Africa

The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) is a long-standing partner in security research for a wide range of actors in the public sector. The research cluster 'FOI Studies in African Security' team currently works with several sponsors, including the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Defence, the Swedish Armed Forces, and for international organisations such as the UN. 

Africa - a continent experiencing a strong but hetereogenous political and economic development. Many countries are moving towards enhanced security, increased growth, and economic freedom-of-action. Others are still plagued by conflicts, violations of human rights, disease, and extreme poverty. Global challenges, such as environmental degradation, climate change, and epidemics, are striking hard, adding to the effects of poverty. Many African organisations and countries are reaching out for support in developing democratic and effective institutions, e.g. for national and regional security. In Africa, a continent to which many non-African countries have a long-standing relationship in development cooperation, the political-security-development nexus is evident.

Besides general monitoring and analysis of the security situation in Africa, the FOI Studies in African Security team currently conducts a number of thematic studies, centred on issues such as e.g:

• Country and Region Analyses
• The Emerging Structures and Architectures for Peace and Security in Africa
• External Actors' Interests and Strategies in Africa
• Conflict Prevention, Security Sector Reform (SSR), and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR)
• Inter-organisational and civil-military coordination in peacekeeping partnerships
• Lessons Learned and Evaluation of Peace Support Operations in Africa
• Environmental and Medical Intelligence, and Environmental Impacts of Peace Operations
• Societal Radicalisation, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism
• African Economies, Natural Resources and Trade Flows

FOI maintains and develops a network of centres-of-excellence and subject matter experts on Africa, inter alia the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI). We are also facilitating contacts and collaboration between various national actors involved in peace building efforts in Africa, through seminars, workshops and lectures.