Security, Democratization and Good Governance in Africa: The Impact of External Actors
Working closely with partners in Africa, this project will map the security-related activities of external actors in Africa; assess the impact of these on the prospects for security, democratization and good governance in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries; and support African civil society organizations in raising awareness about such issues.
A democratically governed security sector that is transparent and accountable is an important prerequisite for long-term stability, peace and development. In Africa, this debate is garnering increasing attention, and there is a movement towards greater self-reliance. External actors nevertheless retain significant influence on developments in Africa as they continue to provide assistance that are reflective of their economic and political interests. Yet, to date, there is little discussion on the impact of the activities of external actors on African security, governance and policy. This project seeks to address this gap. It builds on the core analytical and data-gathering competencies of SIPRI and partners in Africa, and is developed on previous and related projects on Africa.
The increased role of African civil society organizations in domestic debates as well as in the decision-making process of the African Union means that there is a great need for increased knowledge and awareness in African countries of the issues covered by this study. This project aims to support African organizations in their work to build basic knowledge about the issues and in the broader dissemination of such knowledge. To this end, partnering with African civil society organizations engaged in advocacy work is a central element in this project.
The project is supported by The Open Society Institute (www.soros.org).
