Late in 2020, I applied and received the offer to lead DHIPS to become one of the Premier Think-tanks in Southern and sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa. In raising its Policy Analysis, Research, Teaching and Community Service as a University based entity, DHIPS seeks to become CBU’s leading flagship competing with other established entities such as the Institute for Peace & Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and the Witwatersrand University based South Africa’s Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) amongst others. A significant and distinguishing feature of DHIPS is that this was consummated by the Zambian Government in commemoration of the death of Dag Hammarskjold near Ndola whilst actively engaged in the mediation of the peace process in Congo during Sep 1960. In focus on Africa’s Mediation Experience, DHIPS’ work attempts to highlight this founding relationship, ethics and ethos in our day to day work.

The guiding thematic approach then is to facilitate a Think-tank that has its focus on 80% Research and Analysis and 20% on Post-Graduate Teaching. Its combined purpose is knowledge production while keeping up with the leading organizations in the field while paying special attention to developing our own student cadre-ship with the expected new and emerging skills set.