The logic of investing early and adequately to prevent conflict is unassailable. Conflict prevention saves lives and averts social, economic and physical destruction. When nationally owned, the conflict prevention agenda becomes a sovereignty enhancer. For this to be achieved, the prevention agenda must be integrated into national development policies and efforts, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the core of this approach. State institutions must invest in inclusive and sustainable development that not only create growth and advance poverty alleviation, but also address inequalities, exclusion, and grievances. Moreover, acting preventively entails fostering systems that create incentives for peaceful and cooperative behavior. This session will discuss concrete and actionable ideas for advancing African ownership of the prevention agenda and operationalizing it, and for creating synergies between political, peace and security, and development actors for effective prevention. It will also address the role of the African Union, including through its partnership with the United Nations, and financial institutions, in advancing structural conflict prevention in Africa.