We wanted to provide the rare opportunity for policy-makers and researchers from Africa to speak in Japan. I am sure we will get insights in some of the key areas for African development in the 21 st Century. As a background, I would like to draw out four ongoing themes from UNU work on Africa. The Human and Economic Costs of Armed Conflict - One of the most acute problems facing Africa is war and instability. After a few years of relative peace, the re-emergence of armed conflict in West Africa, Central Africa and the Horn of Africa amply demonstrates that peace and stability in the region is still very fragile.
Conflicts take a tremendous toll in human lives.
Conflicts also impose very large costs on the economies of Africa and nullify domestic and international efforts at promoting growth. Promoting the basic foundations of peace and stability should be given the highest priority within the region and by international partners as we enter the 21 st Century. First , there is a need for more effective mechanisms to stabilize the region once conflicts erupt. Second , there is also need to highlight the fact that conflict partly stems from the lack of development. The strategies of elites to maintain or expand power, in the midst of adverse economic changes and mass reaction to these changes, are instrumental in determining the potential for humanitarian disasters.