Whose security is it? Elitism and the global approach to maritime security in Africa

Africa’s marine environment and resources that lie beneath it are central to the continent’s sustainable development and actualising the ambitions set out by the African Union in its Agenda 2063, where the oceans are described as the frontier of Africa’s development. The continent’s maritime domain and resources are also attractive to foreign partners relying on its oceans to enhance their economic development and geostrategic interests. Serving the interests of all parties, especially the 38 coastal states and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and land-linked countries on the continent that benefit from the maritime sector, comes with challenges, some of which manifest as threats to the sustainable resource extraction and safety of those that use the maritime domain. We explored the literature, policy documents and maritime security reports database, together with our experiences as African maritime governance and security experts, to critically examine maritime security in Africa and unravel how extra-regional actors have securitised maritime threats. We show how the selective framing of what constitutes threats and associated resourcing of responses to counter them, often dictated by foreign interests, is an elite project that undermines a holistic notion of maritime security that would benefit the African people.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Democracy or Moneyocracy? Perspective on vote buying and electoral integrity in Nigeria’s recent elections

Although the practice of vote buying is not fundamentally new to Nigeria’s electoral politics, the phenomenon has assumed a worrisome dimension, going by experiences in off-cycle elections conducted in the Ekiti, Anambra, Ondo, Osun and Edo states as well as the 2019 general elections. The paper examines the practice of vote buying and its implications for electoral integrity in Nigeria. It problematises the practice of vote buying, locating it within the character of the post-colonial Nigerian state and the premium it places on state power. The paper contends that flagrant sharing of money, food and valuables among the voters by political contestants and party agents during elections qualifies Nigeria as a moneyocracy or ‘cash-and-carry’ democracy. It concludes that the practice of vote buying constitutes a grave threat, not only to the electoral process but also to the survival of democracy in Nigeria. The paper proffers recommendations for combating the scourge of vote buying