A new pan-African citizen movement, Objective Peace in Africa (OPA), has officially launched in Abidjan, aiming to place peace at the heart of Africa’s development agenda. Led by prominent religious and civil society figures, OPA seeks to transform the devastating cost of violence into a powerful “peace dividend” that can unlock the continent’s vast potential.
The economic toll of conflict in sub-Saharan Africa is staggering. According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, violence costs the region approximately $614 billion annually—more than one and a half times the GDP of Nigeria or South Africa. This sum also dwarfs the combined health and education budgets of the 15 ECOWAS countries by over 17 times.
“Instability remains the principal barrier to Africa’s progress,” said Pastor Amagou W. Zahui, founder of OPA. “Every franc not spent on conflict prevention is a debt paid with lost lives and missed opportunities. Peace is the most cost-effective investment we can make for our children’s future.”
The movement unites leaders like Reverend Father Éric Norbert Abekan and Imam Cheikh Ahmad Tidjane Diabaté to promote “spiritual diplomacy,” harnessing the trust vested in religious communities that represent nearly 80% of Côte d’Ivoire’s population. Their goal: rebuild social cohesion, educate for peace, and prevent tensions from escalating into violence.
By the end of 2023, sub-Saharan Africa had lost over 89,000 lives to conflicts and witnessed 34.8 million internally displaced persons, according to IDMC data—creating a silent crisis of refugees within the continent.
OPA’s grassroots solidarity actions already support more than 5,000 families in Abidjan alone.
The official launch was marked by an international conference themed “The Power of Unity: Religion as a Vehicle for Active Fraternity and Sustainable Economic Development,” drawing over 4,000 participants at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan.
OPA calls on all Africans to join forces and transform the devastating costs of conflict into lasting peace and shared prosperity for the continent.
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