About UsSince its inception in 1999, the Africa Center has served as a forum for research, academic programs, and the exchange of ideas with the aim of enhancing citizen security by strengthening the effectiveness and accountability of African institutions.Africa Center for Strategic StudiesACSS_c65955f2-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea00U.S. Department of DefenseThe Africa Center is an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense established and funded by Congress for the study of security issues relating to Africa and serving as a forum for bilateral and multilateral research, communication, training, and exchange of ideas involving military and civilian participants.National Defense UniversityACSS TeamDr. Catherine Lena KellyDirector of EngagementLuisa ChauRegional Engagement ManagerIlias El GhormliRegional Engagement ManagerClaude TozeRegional Engagement ManagerVictoria SumnerAlumni Outreach Engagement SpecialistGrace TovkachRegistrar and Engagement SpecialistACSS ExpertsDr. Nathaniel AllenAssistant Professor of Security StudiesDr. Joel AmegbohAssistant Professor for African Security StudiesMs. Alix BoucherAssistant Research FellowDr. Anouar BoukharsProfessor of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent ExtremismMs. Amanda J. DoryDirectorDr. Mark DuerksenResearch FellowDr. Daniel EizengaResearch FellowMr. Daniel L. HamptonDeputy Director and Professor of Practice, Security StudiesDr. Catherine Lena KellyDirector of EngagementDr. Assis MalaquiasDean of Academic AffairsDr. Daisy MuibuAssistant Professor of Security StudiesMr. Paul NantulyaResearch AssociateDr. Joseph SiegleDirector of ResearchMs. Wendy WilliamsAssociate Research FellowDr. Luka Biong Deng KuolAdjunct Distinguished Professor of Security StudiesDr. Émile OuédraogoAdjunct Professor of PracticeSecurity for all Africans championed by effective institutions accountable to their citizens._c6595908-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea00To advance African security by expanding understanding, providing a trusted platform for dialogue, building enduring partnerships, and catalyzing strategic solutions._c6595af2-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea00SecurityResearchEffectivenessAccountabilitySecurity IssuesStudy security issues relating to Africa_c6595b38-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001AfricaThe Africa Center's academic programs aim to generate strategic insights and analyses that can inform practitioners and policymakers on Africa’s security challenges. Participants include military, civilian, and civil society security sector professionals from Africa and their international counterparts. Drawing on practical experiences and lessons learned, the Center’s academic programs provide seminar-style venues for candid exchanges on priorities and best practices.Organized CrimeCounter Transnational Organized Crime_c6595b6a-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.1With globalization and mobile technology facilitating stronger linkages between global criminal networks and local criminal groups, transnational organized crime (TOC) is a growing threat to national and citizen security in Africa. TOC occurs through networks, which allow criminal syndicates, local actors, and certain corrupt government officials to exploit cross-border differences in economics and policies, fuel illicit markets, and nimbly adapt to African states’ efforts to detect and punish them. African states are bound in their counter-TOC efforts by governance principles like sovereignty, rule of law, and professional ethics, and are frequently faced with the challenge of calibrating joint strategic actions by military, police, and justice officials, as well as working with local leaders and supranational bodies to respond effectively. ^^ The Africa Center's countering transnational organized crime programming provides a trusted platform for senior-level security and justice professionals to engage in peer learning and experience sharing about the political economy of TOC in Africa, as well as the design and implementation of state responses to TOC from the community to the continental level. Activities frequently focus on: ^^ * Applying collective knowledge of the security-development-governance nexus to analyze the drivers and patterns of TOC in Africa, the consequences for national and citizen security, and the implications for defense and security policy ^^ * Comparing the challenges that the military, law enforcement, and judicial actors face in countering TOC, and considering ways for state security and justice actors to bolster interagency and cross-border collaboration ^^ * Iteratively and adaptively identifying ways for counter TOC efforts to balance security, development, and governance/rule of law responses appropriately in context on the community, national, regional, and continental levelsViolent ExtremismCounter Violent Extremism_c6595ba6-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.2Lessons Learned and Ways Forward ~ This program examines best practices for countering violent extremism leading to the production of a handbook for African security practitioners, derived from insights and recommendations generated from the Africa Center CVE series and from other sources. African governmental and nongovernmental defense/security and civilian leaders gain greater appreciation and understanding of the need for CVE in Africa, and they will be able to socialize and use the CVE handbook produced through the event.National Security StrategiesEstablish a platform for African leaders and practitioners to share experiences and engage in peer learning regarding the formulation, reviewing and implementation of national security strategies_c6595be2-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.3National