Pleased to be adjudged a winner of the LSE Africa Dissertation Prize for producing outstanding work on the African continent. Grateful to @AfricaAtLSE for the award & my department, @LSE_ID for the nomination. My work explored the long term impacts of institutions on compliance
🎉Congratulations to the winners of the LSE Africa Dissertation Prize🥂
@AAtimpe, Anna Williams, Ramzi Darouich & Imogen Fairbairn are awarded for producing outstanding work on Africa.
➡️ https://t.co/Dexn3D6iPt
@LSE_ID@LSEGenderTweet@LSEIRDept@MediaLSE
🔄 Updates from #Ghana
Last month, GCERF launched its Country Support Mechanism (#CSM) in #Accra - a new coordination structure bringing together @ghanagov, the international community, and civil society partners around a shared goal: preventing violent extremism before it takes hold.
The launch brought together a strong coalition of international partners, including representatives from the Australian High Commission, the French Embassy, the German Embassy, the Japanese Embassy, and the EU Delegation, as well as relevant state agencies, reflecting the shared commitment to preventing violent extremism in Ghana.
Chaired by Ghana's National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police Abdul-Osman Razak, the CSM already has strong backing at the highest level:
💬 "The work GCERF does is at the heart of ensuring that resilience is built proactively from the community level up, even before violent extremism strikes. This very much aligns with Ghana's strategy and priorities."
The numbers back it up. In three border districts in northern Ghana, a Japan-funded 12-month programme delivered real, measurable change:
📉 Vulnerability to radicalisation dropped from 55% to 41%
📈 Community resilience increased by 5%
GCERF's work now spans 30 border districts across three regions, and with the CSM in place, coordination between all partners is stronger than ever.
❕ Because building resilient communities is not a one-time effort - it is a long-term commitment.
Congratulations to Ghana for preserving yet again, the democratic commitment. Even more so on the election of the first female Vice President, Prof. @NJOAgyemang. kudos Prez @JDMahama for keeping faith with Prof for this history.
May your tenure birth the change Ghanaians yearn
29th January 2025 set as the date marking the official withdrawal of AES members - Mali, BF and Niger, from the regional body ECOWAS; https://t.co/10fkTZqF46
#Ghana heads to the polls this December. As a beacon of stability and democracy in #WestAfrica, it's important to take stock of potential endogenous factors of instability we reviewed in this new paper: 'political vigilante groups': https://t.co/Ekag9DB0SM 1/
The days ahead will be an eager wait of what the implications will be, especially regarding the membership of the AES states in ECOWAS as well as trade and movement of people within the sub region. (4/4)
https://t.co/U22FTu8xoO
ECOWAS justifies the compromise on humanitarian grounds.
From the start, many considered the AES announcement of a withdrawal of their membership from ECOWAS as a bargaining chip intended for achieving easing of the sanctions that have long started to bite. (2/4)
From that position, this would be considered early gain (of significant proportions) for Niger specifically, and by extension, its co-AES members.
This action by ECOWAS will likely have implications on the current tensions and standoff between ECOWAS and the AES members. (3/4)
Significant compromises made by ECOWAS regarding sanctions placed on Niger, a leading member of the AES - as key sanctions such as border closures, freezing of central bank & state assets, and suspension of commercial transactions are lifted with immediate effect! (1/4)
Learning about practical considerations within the peace mediation process; a deeper look into pre-mediation, implementation and follow up aspects.
#YRMC