Caryn Buea is a social justice activist and recognized dynamic youth leader. She has frontline experiences implementing campaigns and advocacy initiatives advancing women’s rights, gender equality, ending violence against women and girls, and sustainable development. Her dedication in highlighting the issues of women and girls, places her as a Global Beijing 25 youth task force member. Caryn has 13 years of work experience volunteering in rural communities in the Northwest and Southwest region of Cameroon. She is the elected General Coordinator of the Cameroon women’s peace movement (CAWOPEM) a constellation of two hundred women led civil society organizations from all ten regions of Cameroon with an objective of ensuring that Cameroonian women are part of the peace building process in their country.

Despina Namwembe is the Regional Coordinator  for United Religions Initiative, coordinating over 60 grassroots interfaith member organizations in the Great Lakes countries of Africa. She is an interfaith peacebuilding, a gender enthusiast, a human rights advocate, as well as a networker providing linkages for grassroots communities and supporting them with capacity building. Despina is the current Chair for the Civil Society Coalition against violent extremism and has coordinated different PVE research processes in Uganda as well as being an active contributor to the current P/CVE National Strategy in Uganda. She has supported women in conflict situations through psychosocial and economic programming and conducted both interfaith and intra-faith mediations with gender bias.

Florence Iminza is the Director at the African Institute for Contemporary Mission and Research and teaches Islam and Christianity. She is a Kenyan who is passionate about interfaith relations with particular reference to Christian-Muslim Relations and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa, with research interests on women and Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Issah Toha Shamsoo founded a youth-led peacebuilding NGO, Africa Students for Interfaith Tolerance in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred in New Zealand and the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka in 2019. Shocked by the horroes of these attacks, Issah started the organization, becoming the Executive Director, and began working to help mobilize and empower young people to strengthen interfaith relations alongside working with religious and traditional actors as partners for peace and development. Previously, he has led many grassroots initiatives to seek better conditions and justice for members of his community. Issah is pursuing a Masters in Peace and Development studies at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and alumnus of the Euphrates’ Peace Practice Alliance program.

Nyasha Freeman Musikambesa is a Peace Practitioner who has worked across the East and Southern African region for oer nine years, employing various innovative tools to promote interfaith and intergenerational dialogue. He has previous experience engaging with the humanitarian coordination system through active involvement in NGO consortia that include organizations from Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania. Additionally, he has worked withing working groups at the regional level, collaborating with the African Union, USAID, and United Nations platforms. Currently, Nyasha works as P/CVE Advisor for the Youth Innovation Center Mozambique and his efforts stem from a deep belief in the power of youth-led solutions. Having worked directly with young people across borders, he understands the unique challenges they face in these regions, including poverty, lack of access to education and opportunities, and vulnerability to radicalization.

Ramatu Abdu is the Coordinator for the Association for the Welfare of Women and Indigenous People based in Cameroon.

Victor Chimezie is a passionate peacebuilder with passion towards achieving a more safe world for all. He was an Institute for Economics and Peace Ambassador in 2019, immediate past country coordinator for CYPAN in Nigeria, a Commonwealth Correspondent, a 2022 USIP Generation Change Fellow, and a 2023 Rotary Positive Peace Activator. Victor is the Founder and Team Lead at the Mind Reformers Network where he helps to inspire young people into peacebuilding and has led the team to reach 5000+ young Nigerians across seven Nigerian cities in peacebuilding projects. As an Institute for Economics and Peace Ambassador, he has facilitated various positive peace education trainings for hundreds of Nigerian youths.

Wisdom Addo is a Rotary Peace Fellow and the Executive Director at the West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation based in Ghana. Wisdom also serves as the Africa Director for the PeaceJam Foundation, USA. His work is aimed at providing peace education to the youth and focuses on acquiring and advancing the capacities, skills, values, and knowledge, thus establishing a global and sustainable peace culture. Wisdom has a background in peace and conflict studies, including conflict resolution, human rights, gender, mediation, negotiation, and peacebuilding.