The CSC Hub for West and Central Africa was born out of the global Conflict Sensitivity Community Hub, a consortium of international organisations such as Oxfam (lead), World Vision, Islamic Relief, Saferworld, Helvetas and International Alert, all committed to promoting the conflict-sensitive approach.
In 2019, a joint training course organised by Oxfam, World Vision, Islamic Relief and PeaceNexus for their teams and partners in West Africa aimed to address the lack of accessible and appropriate tools in French on conflict sensitivity. At the request of the participants, an informal network emerged — fuelled by collective momentum, organic development and focused on the needs expressed by the participants.
Today, the Regional CSC Hub is a dynamic learning platform that facilitates the sharing of experiences and the improvement of conflict-sensitive practices. It brings together more than 200 active members from 50 organisations in 12 countries in West and Central Africa. Although it includes actors from West Africa, Central Africa and Europe, it is rooted in national branches, with the Hubs in Burkina Faso and Niger being the pioneers. The CSC Hub in Niger is coordinated by SNV (Netherlands Development Cooperation) and the one in Burkina Faso by Oxfam, while a Hub has recently been set up in Benin.
The governance of each Hub is based on a college of organisations chosen by the members, which defines the strategy and ensures the implementation of jointly decided actions. These bodies have different names depending on the country: Locomotive in Burkina Faso, Unité de Coordination in Niger and Boussole in Benin.
The CSC Hub for West and Central Africa thus embodies the spirit of the global Hub: to connect, strengthen and disseminate the conflict-sensitive approach in all sectors. It also acts as an interface, linking the experiences of national Hubs to global dynamics. It facilitates the exchange of practices around the implementation of conflict sensitivity and creates a space for collective learning aimed at strengthening the consideration of conflict and peace issues in different sectors of intervention at the regional level.
In conjunction with the Global Hub, the Regional Hub functions as an autonomous and collaborative platform, progressively and strategically integrating conflict sensitivity into West and Central African contexts.
Our support:
PeaceNexus plays a facilitating role, notably through:
- facilitating workshops;
- supporting the design of roadmaps;
- mobilising national and international NGOs, governmental and multilateral actors to discuss developments in the context;
- sharing lessons learned on adaptations to prevent the spread of violence.
What are CSC Hubs used for?
At the national and regional levels, members benefit from various contributions from the Hubs:
Sharing: Conflict sensitivity or crisis prevention is difficult to oversee in aid organisations, environmental groups or public institutions. It is complex, in-depth work that is rarely valued because, when done well, its effects are often invisible. This approach requires vigilance, effort, commitment and greater accountability at all levels. Knowing that you are not alone is essential to staying engaged.
Learning: Adopting conflict sensitivity does not require you to be an expert; rather, it involves developing a mindset of openness, curiosity and critical thinking. It is a gradual learning process, fuelled by experience. It draws on a range of personal, relational and strategic skills – such as active listening, patience, questioning, adaptability and the ability to adjust one’s practices. More than a technical toolkit, it is a way of working – a daily attitude.
Collective action: Some advances can only be achieved together: advocacy, institutional strengthening, changing public perceptions, societal mobilisation – and, more broadly, peacebuilding.
How do the Hubs work in practice?
The CSC Hubs serve above all the common good, supported by the individual and institutional commitment of their members. Their functioning varies from country to country, and it is essential to preserve diversity, originality and attachment to the specificities of each context.
Each member organisation contributes in its own way: providing a meeting space, proposing a topic for discussion, organising training or an event, mobilising its teams, etc.
One or more people are appointed to represent their organisation within the Hub, and some members take on key roles such as coordinator or focal point. The Hubs are based on an action plan jointly developed at the beginning of the year, setting common priorities. This plan is implemented with flexibility and commitment, then undergoes a light evaluation at the end of the year – the objective being less accountability than maintaining collective momentum and adjusting activities as needed.