(Banjul, The Gambia – September 2, 2025) The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), with support from the Government of Norway, has convened a two-day regional workshop in Banjul, The Gambia, to examine the nexus between governance and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel.
The meeting, which runs from 2–3 September 2025, has drawn policymakers, security officials, civil society actors, researchers, and international partners from across the region. Participants include 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 organizations.
Speaking at the opening session, Dr. Emma Birikorang, Director of Research at KAIPTC, underscored the centrality of governance in addressing violent extremism. She stressed that military solutions alone cannot resolve violent extremism, noting that “without inclusive, accountable, and resilient governance systems, peace and security remain fragile, and violent extremism finds fertile ground to grow.”
According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, the Sahel accounted for 19 percent of all terrorist attacks worldwide and more than half of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024. Political instability, marked by a wave of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, has further compounded the crisis. Citizens’ frustration with governance failures, coupled with socio-economic marginalization, has deepened vulnerabilities that extremist groups continue to exploit.
The workshop provides a platform to present findings from recent field research conducted by KAIPTC in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Discussions will focus on governance deficits, regional security initiatives, cross-border linkages, and the role of civil society in preventing violent extremism. Other themes include national and regional frameworks for countering extremism, human rights in security operations, and building community resilience.
The choice of The Gambia as the venue is symbolic. Once plagued by governance challenges, the country’s ongoing democratic reforms and institutional rebuilding offer important lessons for resilience and inclusive governance.
In her remarks, Dr. Birikorang thanked the Government of Norway for its support, as well as Gambian authorities—particularly the Office of National Security and the Ministry of Interior—for their collaboration. She reiterated that the workshop is “not just a space for dialogue, but for action,” highlighting that policy recommendations developed in Banjul would inform future regional responses.
Expected outcomes of the meeting include a stronger understanding of the governance-extremism nexus, shared lessons from Sahelian and Gambian experiences, and concrete policy recommendations to guide programming and regional cooperation. A post-workshop report will consolidate key insights and proposals for strengthening governance as a foundation for peace and security in West Africa and the Sahel.