Professors and researchers representing eleven strategic research units from universities in Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of Congo met at the Star Land Hotel in Yaoundé on September 4, 2026, for the inaugural meeting of a new regional research network.
This two-day gathering aimed to establish a collaborative alliance among academic institutions from the four nations to strengthen their collective capacity to analyze, report, and advocate against organized crime and armed violence in Central Africa.
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At the heart of this initiative is the Central Africa Observatory on Organized Crime and Violence project, launched in 2024 by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) in partnership with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Running through 2027, this project aims to create a regional civil society observatory focused on analyzing the link between crime and conflicts, mapping criminal ecosystems, and strengthening advocacy capacities across Central Africa. Its broader objectives revolve around producing reliable data, enhancing research within civil society, and encouraging regional judicial and political authorities to adopt evidence-based responses.
The director of the Observatory, Professor Saïbou Issa, emphasized that this initiative bridges academic research and public action. He noted that although universities have deep scientific expertise on complex issues such as financial crime, kidnappings for ransom, human trafficking, and cybercrime, these threats form an interconnected criminal ecosystem. He specified that following the conference, the network will prioritize specialized training to help researchers transform their theoretical work into actionable decision-making tools for policymakers to effectively combat cross-border crime.
Focusing on the need for regional cooperation, Professor René Joly Assako Assako, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Human Sciences at the University of Douala and representative of the Center for Studies and Research in Geo-economics, Geopolitics, and Geostrategy of Coastal and Maritime Spaces (3GELM), expressed hope that this network will transform Central Africa’s security response. He stressed that local expertise is not lacking within the universities and researchers of the region; the missing link lies rather in coordination, resource sharing, and pooling the necessary skills to respond to global threats with unified measures.
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Other academics from the region also reiterated the urgency of a coordinated and cross-border approach to dismantle criminal networks. Professor Régine Nambuwa from the University of Kinshasa, representing the Center for Criminology and Social Pathology, highlighted that isolated actions are insufficient against problems like the illegal trafficking of minerals leaving the DRC via neighboring countries such as Cameroon. Similarly, Professor Serge Loungou from Omar Bongo University in Gabon emphasized that this initiative allows moving beyond “geopolitical disengagement,” offering researchers the opportunity to jointly analyze cross-border crimes such as child trafficking and poaching in shared national parks.
For the second day of this inaugural meeting, Saturday, September 5, 2026, participants will focus on establishing the legal and operational foundations of the network. The agenda includes reviewing the memorandum of understanding (MoU), identifying priority collaborative research themes, and forming specialized thematic groups.
Additionally, delegates will develop an initial work plan covering the next 12 to 24 months, conduct work presentations, formally establish the network, and adopt a consolidated roadmap before the official closing of the event.
Following this two-day meeting, the strategic research centers will consult with their respective universities to implement the agreed work plan. The first priority step will focus on deploying methodological training and report writing programs for network members, thus laying the groundwork for strategic foresight, sustainable collaborative research, and evidence-based political advocacy in Central Africa.
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