Security Sector Transformation in Challenging Contexts

Officers with the East African Standby Brigade stand ready to salute the flags of 13 East African Nations represented at the first ever EASBRIG Command Post Exercise in Nairobi, Kenya. The East African Standby Brigade brings together 13 eastern African nations under the umbrella of the African Union.

The Africa Center conducts regional workshops to address the critical issue of Security Sector Reform (SSR). The state of insecurity on the African continent, in general, and in post-conflict countries, in particular, has led to numerous questions about how best to provide and enhance security at both the national and sub-regional levels. As such, SSR has emerged as a pivotal issue.

SSR workshops seek to provide a forum for an assessment of the trajectories of post-conflict and transitioning societies towards security. Workshops are designed to:

  • Highlight the state of security in participating countries
  • Provide security sector professionals the opportunity to analyze the security challenges facing their nations and the reasons underpinning such insecurity
  • Offer a forum to determine whether reform or transformation (overhaul) of the security sector is needed and, if so, how best to proceed with this process