EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The inaugural International Security Conference on Africa (ISCA) was held from 19 to 20 May 2025, bringing together policymakers, security and military leaders, and scholars from across Africa and beyond. The conference provided a high-level platform for dialogue on Africa’s evolving security and development priorities, grounded in the conviction that African-led solutions are key to sustainable progress.
ISCA 2025 emphasized the urgent need to strengthen governance, embrace emerging technologies, reclaim Africa’s global narrative, and accelerate regional integration. Strategic autonomy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and independent media were also highlighted as key levers for safeguarding sovereignty and unlocking Africa’s potential.
The discussions reinforced a clear message: Africa must lead in shaping its own future. ISCA 2025 set the tone for a new era of cooperative security thinking rooted in unity, innovation, and self-reliance.
Monday, May 19 | from 11:00 a.m : OPENING CEREMONY
- 11:00 am - 12:00 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
H.E Paul KAGAME
Guest of Honour
H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat
Former African Union Commission Chairperson and Chairperson of the ISCA Advisory Council
Amb Lt Gen (Rtd) Frank M. Kamanzi
Executive Secretary
Monday, May 19 | from 12:00 p.m : Global Conflict Hotspots: Securing Africa in a Fragmented World
- 12:00 p.m - 01:00 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat
Former African Union Commission Chairperson and ISCA Chairperson of the Advisory Council
Amb Martin Kimani
President and CEO of The Africa Center in New York City
Victor Zhikai Gao
Vice President of Centre for China and Globalization
Mr Marc Hecker
Deputy Director of IFRI
Moderator: Ms. Julie Gichuru
 President and CEO, Africa Leadership and Dialogue Institute (ALADI)
Monday, May 19 | from 01:00 p.m : Renforcer le Pouvoir de Négociation de l’Afrique
- 01:00 p.m - 02:00 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
S.E Louise Mushikiwabo
La Secrétaire générale de la Francophonie
Dr Nathalie Delapalme
Chief Executive Officer,
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Monday, May 19 | from 02:15 p.m : Private Military Companies and Foreign Military Bases: Implications for African Security and Sovereignty
- 02:15 p.m - 03:15 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Lt Gen (Rtd) Daniel Sidiki Traore
Former Force Commander MINUSCA
Dr Luka Biong Deng Kuol
Senior Research Fellow and Former Managing Director of the Sudd Institute
Murithi Mutiga
International Crisis Group (ICG) Programme Director
for Africa
Dr Ashraf Afzal
Lecturer, Loughborough University
Moderator:Mr David F.K. Mpanga
 Lawyer at AF Mpanga Advocates
Tuesday, May 20 | from 09:00 a.m : Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Cyber Threats
- 09:00 a.m - 10:00 a.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Hon Paula Ingabire
Minister of Information, Communication Technology and
Innovation
Mr Noordin Haji
Director General of the National Intelligence Service-Kenya (NIS)
Brig Gen (Rtd) MK Hadji Janev Metodi
Associate Professor of Law at the Military Academy
General Mihailo Apostolski-Skopeji, Macedonia
Moderator: Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata
Technology Entrepreneur and Journalist
Tuesday, May 20 | from 09:00 a.m : Global Media Narratives - The Cost of Misrepresenting Africa
- 09:00 a.m - 10:00 a.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Ms Ebba Kalondo
Former African Union Commission Spokesperson
Ms Moky Makura
Executive Director of Africa No Filter
Moderator: Ms Jackie Lumbasi
Media Personality
Tuesday, May 20 | from 10:45 a.m : Africa’s Views on Deterrence – A Unique Approach
- 10:45 a.m - 11:45 a.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Lt Gen (Rtd) Adan K Mulata
Executive Chairman, Peace Prospect Institute-Africa (PPI-Africa)
Lt Gen (Rtd) Balla Keita
Former Force Commander, MINUSCA
Vice Admiral Mitko Petev
Advisor on Defence and Security Policy to the President of Bulgaria
Moderator: Emily Comfort Maractho
Associate Professor of Media Studies at Uganda Christian University
Tuesday, May 20 | from 10:45 a.m : Critical Raw Materials and Supply Chain Warfare: Africa’s Role
- 10:45 a.m - 11:45 a.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Dr Donald Kaberuka
Chairman and Managing Partner of SouthBridge Group
Prof Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu
Inaugural President of the Africa School of Governance (ASG)
Dr Zerbo Lassina
Chairman of the Board of Directors at the
Rwanda Atomic Energy Board
Dr Andrey Maslov
Director of the Center for African Studies & Coordinator
of the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program, Russia
Moderator: Mr Joseph Warungu
Journalist, Radio One Africa
Tuesday, May 20 | from 11:45 a.m : What is the Future of Peacekeeping Missions in Africa?
- 11:45 a.m - 12:45 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Gen Patrick Nyamvumba
High Commissioner of Rwanda to the Republic of Tanzania
Dr Philip Kasaija Apuuli
Associate Prof in the Dept of Political Science & Public
Administration, Makerere University
Ms Clotilde Mbaranga Gasarabwe
Former Assistant Secretary General for the UN Department
of Safety and Security
H.E Ahmedou Oud-Abdallah
Board Advisor for the International Peace and Security Institute
Moderator: Joel Kibazo
Journalist JK Associates
Tuesday, May 20 | from 11:45 a.m : Building Trust for Intra African Investment
- 11:45 a.m - 12:45 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Prof Atif Mian
Professor of Economics, Princeton University
Mr Jean Guy Afrika
Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board
Moderator: Ms Fatmata Lovetta Sesay
Resident Representative of UNDP in Rwanda
Tuesday, May 20 | from 02:00 p.m : Borderlands in crisis: security, identity, and marginalisation in Africa
- 02:00 p.m - 03:00 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
H.E Adama Dieng
Former UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide
Mr Andrew Mwenda
Founder and Owner of the Independent
Dr Bojana Coulibaly
Researcher on Conflict Discourse, Aegis Trust
Dr Wafula Okumu
Executive Director of the Borders Institute (TBI)
Moderator: Sylvanus Wekesa
Research Associate with the African Leadership Centre (ALC) at King’s College London
Tuesday, May 20 | from 03:00 p.m : Closing Remarks
- 03:00 p.m - 04:00 p.m
- Kigali Convention Centre
- Room: Auditorium
Amb Lt Gen (Rtd) Frank M. Kamanzi
Executive Secretary
Visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and Campaign Against Genocide Museum
