- ISCA’s Holds Inaugural Meeting in Rwanda
By Abiola Olawale
President of Rwanda Paul Kagame yesterday hosted eminent Scholar-Diplomat and former Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, to an official international parley on navigating specific sectoral concerns facing Africa at State House in Kigali, Rwanda, on Tuesday.
Kagame welcomed Gambari after he arrived in Kigali for the inaugural meeting of the International Security Conference on Africa (ISCA).
The New Diplomat reports that Gambari who was at different times Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Nigeria’s Ambassador/ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the African Union/Chief Mediator in Darfur, and President of the United Nations Security Council, arrived in Kigali for the inaugural ISCA meeting as a member of the International Advisory Council of the global body.
It was gathered that the ISCA is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering dialogue, collaboration and actionable solutions toward addressing security challenges across the African continent.
One of ISCA’s aims is to provide a platform to partners, including policymakers, security experts, civil society and researchers, through high-level conferences, research initiatives and policy engagement to promote peace, stability and sustainable development.
During the high-profile meeting, it was gathered that Gambari, the founder of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy & Development (SCDDD), engaged with the Rwandan President on insights on regional peace, security collaboration, and Africa’s strategic priorities, aligning with the themes of ISCA 2025.
Gambari’s perspectives as a seasoned diplomat with a rich and hybrid career in global peacekeeping, were well received, underlying the crucial importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing Africa’s institutional challenges.