Supporting coordination and stabilization efforts of Accra Initiative member states

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Funding: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs


Since November 2023, Promediation has been implementing a regional project aimed at supporting the member states of the Accra Initiative (AI) in their prevention and stabilization policies, particularly in cross-border areas, by promoting coordination at the local (outcome 1), national, and regional (outcome 2) levels. To avoid overwhelming the AI secretariat with requests/meetings that could undermine its effectiveness, Promediation works primarily in support of the organization’s member states (at the bilateral or multilateral level), while communicating regularly with the AI secretariat. This approach builds upon Promediation’s work with the Accra Initiative over the past five years.


At the local and cross-border level, the project aims to mitigate tensions in the cross-border areas of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea and to foster the emergence of coordinated containment mechanisms through cross-border consultation processes between communities, as well as between them and local administrative/security authorities. Several cross-border forums were organized during January 2024, bringing together key individuals from several regions affected by rising insecurity (banditry, community conflicts, cattle theft) along the Sahel – Gulf of Guinea border strip.


This project also aims to bring peripheral cross-border areas closer to national capitals by sharing information not only on the local situation but also on local initiatives and identified ad hoc mechanisms that could benefit from national support or be replicated in other regions. By involving, to the extent possible, representatives from the Accra Initiative and ECOWAS, Promediation plans to organize meetings at the national level to facilitate the transfer of initiatives from the regional to the local level, and vice versa. The project is designed to connect local representatives with representatives of national and regional governments, as well as with international partners, with the ultimate goal of influencing relevant institutions to bring about policy change and its implementation. In turn, local authorities and stakeholders will gain a better understanding of regional strategies and actions, and coordination across multiple levels will be strengthened.