty, and regional integration.
In summary, over its decade of existence, the African Peace and Security Annual Conference has showed consistency and longevity as a program dedicated to the continent’s security challenges. The annual keeps providing a space for African actors to analyze and debate the continent’s challenges, instead of having extra-continental powers do so.
S.Z
