KAIPTC, with support from the Government of Norway, convened a two-day regional workshop in Banjul, The Gambia, to examine the links between governance and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel.
The workshop brought together policymakers, security officials, civil society actors, researchers, and international partners from across the region. Participants included representatives from Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone, alongside Gambian stakeholders from government institutions, security agencies, and civil society organisations.
Dr. Emma Birikorang, Director of Research at KAIPTC emphasised that effective responses to violent extremism must go beyond military measures. She underscored the central role of inclusive, accountable, and resilient governance systems in sustaining peace, noting that weak governance environments continue to create vulnerabilities that extremist groups exploit.
Discussions were grounded in the region’s evolving security context. Participants reflected on data from the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, which identified the Sahel as accounting for a significant share of global terrorist attacks and related fatalities in 2024. The workshop also examined how political instability and governance disruptions—particularly in parts of the Sahel—have compounded insecurity, eroded public trust, and intensified socio-economic marginalization.
The workshop provided a platform for KAIPTC to present findings from recent field research conducted in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. These findings informed in-depth discussions on governance deficits, regional security initiatives, cross-border dynamics, and the role of civil society in preventing and countering violent extremism. Participants also examined national and regional frameworks for countering extremism, the protection of human rights in security operations, and approaches to strengthening community resilience.
The choice of The Gambia as the host country was deliberate. The country’s ongoing democratic reforms and institutional rebuilding following years of governance challenges offered practical lessons on resilience, accountability, and inclusive governance relevant to the broader region. The workshop concluded with a shared understanding of the importance of governance as a foundation for addressing violent extremism. Expected outcomes included the identification of practical lessons from Sahelian and Gambian experiences, strengthened regional cooperation, and the development of policy-oriented recommendations. These insights will be consolidated into a post-workshop report to support evidence-based approaches to strengthening governance, resilience, and peace in West Africa and the Sahel.