Governance Trends in West Africa 2006

The West African sub-region has a distinctive history as one of the most dynamic parts of the African continent. Forged out of a long, often contradictory, always contested trajectory of state formation, dissolution, and recomposition that has been accompanied at different stages by widespread population movements, the sub-region has, inevitably, grappled with a wide range of core, enduring governance questions. These questions have contributed, to one degree or another, to the making and character of contemporary state systems, as well as the political cultures underpinning them. This synthesis report is a quick and easily digestible summary of some of the key developments in West Africa which had a direct bearing on governance in the sub-region during 2006. Rather than an exhaustive chronological report, the work is an omnibus tying up various developments in West Africa in presentational and analytic rubrics that are designed to give insights into a variety of governance issues. It forms the basis for future research. The report is in both English and French.