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Conference: Regional Governance as Experience. New Perspectives on Politics and Sustainability (Libreville)

Regionalism has long been an integral part of governance in Africa. Upon gaining independence, African states established numerous regional and sub-regional institutions to advance their interests. These range from well-known organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to lesser-known ones such as the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). However, academic engagement with these developments has so far been dominated by an institutionalist perspective. There is little knowledge about how African communities experience the governance of these institutions ‘on the ground’. The aim of the MIASA conference was thus to address this gap by adopting an innovative micro-perspective and examining regional governance in terms of the lived experiences, narratives, practices, perceptions and cosmologies of various stakeholders.Regionalism has long been an integral part of governance in Africa. Upon gaining independence, African states established numerous regional and sub-regional institutions to advance their interests. These range from well-known organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to lesser-known ones such as the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). However, academic engagement with these developments has so far been dominated by an institutionalist perspective. There is little knowledge about how African communities experience the governance of these institutions ‘on the ground’. The aim of the MIASA conference was thus to address this gap by adopting an innovative micro-perspective and examining regional governance in terms of the lived experiences, narratives, practices, perceptions and cosmologies of various stakeholders.

Photo by Sylvere Adete

The conference was held from July 4 to 6, 2024, at Omar Bongo University in Libreville, Gabon, which is part of the Point Sud network. The conveners included Dr. Antonia Witt from the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt (PRIF), Dr. Densua Mumford from Leiden University, Dr. Juliana Appiah from the University of Ghana, Dr. Fortuné Mboula, Dr. Fabert Mensah Ngoma from Omar Bongo University and Dr. André Adjo from the Centre national de la recherche scientifique et technologique (CENAREST) in Libreville. The 34 participants (including 14 women) were mostly selected through a call for papers. An impressive number of 384 applications from all parts of Africa and Europe demonstrated the importance of this topic. The participants came from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo, Zimbabwe, and Uganda, as well as Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey. In addition to scientists, representatives of traditional institutions and civil society also took part.

Photo by Marko Scholze

The presentations covered a wide range of experiences relating to regional governance institutions in the context of political crises, violent conflicts, trade, border control, economic integration processes and diplomacy. Adopting a micro perspective made it possible to highlight the contradictions between the regional integration sought by politicians and everyday practice, which often works against integration. One example of this is the marginalisation of female traders, who have less knowledge of general regulations, particularly those that facilitate cross-border trade, than their male counterparts. One reason for this is the lack of educational opportunities for women. This restricts their economic opportunities in cross-border trade.

Photo by Fabert Mensah Ngoma


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Marko Scholze (November 17, 2025). Conference: Regional Governance as Experience. New Perspectives on Politics and Sustainability (Libreville). Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa - Blog. Retrieved December 12, 2025 from https://miasa.hypotheses.org/5392


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