By Membui Emmanuel – +23276631757
Professor David John Francis has today 11th August, 2021, donated parts of his personal Library books to the department of Peace and Conflict Studies of Fourah Bay College. The books according to him will help students in their daily academic research and prepare them for future academic excellence.
Addressing the gathering, the Head of department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Dr. Alex Mbayoh said Professor Francis was among the key players who established and introduced the Peace and Conflict secretariat at Fourah Bay College in the year 2000, and that, his presence and gesture to the department was timely and of essence.
“Professor Francis got his BA (Hons) from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He was among the most dedicated giants of our time. Though he was ahead of me.” He stated.
Professor Francis has served as Head of Department of Peace Studies & Director of the John & Elnora Ferguson Centre for African Studies (JEFCAS) at the University of Bradford, UK. He also served as Commissioner for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and held the UNESCO Chair of African Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Bradford.
He has published extensively with nine books and more than fifty journal articles, book chapters and commissioned-policy papers. Some of his published works include: African Peace Militaries: War, Peace & Democratic Governance, Routledge, 2016 (Edited); When War Ends in Africa: building peace in divided communities. Ashgate: May 2012 (edited); Policing in Africa. Palgrave /Macmillan, April 2012 (edited); US Strategy in Africa: AFRICOM, Terrorism and Security Challenges. Routledge, Feb. 2010 (Edited); Peace and Conflict in Africa (ed.) London: Zed Books, September 2008 (Translated into Arabic in May 2010 by the Egypt-based Arabic Translation Institute); Uniting Africa: Building Regional Security Systems, Aldershot: Ashgate January 2006.
A senior Lecturer of the Department, Mr. Teddy Foday Musa has referred to Professor Francis as the godfather of Peace and Conflict department of the University. Acknowledging the good work of Professor Francis, Mr. Musa said earlier in an audio that professor Francis has never distant himself from Fourah Bay College and that of Peace and Conflict Studies department.
In addition to the book donation, Professor Francis also commits himself in providing free lectures for the department specifically in the areas of Peace, Conflict and Diplomacy. This he said was a means of him giving back to his University.
