Global crises and Africa's sustainable response: Insights from the First Qwaqwa Interdisciplinary Conference

CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security team at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC), in partnership with the Department of Sociology and the Centre for Gender and African Studies (CGAS) in the Faculty of Humanities, at the University of the Free State (UFS)’ Qwaqwa campus, convened the first International Qwaqwa Interdisciplinary Conference in November 2024. The conference was a platform for policymakers, civil society, researchers, academia and donors to gather and reflect under the theme ‘Africa in the Age of Global Crises – Wars, Pandemics, Climate Emergencies and Financial Subordination: The Search for Decolonial Responses and Sustainable Recoveries’.  

The conference featured important themes and discussions on the interconnected crises facing Africa, ranging from the climate crisis to pandemics, livelihoods, debt, displacement, conflict, and civil unrest amongst others. Engagements and reflections from the conference brought to light important and innovative policies and strategies in response to the poly-crises. 

Africa in a state of ‘Polycrisis’ 

When discussing global current affairs, the concept of ‘polycrisis’ has been used to describe a situation of compounding interconnected crises that mutually reinforce each other. The term captures how socio-economic, environmental and political risks are interwoven and create complex situations that are not easily resolved and addressed. In his keynote address, reflecting on Africa’s polycrisis, Prof Adebayo Olukoshi underlined the historical developments behind the global state of polycrisis and described the implications for Africa. He challenged the long-term sustainability of the aid industry. Instead, he implored policymakers, academics and African leadership to prioritise local solutions that draw on regional resources and capacities instead of looking to the West for inspiration: “We’re now at a place where we can tell the physician to go back home to heal yourself.”

The notion of crisis was an underlying theme throughout the conference. Reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict induced displacement, social protection, food security and health were some of the topics spotlighted across various African contexts. The CGIAR Climate Security team presented research from ongoing work in the Southern African region, drawing on fieldwork in Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe to explore the interlinkages between climate change, social cohesion and stability in rural and displacement contexts. 

Unpacking the climate security nexus in Africa 

The climate, peace and security discourse is gaining traction in Southern Africa. As one of the themes of the conference, reflections highlighted the framings of climate security in the Southern African region. Gracsious Maviza, Southern Africa Lead for the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security spoke on how climate related risks emerge through ecological, socio-economic, and political pathways. Other presentations also looked at the consequences of climate change, civil war and political coups on community development, livelihoods, displacement, and resilience. Sindiso Ndlovu examined the human security risks surrounding displacement in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, while Thea Synnestvedt dove into the gendered experiences of forcibly displaced populations in Mozambique when it comes to food systems. Gender, climate and mobility was a key nexus that was unpacked throughout the conference with Mandlenkosi Maphosa exploring the shifting notions of masculinities in Mozambiquean displacement contexts and others raising important questions on child marriage, menstrual health and gender-based violence. Other presentations also emphasised the way climate security risks and threats mutually reinforce vulnerabilities. To this end, Gracious shared a common saying that simplifies part of this connection, recalling how oftentimes, ‘a hungry man is an angry man’.

Clarifying these kinds of interconnections can help identify potential strategies. This was a recurring theme across the conference. Raramai Campbell examined the role of humanitarian social protection at Tongogara Refugee Camp as a strategy and reflected on refugees lived experiences. Other presentations looked at on the ground experiences of basic service delivery in South Africa and natural resource management. Regardless of the type of response and specific context, discussions highlighted the importance of a blended approach that harnesses local level solutions, particularly when it comes to addressing compounding climate related risks. 

Localising and Africanising approaches to crisis 

The topic of inclusive and locally led solutions was also central in the deliberations at the conference. This was closely tied to principles of decolonisation, reimagination and indigenous knowledge. Some presentations drew on cases of spiritual healing and others championed the role of indigenous knowledge for climate adaptation across Africa. In his presentation on curbing climate-related conflicts in Africa, Joseph Makanda asked ‘Why and how have African indigenous approaches been neglected in climate security discussions?’.

This question was not unique and not restricted solely to climate security discussions. Others echoed it, calling for a rethinking and reimagining of Africa’s role and contribution to the overlapping crises of conflict, climate, displacement, health, and the economy. Here notions of equality and justice surrounding climate finance came centre stage. Dr Nqobizitha Dube and Gadu Siyaxola brought forward perspectives of climate finance for Africa, its pitfalls, and potential opportunities, both emphasising issues of access, scope, and social injustice.  

Reflections and Conclusions 

Looking back at the contributions made at Qwaqwa, some of the closing statements come to mind where theoretical reflections were tied together with the cases presented. In an age of emerging global crises, we need to rethink and reprioritise the way forward for Africa. 

There is still some way to go in our search for a sustainable home-grown response for the compounding crises Africa faces. Approaches ask for leadership and governance rooted in dignity and solutions inspired by Africa’s past experiences and indigenous knowledges. For climate security, the drivers, risks and consequences are becoming increasingly recognised in the region. Acknowledging, documenting and reporting on the interconnectedness of crises is one part of a larger puzzle towards identifying and implementing sustainable responses in Africa. 

Authors: Raramai Campbell and Gracsious Maviza (Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT). Photos and illustrations: Raramai Campbell 

 Acknowledgements  

This work was carried out with support from the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) and the CGIAR Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM). We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/