Other documents that may interest you :

• Podcast / Governance,

  Strengthening the cognitive resilience of youth, fostering critical thinking, and negotiating with “Big Tech 03/11/2025

  Summary :

  In his WATHI column, Harouna Drabo warns about the growing threat of disinformation and foreign influence operations in West Africa, especially amid o...

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  Country : Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Mali , Niger , Ivory Coste

  Organizations : WATHI
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Podcast / Governance,
Strengthening the cognitive resilience of youth, fostering critical thinking, and negotiating with “Big Tech 03/11/2025
Summary :
In his WATHI column, Harouna Drabo warns about the growing threat of disinformation and foreign influence operations in West Africa, especially amid ongoing political instability and repeated coups. The region’s young, hyperconnected population has become a prime target for online manipulation campaigns. Drabo argues for strengthening the cognitive resilience of youth through education in critical thinking, source verification, and media literacy. He advocates a systemic, multi-stakeholder response involving the media, civil society, public institutions, and digital platforms. Regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union should take the lead in building African digital sovereignty and negotiating with Big Tech to ensure fair content regulation and information security across the continent.
Keywords :
Sovereignty, Youth, Numérique, Disinformation
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  Preventing Violent Extremism in The Gambia: Addressing Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Resilience 02/12/2025

  Summary :

  This policy brief examines why The Gambia, despite being ranked among Africa’s safest countries, remains vulnerable to violent extremism. Regional ins...

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  Country : Burkina Faso , Gambia , Mauritania , Niger , Senegal , Guinea-Bissau

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
Preventing Violent Extremism in The Gambia: Addressing Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Resilience 02/12/2025
Summary :
This policy brief examines why The Gambia, despite being ranked among Africa’s safest countries, remains vulnerable to violent extremism. Regional insecurity—especially Mali’s crisis, Sahelian instability, and porous borders—creates significant exposure risks. Internal vulnerabilities amplify these threats: growing religious radicalization within some madrasa systems, the influence of reformist preachers, rising sectarian tensions, and severe youth unemployment. The brief stresses the need for a multisectoral approach combining security reform, stronger governance, regulation of religious education, community mediation, youth engagement, and empowerment of women and local leaders. Efforts led by the Gambian government, ECOWAS, civil society, and youth organizations—such as security sector reform, counterterrorism strategies, peace education initiatives, and the Youth, Peace and Security Action Plan—highlight progress. However, coordination remains weak, institutions operate in silos, and rural communities face structural marginalization and limited state presence, which heighten their vulnerability to radicalization and extremist narratives. Strengthening resilience requires sustained, integrated, and community-centered interventions.
Keywords :
Governance, Security, Youth, Extremism, Vulnerability, Violence, Radicalisation
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  Our institutions, whether political or economic, are largely disconnected from the population… 30/12/2025

  Summary :

  In this interview, Prof. Fatoumata Hane examines Senegal’s deep social and institutional crisis, characterized by a growing disconnect between institu...

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  Country : Senegal

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
Our institutions, whether political or economic, are largely disconnected from the population… 30/12/2025
Summary :
In this interview, Prof. Fatoumata Hane examines Senegal’s deep social and institutional crisis, characterized by a growing disconnect between institutions and the population. She highlights weak governance marked by impunity, lack of accountability, and restrictions on fundamental rights, which have widened the gap between citizens and the state. Youth issues are central, as public policies often treat young people as a homogeneous group, failing to address diverse aspirations in employment, education, and civic engagement—contributing to migration and instrumentalized political participation. Regarding women, she stresses that numerical parity does not ensure meaningful political inclusion, as women remain largely confined to mobilization roles. In education, she advocates for the decolonization of knowledge, criticizing a Eurocentric model that fuels inequality and unemployment. Ultimately, she calls for a refoundation of the state, prioritizing inclusive governance, health, education, youth empowerment, and the rebuilding of shared national values.
Keywords :
Governance, Youth, Women, Institution
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  The Myth of Political and Social Struggle: When African Youth Dream of Revolution 23/06/2025

  Summary :

  On June 6, 2025, young Togolese protesters mobilized in several cities, notably Lomé, to denounce the enduring regime of Faure Gnassingbé, in power si...

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  Country : Togo

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
The Myth of Political and Social Struggle: When African Youth Dream of Revolution 23/06/2025
Summary :
On June 6, 2025, young Togolese protesters mobilized in several cities, notably Lomé, to denounce the enduring regime of Faure Gnassingbé, in power since 2005 and heir of a political dynasty that has ruled Togo for over 50 years. This mobilization reflects a broader pan-African youth uprising, where young people challenge locked, illegitimate, or neo-colonial political systems. The article highlights similar movements elsewhere in Africa: in the Sahel against French military presence, in Kenya against anti-social economic policies, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding government inaction on persistent insecurity. The author, Bah Traoré, examines the “myth of the political and social struggle,” suggesting that these movements represent demands for renewal, democratic alternation, and a desire for sociopolitical transformation through youth-driven popular revolts.
Keywords :
Politics, Governance, Youth, Social, Crisis, Pan-Africanism
Organizations :
WATHI
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