Ditchley Foundation conference: Security in Africa in a changing world
In January, Alan Clarke (2018/19 WHT scholar from South Africa) and Arlette Nyembo (2019/20 WHT Scholar from The Democratic Republic of the Congo) had the privilege of attending the Ditchley Foundation conference “Security in Africa in a changing world: building the necessary partnerships and the capabilities”.
Arlette Nyembo and Alan Clarke in Ditchley House
It was an incredibly exciting and thought provoking experience for both of us and we hope that this post encourages others to consider the impediments to security in their own countries and regions.
The conference gathered together a plethora of influential people currently involved in policy making in relation to security, cooperation and assistance to development and governance improvement from countries in Africa, Europe and America as well as members of regional blocks such as NATO and former and current officials of the African Union.
The main purpose of the conference was to provoke a dialogue between all the participants around current issues affecting security and development on the African continent as well as to find sophisticated, tailored and effective solutions to these issues.
It is imperative to recognise that only African nations through the governance of their leaders and a real democracy followed by the rule of law can improve the region’s security and guarantee a decent life for the continent’s populations. Ownership of projects is key for solving the most pressing issues. The international community through their ODA should take the back seat and avoid being the driver
Arlette’s main take away from the conference.
During the course of the conference, our discussions covered topics such as the changing demography on the continent, political disruption (governance challenges etc.), global warming and technological discoveries that might lead to new types of security challenges. These topics naturally lead to discussions around providing basic services such as housing, education and healthcare for populations, the increasing issue of food security and the decreasing effectiveness of states to provide for their nations and the effect that an inability to resolve these issues would have on the security of the continent.
The challenges were evaluated by the conference participants in three working groups from the perspective of: (i) nation states; (ii) neighbouring states; and (iii) the international community and regional bodies.
Challenges highlighted by all three groups were complex and included wide-ranging issues such as the definition of democracy, the type of leadership present in some of the nations, the complexity and multidimensional aspects of dilemmas facing leaders, the individualisation of war and the endemic attitude of impunity that leads to a lack of leadership accountability on the continent.
The working groups were also tasked with proposing solutions to the challenges to security in Africa. The solutions primarily focussed on the role of national leaders, regional bodies and the international community and their increased involvement in;
The need to stop legitimizing fraudulent leaders and promote real democracy instead of only focussing on holding regular elections.
Demanding that the rule of law be enforced in order to improve trust and increase collaboration and partnerships.
A combination of top down and bottom up solutions to strengthen both the central and local levels of governance and to improve knowledge sharing and the identification of issues.
Improving cooperation (political and economic) between African countries, through regional integration or through bilateral agreements.
Improving cooperation between African states and the “international community”. Avoiding the paternalistic approach that is currently used and moving instead towards a mechanism for genuine collaboration. A shift from tactical to strategic support is needed alongside a better understanding of the context. At the same time it is important not to become too embedded in a country and so becoming biased and running the risk of being perceived as neo-colonialists.
Developing better cooperation between ODA (Official Development Assistance) provider countries: it is urgent for the international community to stop being fragmented into silos and behave more like complementary actors whether through the creation of a structure such as the NEPAD or a common fund for development or the promotion of more integrated projects to avoid competition on the ground.
Cooperation between the international community and China has to be improved especially in the areas of security and efforts to establish good governance.
It was agreed that the above solutions are not new in this dialogue. However, it is now time to move towards the implementation of these solutions in a sophisticated manner rather than just talking about them.
The major threats to security in Africa will not come from groups of extremists, but rather from a dissatisfied, underserved and misrepresented population that has no choice but to take drastic action as a result of an event that threatens their livelihood (food and water security, failure to deliver services in bulging urban areas, health crises, etc.)
Alan’s opinion on threats to security in Africa.
During our free time at the conference we were able to appreciate the buildings and grounds of Ditchley Park. We were given a tour of the 16th century house which was a fascinating experience and provided us with a glimpse of life before the invention of piped plumbing, electricity and the motor vehicle. The grounds are immaculate and best explored by taking a stroll down to the lake or a jog around the estate.
The conference was a great opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of the difficulties faced by African leaders in ensuring the security of their states, to listen to experts and leading authors discuss the political, social and economic issues that affect security in Africa and to meet like-minded youths from Africa who are passionate about the continent and ensuring that Africa will emerge as a global great in the 21st century.
The conference attendees on our final morning
