10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Displacement, violent conflict, misinformation and destruction of social fabric continue to undermine peacebuilding efforts across Africa continent, even as the adoption of digital platforms continue to gain traction among governments, NGOs and civil society actors. Nevertheless, many of these innovations replicate automation‑driven, that is, top‑down logics associated with Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) models, that often marginalise indigenous knowledge and communal agency. This paper addresses this gap by examining how digital peacebuilding can be built through the lens of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR), that is centred on social, ethical and inclusive innovation.The study employs a qualitative analysis of programme reports, illustrative cases from African initiatives and insights from practitioners. It analyses early warning and response systems, participatory digital dialogue and mediation platforms that utilises data emanating from the community for conflict prevention. Focusing on how these initiatives are designed and implemented in conflict‑affected settings, this study explores lived experience and operational realities rather than abstract technological propositions. The findings from this study reveal three key insights. First, indigenous mediation values significantly shape digital engagement strategies by demonstrating that culturally legitimacy is foundational to effective design. The finding also challenged the assumption that innovation necessarily requires high-end automation as low-tech platforms consistently outperform complex AI-driven systems due to accessibility in fragile and resource-constrained contexts. Lastly, it founds that community legitimacy is equally as critical as data accuracy in determining whether digital conflict prevention efforts will either succeed or fail.The paper reconceptualises digital peacebuilding as inclusive social innovation within Africa’s emerging 5IR landscape that privileges human agency, ethical and conflict-sensitive design and local ownership over the 4IR of technological sophistication. It offers actionable lessons for peace practioners, policymakers and technologist designing digital intervention for sustainable conflict transformation.