Our journey began in the Peace Corridor of the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. Our founders, Nigerian doctoral researchers, were affiliated with the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD) at KU Leuven. The CRPD attracted scholars from across Africa, fostering a collaborative environment for African researchers focused on peace and conflict studies.

Amidst the intellectual debates among doctoral researchers in Leuven, our co-founders envisioned the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN). Established in 2018 as an informal network of conflict researchers, CORN West Africa has since evolved into a non-profit company limited by guarantee, with headquarters in Nigeria. It is formally incorporated under Nigeria’s Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, with Registration Number 1848471.

The network’s inaugural event, a Regional Workshop on Armed Conflicts and Political Violence in Nigeria, was held at Lagos State University, Ojo, in July 2021. This was followed by a webinar on the politics of vigilantism in Ghana and Nigeria in August 2021. Since then, CORN has expanded its membership and organized numerous academic and policy events to serve both its members and the wider policy community.