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When South Sudan achieved independence in 2011, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/ Movement (SPLA/M) and its leader, Salva Kiir Mayardit, took control of a system of governance that transcended the lines between the formal and informal sectors, military and civilian elites, government and nongovernment actors, as well as licit and illicit sources of revenue. Instead... Continue Reading
Cameroon's two-year-old national crisis threatens the country's very foundations, says scholar Christopher Fomunyoh. In this video, Fomunyoh discusses the nature and causes of the grievances that brought this crisis to a head, as well as recommendations for addressing them.
Program materials for the Africa Center's 2017 Security Governance Initiative: Partners Seminar. Click here for syllabus, bios, readings, and slides.
Most of Nigeria's security threats require security forces—especially police—that are well-governed, respected, and have effective oversight mechanisms.
A common theme for virtually all of Nigeria’s security challenges is poor governance. Until the Nigerian government earns the confidence and trust of its citizens, any security gains realized will not be sustained.
One of the primary root causes of continued insecurity is poor governance. The African Union has created numerous instruments and normative frameworks to help African countries achieve their goals. Political will and stronger partnerships between citizens, their governments, regional and international participants must be formed to promote effective governance from the ground up.
Resource-rich African countries experience comparatively higher levels of illicit financial flows, which often weaken the state through substantial losses of revenues. The concentration of authority over the extractive sector, poorly negotiated contracts, and weakly regulated integration into the global economy that are common in Africa facilitate these illicit flows. New international initiatives intended to improve transparency and recover assets and revenues are filling these gaps, but more work to strengthen African tax and revenue governance can further minimize the destabilizing effects of illicit financial flows.
Competing claims, inequitable access, and mismanagement of land and natural resources is a source of conflict in many African states. Prevention is critical since disputes are often entangled with complex factors such as demographic pressures and food insecurity and are therefore difficult to resolve. Identifying incremental reforms can quickly reduce conflict drivers, but should be... Continue Reading
As many African countries continue down the path of democratic reform, Africa’s defense and security forces must make fundamental changes to adapt to a democratic model of governance. In this paper, General Dominique Djindjéré puts forward five priority reforms Africa’s defense and security forces should pursue to facilitate this transition. In addition to building professionalism,... Continue Reading
Militant and terrorist groups are a prime source of insecurity in West Africa, but the management of natural resources, market for illicit goods, border administration, and other factors drive and shape the sub-region’s threats. To more effectively confront them, governments and civil society within the ECOWAS subregional bloc must collaborate to ensure both national ownership... Continue Reading
This program explores the TOC-security-governance nexus to generate strategic recommendations that can be practically implemented by participants and their peers within African institutions.
The Africa Center supports the Security Governance Initiative through expert advice to interagency assessment teams, input into Joint Country Action Plans, and execution of engagements to support select focus areas for each SGI country relevant to the Africa Center's core expertise.