“The aim of this paper is to critically examine the concept of conflict prevention as a viable means for enhancing peace and security in Africa, in order to suggest meaningful points of engagement for concerned donors and partners. It does so against the background of seemingly ubiquitous conflict potential, and a brief conceptual analysis of conflict prevention and peace-building. This framework is then applied to perceived national capacities for preventing violent conflict; and the regional capacities for conflict prevention that are intrinsic to the emergent African security architecture – including the implicit long-term preventive effects of enhanced governance standards expected from the African peer review mechanism.”
