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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• Digital platform / Governance, Resilience,

  Building the Future Differently: A West African Compass for Transitions 08/08/2025

  Summary :

  West Africa confronts profound challenges — climate change, demographic pressure, rapid urbanization, technological shifts — amid persistent vulnerabi...

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  Country : Nigeria

  Organizations : WATHI
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Digital platform / Governance, Resilience,
Building the Future Differently: A West African Compass for Transitions 08/08/2025
Summary :
West Africa confronts profound challenges — climate change, demographic pressure, rapid urbanization, technological shifts — amid persistent vulnerabilities but also significant opportunities. This op-ed by Marie-Noël Maffon, published on July 31, 2025 in WATHI’s Tribune section, advocates for an “African compass for transitions,” rooted in endogenous transformation. It emphasizes building resilience, investing in human capital, and advancing economic sovereignty, with youth and local knowledge as drivers of inclusive governance. The article highlights the severe impact of climate — floods, droughts, agricultural losses — threatening food security and livelihoods. Water-related tensions, particularly in the Lake Chad basin and Niger River valley, underscore the heightened risk of conflict. The most vulnerable — women, children, small-scale farmers, indigenous populations — are bearing the brunt of this multidimensional crisis.
Keywords :
Sovereignty, Youth, Transition, Inclusion
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,

  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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