West Africa and the Sahel

The West Africa region is undergoing important transformations. The largely young population is rejecting years of corruption, exclusion, bad governance and clientelist practices that have not enabled socio-economic development and social justice. The past few years have witnessed various experiences of political transitions across the region. These changes are intertwined with acute security challenges, such as violent extremism and organised crime, that severely affect the living conditions of the populations.

Our work

CMI has worked in the West Africa region since 2007. Past projects have included: developing a conflict analysis and mediation training programme and related material with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC); developing and promoting practical guidance related to gender-based violence for mediation actors in cooperation with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and supporting the development of the mediation guidelines of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and providing ad hoc mediation support to ECOWAS.

In the past, CMI has also supported the Governors Forum of the Lake Chad Basin Commission as well as the setup of a youth network to strengthen inclusivity of peace and security efforts in the Lake Chad Basin; supporting the development of policies taking into account links between conflict and identity in West Africa and the re-establishment of the birth registration process across Liberia through the design of a technological solution (“Governance out of a Box”) and supporting dialogue between women leaders in Guinea Bissau.

At present, CMI’s work in the region revolves around four core elements: 1) supporting cooperation and future-looking policymaking for peace and stability in the Maghreb-Sahel region; 2) supporting non-military approaches to address security challenges in the Central Sahel; 3) increasing inclusivity in peacemaking, including of younger generations and 4) supporting regional multilateral peacemaking efforts.