International Affairs and Global Strategy www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-574X (Paper) ISSN 2224-8951 (Online) Vol.21, 2014 72 Peace and Development in Africa: Prospects and Challenges Caleb Mackatiani 1* ,Mercy Imbovah 2 , Navin Imbova 1 1. School of Education, University of Nairobi, PO box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya 2. Faculty of Education, Kisii University, P.o.box 408, Kisii, Kenya * E-mail of the corresponding author:makatianicaleb@yahoo.com Abstract This paper provides a critical appraisal of continental peace and development in Africa. Since the formation of Organization of African Unity (O.A.U) in early 1960s, African states agreed to strengthen their relalationship at continental and regional levels. The primary aim was a drive for liberty. With most of African countries attaining independence, there was a shift to regional economic cooperation, trade and conflict issues. Organizations such as the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) emerged in order to address security issues and economic development. This is as a result of the cooperation of countries in specific regions. With growing leadership crises, conflicts have developed in various regions leading to political unrest in most countries. This has led to security issues being focal points of concern. As a result, peace agreements were signed and developmental activities being initiated. The paper examines Global and African peace and security architecture. The paper further assesses prospects that have arisen because of peace. It also analyzes challenges that arise due to peace initiatives and how they affect development in Africa. Particular attention is given to the crises in the Central African Republic, Rwanda, DRC Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Chad Angola, Sudan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia. Keywords: conflict, challenge, development, peace building, and peace Prospects 1. Introduction Peace research has taken centre stage in Africa during the last few decades. During this period, Africa has witnessed a large number of armed conflicts. There were attempts to resolve these conflicts through peace processes. This explains why this study has focused on peace and developments in Africa. The key research question concerns what challenges and prospects are expected because of peace for development in Africa. Studies on conflicts and conflict resolution in Africa reveal that they are connected to the state and conclude that African conflicts are related to the crisis of state and to unsuccessful state building processes. Currently conflict resolution and peace building in Africa have become very topical academic discourses. It is also due to the fact that conflicts negatively affect Africa's socio-economic and political development. This is in light with Mwajiru (2001) when he noted that features of Africa's political landscape are in many dysfunctional and protracted social and political conflicts which have had negative consequences, including the interruption of the development and the diversion of scarce resources to the management of these conflicts. Thus, conflict resolution and peace building processes are important in solving problems of conflicts in Africa to pave way for development. The development is skewed towards positive economic trends in many parts of Africa. The other side of development reflects a state that is well governed and is politically stable. However, with these prospects, corruption connected to natural resources, wealth, weak and divided opposition parties, youth unemployment, and inequality as a result of the revenues allocation threaten peace in the continent. Electoral violence, regionalization, ethnicity, and rebel movements sponsored by external or neighboring countries illustrate further threat to peace. Discovery of new energy resources pose as threats to peace in Africa. 2. Concept of peace building Johan Galtung (1976) coined the term ‘peace building’ and developed the core concepts that are applied in peace building as illustrated in the table below: