Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy Nairobi, Kenya Please submit all media inquiries to ejobson@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Elissa joined Crisis Group in November 2015. As Director of Africa Regional Advocacy, she designs and implements targeted advocacy strategies on African conflicts covered by Crisis Group with a view to influencing policy-makers in the continent and beyond. She is also the organisation's main liaison with the AU and conducts research on AU policies and decisions related to conflict prevention and resolution in Africa. Professional Background Prior to joining Crisis Group, Elissa was a media relations specialist with UNICEF in New York, where she helped co-ordinate public advocacy around the Sustainable Development Goals. Between 2012 and 2014, she was a freelance journalist based in Addis Ababa working for The Guardian, Africa Confidential, The Africa Report and Business Day. Before that Elissa was Editor of Global: The International Briefing, a quarterly international affairs magazine. As a journalist and researcher she has followed the activities of the African Union, and its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity, since 2000. In The News 27 Feb 2020 While it's good to see that African Union leaders are showing real concern about the conflict in the Sahel, the deployment of troops isn't necessarily the right answer. AFP Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy 10 Feb 2020 The [African Union] is trying to be more self-sufficient, less reliant on donors. Reuters Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy 12 Oct 2018 Seeking the leadership of the Francophonie is clearly part of Rwanda's goal for a greater continental and global role. France 24 Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy 15 Mar 2018 At the moment, 60% of the [African Union] budget comes from the five biggest economies. So that means that even if you’ve got the other 50 countries on board, you still haven’t met even 50% of the budget. The Africa Report Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy 14 Mar 2017 Building coalitions at the regional level and ... at the international level will be how [the head of the AU] can make an impact on many of the crises that the continent is facing. RFI Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy 31 Jan 2017 If there is one thing that will in the longer term lead to a more peaceful Africa it will be an Africa trading more freely with itself. The Washington Post Elissa Jobson Director of Africa Regional Advocacy Latest Updates Op-Ed / Africa 10 July 2019 AU Heads of State Summit needs to whip Nkurunziza back into line African heads of state should press Burundi to open the political space, in particular letting opposition politicians campaign freely and safely and allowing in international observers, in order to prevent a reprise of past violence or worse. Originally published in The East African Op-Ed / Africa 21 May 2018 AU Must Re-engage in Burundi to Push for Inclusivity as a Way out of Violence The constitutional changes, if passed, could reset the clock on term limits for President Pierre Nkurunziza — potentially giving him an additional 14 years in power — and paving the way for the dismantling of ethnic balances embedded in the 2000 Arusha Agreement, which brought an end to Burundi’s protracted civil war. Originally published in The East African Also available in Français Op-Ed / Africa 29 November 2017 How Europe’s Panic over Migration and Terrorism Is a Big Opportunity for Africa This week’s summit of African and European leaders in Abidjan is a chance to find a win-win solution. Originally published in IRIN Op-Ed / Africa 29 November 2017 EU’s Desire to Contain Migration Is Africa’s Opportunity To calm citizens’ fears, Europe is ready to invest in better governance in Africa. Originally published in POLITICO Op-Ed / Africa 22 January 2017 Tripartite Changing of the Guard With leadership transitions at the United Nations, African Union and in the United States creating uncertainty, Crisis Group's Africa Program Director Comfort Ero and African Union Relations Adviser Elissa Jobson spotlight the three main challenges to Africa's peace and security in the coming months. Originally published in The Africa Report Load more