REJOWA project workshop in Accra: the contribution of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa to strengthening the resilience of West African countries
On Friday, November 7, Accra, the capital of Ghana, hosted the workshop “Results, Challenges, and Future Prospects” of the project “Resilience to the Expansion of Jihadist Organizations in West Africa (REJOWA),” funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and coordinated by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa with an interdisciplinary research group that includes professors and researchers from the Dirpolis Institute (Law, Politics, Development) and the Institute of Plant Sciences.
The workshop brought together researchers, institutional representatives, international organizations, and civil society actors to discuss the preliminary results of the project, the challenges that have emerged, and future prospects for strengthening resilience against the expansion of jihadist groups in West Africa.
The REJOWA project aims to identify and analyze the main factors that have enabled some Gulf of Guinea countries to resist the expansion of jihadist groups from the Sahel. Ghana, due to its strategic location and the presence of several vulnerability factors—including its border with Burkina Faso, high youth unemployment, tensions between farmers and herders over the use of natural resources, and artisanal mining—is the main case study. Through comparative analysis and integrated methodologies, including qualitative interviews, focus groups, literature review, and agronomic modeling, the project also investigates the impact of climate change on food production and its link to rural youth insecurity and unemployment, factors that can influence the spread of violent extremism.
The workshop was opened by the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Laura Ranalli, followed by Luca Raineri of the DIRPOLIS Institute, Scientific Director of the project, and Leonardo Caproni, Coordinator for the Institute of Plant Sciences (ISP) of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.
During the morning, preliminary research results were presented by coordinators Leonardo Caproni and Luca Raineri, together with Dr. Martha Populin (DIRPOLIS Institute), M. Gadafi Ibrahim (local collaborator, DIRPOLIS Institute), Stefania Sellitti (research fellow, Institute of Plant Sciences), and Mariachiara Boldrini (DIRPOLIS Institute). The research team also includes Prof. Francesco Strazzari and Dr. Laura Berlingozzi (DIRPOLIS Institute) and Dr. Valentina D'Amico (Institute of Plant Sciences). The morning continued with a research panel featuring experts on the topic, including Chrispin Kuupiel (WANEP), Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar (WACCE), Paul Aborampah Mensah (CDD-Ghana), and Carolina Sarzana (Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT/CGIAR). In the afternoon, participants were involved in working groups to discuss preliminary results and explore certain issues in greater depth.
The REJOWA project, with its interdisciplinary approach and strong focus on the links between security, climate, and development, is part of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies' “AfricaConnect” program, which aims to promote resilience, peace, and sustainability on the African continent.
