NGAOUNDÉRÉ 2025: AFFADA holds its first University of Peace

NGAOUNDÉRÉ 2025: AFFADA holds its first University of Peace

“Let us work towards a presidential election without violence, let us dialogue, share and build lasting peace for a peaceful Cameroon. It is on this guiding principle that AFFADA organized the first edition of the University of Peace from September 17 to 19, 2025 in the city of Ngaoundéré, capital of the Adamaoua region. This edition brought together various actors such as: students, researchers, university teachers, religious figures, members of civil society, representatives of public administrations, traditional leaders, political parties, etc.

Through exchanges in the form of conferences, seminars and workshops, AFFADA offered participants an opportunity to educate themselves on the challenges and bottom-up solutions to peace. The goal was to deepen their knowledge in the field of peaceful coexistence, to train them in new skills, to lead them to discover a new culture of living together, to develop a professional network of peace actors and to support the learning of the rules that govern community life where one can be different, but live in harmony. In view of the upcoming elections and the diversity of candidates and political-ideological families, the aim was to prepare the public to experience peaceful elections, to prevent negative resentment by using the expression of divergent opinions and choices as a pretext.

Françoise Baba, President of AFFADA, declared: “You know, peace cannot be decreed; it must be built. This is a year in the context of elections, and this requires us, commits us, to greater responsibilities.”

Four panels on equally important themes steeped in the current electoral situation in Cameroon saw motorcycle taxi drivers, students, traders, traditional leaders, imams, pastors and priests, as well as other socio-professional groups mobilize for the cause. All were involved with academics and media figures to build bridges to peace.

Ahmadou Tidjani, traditional leader, declared in turn: “This University of Peace strengthens our commitment. Without peace, nothing can be achieved.”

In order to support the ongoing electoral process in Cameroon, greater emphasis was placed on: promoting participatory democracy as a tool for peace by exploring how citizen engagement in electoral processes strengthens peace by promoting transparency and trust among citizens; raising awareness among stakeholders on the importance of political discourses on the culture of peace at the local level, through the analysis of the impact of political discourses on the perception of peace by emphasizing the importance of inclusive and non-violent language; drawing the attention of media men and women to the challenges of information during the electoral period through discussions on the role of the media in the dissemination of reliable information and how disinformation can fuel tensions and conflicts.

Ahmadou SEHOU declared: “The goal is to cultivate this love and preserve peace before, during, and after this presidential election.”

Organized as a prelude to the International Day of Peace, which is celebrated every September 21st of each year, the first University for Peace in Ngaoundéré was full of resolutions for a peaceful Cameroon, resolutely focused on its development.