08/09/2026
Africa at the Centre: Leading Change, Shifting Power
ABOYERD was represented by its Projects Coordinator Bazil Tume at Africa at the Centre: Leading Change, Shifting Power, a three-day convening organized by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in Accra, Ghana, from 1 to 3 September 2026.
The meeting brought together civil society organizations, funders, researchers and community leaders from across Africa to reflect on who sets priorities, who controls resources, whose knowledge is valued, and what it really means to shift power.
A key takeaway for us was that shifting power also requires African organisations to look inward: how we work with communities, make decisions, document knowledge, manage resources and build institutions that can stand beyond individuals.
These discussions strongly resonated with ABOYERD. Communities are central to our conservation work, yet their knowledge is often poorly documented and recognised. We also see how limited information sharing and competition within the conservation sector can lead to duplicated efforts rather than collective impact.
For us, solidarity over competition must mean creating more opportunities for African conservation organisations to share what works, what does not, and what we can learn from one another.
ABOYERD left Accra with important lessons to put into practice: strengthening our systems, documenting community and ecological knowledge, diversifying our financing and deepening collaboration.
We are grateful to our partner PPI - Programme de Petites Initiatives for supporting our participation and to WACSI for creating this important space for reflection and connection.
