The founding conference for the Network of African Security and Defense Research Centers will be held on Tuesday in Rabat with the participation of 37 research centers from Africa, as well as specialized centers from China, Brazil, Argentina, the United States, France, Belgium, Spain and Morocco.
This conference is taking place on the sidelines of the fourth edition of the Africa Security Forum, which opened on Monday with the participation of hundreds of figures from different countries under the theme, “The impact of climate change on security in Africa”.
“The aim of this conference is to bring together the 140 African research centers specialized in security and defense issues,” Driss Benomar, Executive Chairman of the Atlantis think tank in Casablanca, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Speaking on the benefits of forming a network, Benomar said: “African defense and security research and studies centers will have greater weight in their dealings with relevant regional and international institutions. Their recommendations and suggestions will gain even more strength when they are presented by a 140-seat club rather than by individual centers.”
The three-day Africa Security Forum focuses on three major issues: "Demographic Growth and Agricultural Development", "Food Security and Water Management" and "Anticipating Tomorrow's Solutions".
Hundreds of high-level personalities and government representatives from 35 African countries and 400 participants from the other continents are expected to find solutions to curb the adverse impacts of climate change on food security, terrorism, development, and biodiversity that grips the continent.