Security Strategy Development and Implementation ^^ African nation states continue to face the daunting task of delivering security to their citizens. Increasingly, many African countries are becoming unable to deliver security to their citizens, while and in some instances have even become the source of insecurity. This is less reflective of the evolving security threats, and more attributable to the governance deficit that manifests in the absence of a resilient social contract—one that is evidently in short supply in many African countries. Despite the call by the African Union for its member states to formulate national security strategies through inclusive and participatory processes, there is a dearth of such strategies in most African states. This is largely a consequence of lacking political will and the absence of tools to help member states in the crafting and implementation of their national security strategies. ^^ There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating that a well-designed and inclusive process of developing national security strategies enables decision-makers to confront better the security threats and improve effective delivery of security to all citizens. Such a process offers an invaluable opportunity for forging a new social contract between nation states and their citizens in planning, managing and delivering security. The National Security Strategy Development and Implementation Program aims at establishing a trusted platform for African leaders and practitioners to share experiences and engage in peer learning regarding the formulation, reviewing and implementation of national security strategies. The Program focuses on, but is not limited to, the following activities: ^^ * Assist and support African countries in developing, reviewing and implementing their national security strategies through inclusive, iterative and adaptive processes. ^^ * Socialize and disseminate the Africa Center’s National Security Strategy and Implementation Toolkit. ^^ * Offer examples and case studies of the national security strategies development and implementation processes. ^^ * Build partnership with the African Union, United Nations and Regional Economic Communities in supporting their member states to develop and implement their national security strategies.PeaceHost events on peace operations in promotion of efforts to ensure peace and security on the continent of Africa_c6595c1e-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.4Peace Support Operations in Strategic Context ^^ The Africa Center hosts events on peace operations in promotion of efforts to ensure peace and security on the continent. By focusing on the security challenges facing Africa and the regional responses to said challenges and emergent crises, workshops held in Ghana, Malawi, and Washington, DC, have placed particular emphasis on the deployment of peacekeepers, the protection of civilians, challenges of peace enforcement, and the drawdown of peacekeeping missions. Our current webinar series for alumni is aimed at taking stock of recent developments in African-led peace operations across the continent. ^^ Specific program objectives include: ^^ * Assessing the security environment and the region’s capacity to response to crises ^ * Appreciating the challenges of operationalizing a robust peace operation and combatting nonstate armed groups ^ * Deepening understanding of protection of civilians mandates ^ * Developing a framework for drawing down a mission ^ * Providing recommendations for more effective regional, continental, and international partnerships ^ * Assessing and expanding understanding of African-led operations and charting recommendations for improving the regional security architecture.Law & GovernanceProvide a platform to share information, experiences, and practical ideas about the rule of law_c6595c50-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.5African Security ProfessionalsAfrican Justice ProfessionalsAfrican ParliamentariansAfrican Parliamentary StaffACSS AlumniRule of Law and Security Sector Governance ^^ Rule of law is a core element of sound security sector governance in Africa. It is particularly relevant in light of empirical evidence that some security threats, like violent extremist recruitment, tend to be exacerbated by state-perpetrated abuses of civilians and people’s perceptions of unfair treatment by state officials. The professionalism of the security services, as well as citizens' perceptions of it, hinge upon having a system of checks and balances that ensures everyone respects civil liberties, human rights, and the rule of law. ^^ Formal, national-level oversight institutions (like parliaments, inspectorates, military ombuds institutions, independent anti-corruption and human rights commissions) play a key role in monitoring security force activities and behaviors toward citizens. The everyday practices that security officials exercise with citizens also matter, along with the local oversight of security that may involve civil society organizations, media, customary authorities, and non-state security providers. ^^ The Africa Center's rule of law and security sector governance portfolio seeks to provide a trusted platform for senior-level African security and justice professionals, African parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, as well as alumni from civil society and academia, to share information, experiences, and practical ideas about these multiple aspects of rule of law, how they influence citizen security, and what successes and challenges security officials and oversight actors are likely to encounter in their work to enhance the rule of law in African security and defense sectors. Programming is tailored to cover