Development agencies must support decentralised, inclusive institutions to prevent conflict in Africa, study shows

Political and socioeconomic inequalities between culturally-defined groups form a major part of the root causes of violent conflict in Africa. Countries which exhibit inclusive political institutions and leadership are more adept at conflict resolution and prevention, according to a new study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In making policy recommendations to development agencies and their partners in Africa for effective conflict prevention, the study took into consideration the fact that inequalities in political power and economic resources between different ethnic, religious or regional groups, known as horizontal inequalities, are an important factor in violent intra-state conflict.

The study by the JICA Research Institute, JICA's research arm, took a pan-African perspective on the role political institutions and subjective perceptions of people play in causing violent conflict. It looked at the forms of political and economic governance that would enhance prevention of violent conflicts that can undermine or reverse development.

It concluded that development policy in Africa should mainstream the perspective of horizontal inequalities by monitoring inequalities and ensuring development projects contribute to alleviating existing horizontal inequalities.

It also emphasised the importance of leadership quality and inclusive institutions, both formal and informal, as the foundation of peace. The report concluded that development agencies should respect local initiatives for sustainable power-sharing and effective decentralisation.

The study found that subjective inequalities are of greater significance than objective inequalities in spurring people to violent action. Development agencies must take care in their actions and behaviours in order to avoid misconceptions in terms of their fairness and impartiality, the study emphasised.

Case studies conducted in ten African countries showed the effectiveness of inclusive political, economic and cultural policies in preventing violent conflict.

For instance, while Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire are comparable in their ethnic configurations and horizontal inequalities, Ghana has seen much more political and social stability due to the national inclusiveness of its leadership and ethnic balance in political representation, despite their system of majority rule.

On the other hand, ethno-nationalism in politics and economic stagnation reinforced ethnic exclusion in Côte D'Ivoire and led to the military insurgency in 2002.

These findings were presented at a symposium in Tokyo that featured contributions from Professor Frances Stewart of Oxford University, Professor Thandika Mkandawire of the London School of Economics and Professor Sakiko Fukuda-Parr of the New School. The results of the study, in which the three Professors have participated, will be published as a book in the coming months.