Agboton Johnson has dedicated her life to curve the proliferation of arms in West Africa. In the process, she has centered women as essential peace brokers.
Two key influences shaped Agboton Johnson’s worldview. First, her mother was one of the early feminist activists in Benin. Second, her father raised her without gender distinctions, treating her the same as her three brothers. From a young age, Agboton Johnson understood the importance of women’s equality in society. As an adult, she became involved in media and human rights advocacy, often alongside her husband, journalist Alain Agboton.
In 1999, she fully engaged with security issues. Her first experience came at a regional workshop in Bamako, Mali, which marked the start of the Movement Against Small Arms in West Africa (MALAO). She worked with a diverse and dedicated team, including Penda Mbow, Gisèle Quenum, and Alain Agboton. This work brought her into contact with defense and security forces, leading her to visit military headquarters and launch NGO activities.
“It is these local women who could meet with different factions, go anywhere without fear, and carry messages: What use are these weapons to us? We do not manufacture them, yet we kill ourselves with them…”
Agboton Johnson found her calling in the fight for disarmament in the region. Her curiosity led her to conduct fieldwork in Casamance, southern Senegal, a region plagued by armed conflict and underdevelopment. There, she met with key stakeholders: political authorities, defense and security leaders, representatives from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Senegal, and civilians. She quickly recognized that women were leading peacebuilding efforts and campaigns against the spread of small arms.
“It is these local women who could meet with different factions, go anywhere without fear, and carry messages: What use are these weapons to us? We do not manufacture them, yet we kill ourselves with them, and we go into debt because once we’ve destroyed everything and killed ourselves, we need to rebuild. Trust, peace, and harmony are difficult to restore! That’s why female leadership is essential in issues of peace and security.”
Since 2000, MALAO has pushed Senegal to address small arms proliferation, leading to the creation of the National Commission for the Fight Against the Proliferation and Circulation of Small Arms, based in the Ministry of Armed Forces.
“I believe that God is the master of life… there is no reason why just because someone has a weapon in their hands, they can decide to take another person’s life.”
At the West African level, Agboton Johnson and others helped establish the West African Network RASALAO and draft the ECOWAS Convention, a regional plan to prevent and combat the accumulation of small arms and light weapons.
“It can be said that it was the recommendations from civil society that led to the drafting of the ECOWAS convention, which is truly a pioneering document.”
Her work increasingly involved travel and high-level representation. In 2007, she was appointed Deputy Director at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva. There, she contributed to the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the UN General Assembly, organizing seminars worldwide and providing key documents for diplomats during major negotiations.
After four years, she returned to Senegal to create an organization linking defense and security forces with civilians. She was later invited to help design the Center for Advanced Defense and Security Studies (CHEDS).
Since its founding in 2013, CHEDS has focused on human security, training various actors on defense and security issues, conducting research, and fostering dialogue. As an advisor and later Director of Special Programs, Agboton Johnson championed the development of a women-focused program to leverage their expertise, often overlooked in peace negotiations.
“It is my faith in God that has kept me in this cause… I believe that God is the master of life… there is no reason why just because someone has a weapon in their hands, they can decide to take another person’s life.”
This story was originally published by our partner, Géantes Invisibles, an organization dedicated to celebrating the remarkable contributions of women from Africa and the Diaspora to their communities.