emerging trends and African expert-driven debates in these areas, facilitating candid and data-driven examinations of how to integrate different aspects of the rule of law into the security sector’s contributions to a reliable system of checks and balances. Activities frequently focus on: ^^ 1. Assessing the current strengths and weaknesses of security sector governance, particularly oversight by a range of formal and informal institutions internal and external to the state. ^^ 2. Strengthening three basic elements of the civilian oversight of security sector; namely ability, authority, and attitude within formal and informal institutions. ^^ 3. Analyzing the known benefits and the practical challenges of investing in rule of law systems that foster checks and balances and further people-centered security governance. ^^ 4. Facilitating peer learning among uniformed and civilian African experts to develop common understandings of the rule of law drivers of African security challenges, as well as the rule of law implications of megatrends for African security. ^^ 5. Providing a forum for African parliamentarians and their staff to analyze current trends, challenges, and innovations in the work of legislatures to foster democratic and civilian control of security sectors across the continent.Cyber ThreatsUnderstand Africa's Emerging Cyber Threats_c6595c8c-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea001.6Rising internet penetration and advancements in digital technology are changing the nature of conflict, cooperation, and competition across the African continent. As it has globally, the spread of information, communications, and related technologies is amplifying and altering a variety of national security challenges and threats. These threats are exploited by a broad array of actors, who vary significantly in their capabilities and intentions, from lone wolf hackers to complex cybercriminal enterprises to nation states. The Africa Center aims to expand understanding of the key challenges digital technology poses to national security, how cyber threats are likely to evolve in the coming decade, and how local, national, regional, and international security sector actors can effectively respond to these growing threats. ^^ * Espionage. Cyberspace has fundamentally changed the methods and means through which states gather information on one another and their citizens. Though the most significant cyber espionage concerns in Africa have centered around China, espionage and surveillance capabilities are rapidly diffusing across the continent. ^^ * Critical Infrastructure Sabotage. Africa’s government networks, military systems, banking and telecommunications industries are vulnerable to cyberattacks that seek to disable or destroy them. Though state actors or criminal networks are a concern, the risks of cyber sabotage resulting from an accident or negligence is also high. ^^ * Organized Crime. The spread of cyberspace is providing tech-savvy groups with novel business opportunities and new means to steal, transfer, or extort resources. Growing internet penetration rates in Africa has both led to new kinds of cyber-dependent criminal activities, such as business email compromise or romance scams, as well transformed the financing and market dynamics of more traditional organized crime networks. ^^ * Military Strategies and Tactics. Though the most immediate effect of the spread of cyberspace has been to transform non-violent means of covert action and coercive statecraft, enhanced surveillance capabilities and emerging technologies such as drones are making their presence felt on the African battlefield. ^^ In addition to expanding understanding of these threats, the Africa Center aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and trust between security sector actors, civilian authorities, the private sector, and other stakeholders seeking to exchange good practices, strategies and recommendations in responding to the cyber threats faced by their countries and regions.ForumServe as a forum for bilateral and multilateral research, communication, training, and exchange of ideas involving military and civilian participants_c6595cc8-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea002Military PersonnelCiviliansResearchServe as a forum for bilateral and multilateral research_c6595d0e-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea002.1Africa's security environment is characterized by great diversity. To help readers keep pace with these often fluid issues, the Africa Center curates a regularly updated list of "must-read" analyses... ^^ * Africa Security Trends ^ * Combating Organized Crime ^ * Conflict Prevention or Mitigation ^ * Counter Narcotics ^ * Countering Violent Extremism ^ * Democratic Trends ^ * Environment and Security ^ * External Actors in Africa ^ * Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference ^ * Identity Conflict ^ * Irregular and Asymmetric Warfare ^ * Maritime Security ^ * Migration and Forced Displacement ^ * Natural Resources and Conflict ^ * Peacekeeping ^ * Police Sector Reform ^ * Regional and International Security Cooperation ^ * Sahel Security Trends ^ * Security and Development ^ * Security Sector Governance ^ * Stabilization of Fragile States ^^ For links to information resources on each of those topics, visit https://africacenter.org/security-topics/CommunicationServe as a forum for communication_c6595d40-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea002.2TrainingServe as a forum for training_c6595d86-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea002.3IdeasServe as a forum for the exchange of ideas_c6595e08-3caa-11f0-ac75-633b0483ea002.41999-12-312025-05-29https://africacenter.org/who-we-are/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net