Our contemporary world is riddled with varying amounts of destructive conflicts which threaten communities’ peace and security. Afghanistan, Bosnia, East Timor, the Kashmir Region of India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Sudan, Iraq, Somalia and Palestine among others, have been fragmented due to destructive conflicts.
Ethnic and identity violence, civic wars, Islamic militant insurgencies, drug-related violence, political instability, chieftaincy succession conflicts, natural resource conflicts and terrorist activities among others, have plagued the African continent especially.
These conflicts have serious implications for peace and human development on the continent as they obstruct development through induced migration, arrest accessibility to education and health care and heighten communities’ fear of insecurity.
Contemporary societies thus require well-trained peace advocates and security experts capable of identifying ‘hot spots’ of conflicts, experts in resolving conflicts, and advocates for the restoration of peace and restitution for victims of conflicts and wars.
This makes the role of Higher Institutions quite significant. Universities are expected to play a critical role by undertaking rigorous research, building the capacity of the people and also to train the necessary human resource in peace, and conflict justice administration issues at all societal levels.
There is an increasing realization that many civil society organizations and some state agencies working in peace and conflict-related field either lack formal training or have inadequate training to make them effective in their approach to conflict situations.
Hence the need to develop a certificate programme in Peace, Conflict and Justice Administration to enhance the knowledge and analytical skills of practitioners and promoters of peace and conflict management for development.