Context and Background

The Sahel is inherently rich in natural and human resources. Coupled with its ancestral cultural heritage and economic wealth, the region has enormous potential for prosperity and long-term stability.  The presence of abundant natural resources – including oil, natural gas, gold, phosphates, and minerals - along Africa’s largest aquifers, as well as the continent’s largest aquifers surface waters such as Lake Chad and the Niger River, strengthens the region's potential for transformative socio-economic development. Combined with significant potential for energy transition, particularly in solar energy, the region is well-positioned for stability and sustainable economic growth. Unfortunately, the wealth of the Sahel has not sufficiently materialized to the benefit of the populations due to the persisting insecurity and political instability. 

Over the years, the Sahel region has faced significant challenges that have undermined the governance values, policies, and institutions essential to managing its socio-economic and political affairs. The region has endured insecurity, public sector inefficiencies, limited delivery of socio-economic services, corruption, weak social cohesion, a breakdown of the rule of law, limited accountability, mistrust in state institutions to deliver, breaches of fundamental human rights, and unconstitutional changes of government. The promise of inclusive, sustainable development has been derailed as trust and the social contract between states and citizens remain fragile in many parts of the region. 

For almost two decades, the Sahel region attracted international attention on account of concerns such as the infiltration of terrorism and transnational criminal networks, humanitarian crisis, and irregular migration. To date, the Sahel continues to experience challenges related to state-society relations (including horizontal citizen-to-citizen relations), a relationship[1] at the heart of democratic governance, as it is expected that state-society relations transcend the provision of essential services. Perceived and legitimate concerns of citizens and communities, which are often largely unaddressed by the State, lead to mistrust of state institutions and authority, as well as limited social cohesion. These factors undermine the legitimacy of public officials and elected representatives, thereby devaluing democracy. For the countries of the Sahel, the crisis, in all its dimensions, has stretched state capacity, undermined social cohesion, exacerbated economic costs for populations, disrupted nation-building efforts, and even called into question the legitimacy of governments and states, among other consequences. 

While there is a wide recognition that the crisis in the Sahel has deep structural and historical roots, the urgency of the ever-evolving security and humanitarian context has meant that governments and their strategic partners have prioritised support to the humanitarian crisis and insecurity over addressing the root causes of conflict, which, by nature, are intractable. Most States have leaned towards a military-security/humanitarian approach to redress the Sahel crisis. Lessons learnt over the years, as captured in this inaugural report, find that there are no quick fixes to the Sahel crisis. At the core of addressing the challenges in the Sahel is governance that centres on and accords primacy to citizens, with an emphasis on rebuilding social cohesion and public trust.

The Future of Governance in the Sahel

It is in full cognisance of the inter-connected nature of the Sahel crisis that the United Nations has revised its integrated strategy for the Sahel (UNISS). The aim is to bolster attention to investment in development, using a nexus approach that addresses the humanitarian, peace, and security nexus with a focus on the people. It lends emphasis to strengthening good governance at all levels while supporting regional organisations in their coordination and regulatory mandates as key dimensions of the UNISS.

Noting that good governance is a key accelerator—a cornerstone of sustainable development and foundation upon which nations in the Sahel in particular can build resilience, equity, and prosperity, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) developed a flagship report in 2024 on the future of governance in the Sahel, a signature publication that offers an evidenced based and grounded analysis of the state of governance in the Sahel and provides innovative and forward looking policy and programmatic recommendations on how countries, regional organizations and development partners can take constructive steps towards stronger governance institutions, enhanced public trust and social cohesion. The report is the culmination of twelve months of deliberations, conversations, research, analysis, writing, critique, peer review, rewrites, and further revisions. Nine substantive chapters by leading governance experts comprise this volume, covering a range of topics and providing conceptual framing and context, including a historical trajectory of the Sahel, as well as citizen perspectives and trends. Informed by the outcome of this report, the first edition of the Sahel Governance Forum is being organised in Banjul, the Republic of The Gambia, from 30 to 31 July 2025.

Objectives

The Sahel Governance Forum seeks to establish a high-level, multi-stakeholder platform for advancing a holistic yet tailored governance approach in the Sahel, benefiting its governments and people. It is conceived as a one-stop forum bringing together governments, political leaders, technical experts, citizen and community leaders, private sector, and international partners from the Sahel and beyond to share experiences, exchange ideas, undertake mutual learning, canvass policy innovations, and account for commitments undertaken in the quest for redressing the governance challenges in the region. The Forum will also serve as a platform for the launch of the first edition of the Future of Governance in the Sahel Report.

Expected Outcomes and Format

Noting the imperative to re/build public trust and social cohesion in the Sahel, this inaugural edition of the Sahel Governance Forum is expected to generate the following core outcomes:

1. Provide a valuable platform for participants to actively engage in meaningful dialogue, sharing lessons learned, innovative practices, and diverse perspectives on governance challenges and opportunities in the Sahel.
2. Participants reaffirm their commitment to a better future for Sahelians by adopting a joint declaration that outlines concrete actions to strengthen democratic governance, promote inclusive development, and enhance regional cooperation.
3. Develop an action plan following recommendations from the Forum to be adopted for implementation by different stakeholders, and a monitoring mechanism for the realization of the action plan. 

The Forum shall be an in-person event, and it is expected to attract about 200 invited participants from the region and beyond. Sessions will be organised in the form of panel presentations, parallel sessions, facilitated speaker interviews, and roundtable debates across multiple digital platforms, with plenary and simultaneous interpretation in multiple languages, Arabic, English, and French. The UN will partner with the host government (The Republic of the Gambia) and the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Foundation to organise the meeting. 

Venue and duration 

The Forum will be held over a two-day period in Banjul, the Republic of The Gambia, from 30 to 31 July 2025 at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.

[1] Shaping a Joint UN Offer in the Area of Governance in the Sahel to Advance the UNISS Support Plan