Peace, security and democracy support in West Africa report

Senior Researcher Anitta Kynsilehto and Doctoral Researcher Prince Agyei, along Postdoctoral Researcher Karim Maïche, have just published a report on “Peace, security and democracy support in West Africa”, as part of UniPID Development Policy Studies, funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA).

In this study, they examine the possibilities and conditions for peace, security, and democracy in West Africa. In 2022 Finland opened an embassy to Dakar, Senegal. This report offers recommendations for future Finnish actions in the West African region within the context of Finland’s Africa Strategy. They approach peace in its broad sense: not just as an absence of armed conflicts but as a manifold societal condition in which it is possible for differently positioned individuals and groups to live a secure and meaningful life. Their approach to security is equally broad: human security. Combining these approaches, they argue that a decent livelihood and participation in political life are the central dimensions of peace and security.

The full report is available in the following link.