Sub-Saharan Africa is a nexus of some of the world’s most pressing and complex statebuilding projects, and also some of its most important and ambitious success stories. ISE’s programs in the region have conducted independent analyses, advised governments on their reform agendas, and identified strategic assets as a basis for market building approaches. We have worked across a range of countries including Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Rwanda.
Current approaches in the Guinea-Bissau reached an impasse as the government struggled to balance competing urgent needs, the population’s desire for tangible change, and longer term institutional reform. This paper suggests a new approach whose…
In 2001, the African Development Bank recognized the unique challenges that fragile and post-conflict states face in their quest for reform. Its response since then has been commendable. This paper offers further recommendations for the…
This article assesses the remarkable progress Sierra Leone has made since the civil war ended in 2002: the consolidation of its political system; improved security; and the establishment of a solid basis for decentralized governance.…
Not only does the international community lack understanding of how to operate in fragile contexts, it often fails to diagnose its own role in perpetuating the problems it is seeking to resolve. This paper argues…
Peace agreements are a pivotal moment in the transition from long-running conflict to the establishment of a functioning state. Often perceived as offering a clean slate from which to start again, post-conflict conditions often present…
This paper assesses Liberia’s political and economic process since its civil war ended in 2003, and explains the convergence of factors that subsequently led to an ‘open moment’ with potential for constructive change. It identifies…