West Africa

In West Africa, we believe that the combined action of actors operating at different levels and across diverse sectors – particularly humanitarian assistance, development, environmental action, and peacebuilding – is essential to sustainably prevent violent conflict and strengthen social cohesion and peace. To this end, we support a wide range of actors to strengthen how they work, and collaborate with others, to respond to peacebuilding challenges and proactively seize opportunities to foster social cohesion. 

Our partners include national and local organisations, as well as several regionally active networks, drawn from civil society, public institutions, and the private sector. In line with each organisation’s mission, our support focuses either on strengthening the organisational capacities of actors that place social cohesion and peace at the core of their mandate, or on integrating peace and conflict considerations into the strategies and actions of organisations with other missions. 

The Challenges 

West Africa is currently facing interlinked challenges that reinforce one another and call for integrated approaches among actors from different sectors. Violence is spreading across the Sahel and increasingly affecting coastal countries as well as areas that were previously spared. These dynamics are compounded by the effects of climate change, notably biodiversity degradation and growing pressure on natural resources. 

Together, these trends exacerbate the vulnerability of both populations and ecosystems. They have significant impacts on livelihoods, disproportionately affecting women, young people, and rural communities that are often already marginalised. 

The Opportunities 

West Africa also benefits from a remarkable and dynamic human capital. Its young population has immense potential and continues to demonstrate, through concrete action, its willingness and ability to contribute to innovation and social engagement. Through diverse initiatives, young people are working to protect and restore ecosystems and peaceful societies. 

Citizen movements and civil society are vibrant, highly resilient, and have demonstrated their ability to influence public policy, particularly on issues related to the responsible governance of natural resources and the promotion of sustainable and equitable development models. Integrating traditional practices of natural resources management and peaceful conflict resolution, these movements work at multiple levels to transform security and environmental threats into powerful levers for collective action.  

Our Work in West Africa 

We have been working in West Africa since 2014. Since 2018, we have focused our efforts on Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal, and since 2023, also in Benin. We are in the process of renewing our portfolio and, for the first time, actors from Cameroon are now eligible. 

Our portfolio includes several organisations recognised within their national contexts, including: 

  • a major pastoralist network present in ten West African countries; 
  • a regional network, with a branch in Europe, working on water and peace; 
  • religious leaders promoting interfaith and intrafaith dialogue; 
  • local authorities and umbrella organisations working to promote more inclusive governance of natural resources; 
  • and a government agency – one of the few mandated to lead national peacebuilding efforts in Niger (see list of partners below). 

We also invest in connecting our partners and in continuously promoting constructive exchanges and shared learning among partners and others that they can learn from and collaborate with. These dynamics take place at both national and regional levels, notably through communities of practice dedicated to conflict sensitivity and a network of consultants that support our work (see collective initiatives below). 

We operate in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal.

We are also in the process of renewing our portfolio and, for the first time, stakeholders in Cameroon are now eligible.

Our support approach

Partnership Highlights

Find out more about our partnerships in West Africa

West Africa Partners

The full list of our current partners in West Africa

Collective Inititiatives

The full list of our current collective initiatives in West Africa

Past Partners

The full list of our former partners in West Africa

The Team

Find out more about our West Africa team
Associate Consultant

Magali Naré

As an Associate Consultant, Magali contributes to the West Africa programme, with a particular focus on supporting partners in integrating conflict sensitivity and coordinating and facilitating collective learning initiatives in this area.
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Associate Consultant

Aline Brachet

As an Associate Consultant, Aline contributes to the Conflict Sensitivity and West Africa programmes combining research with action to support organisations in their development.
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