As a thought leader, it has to develop expertise, knowledge and coordination capacities to move national, regional and global efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism to a whole new level. It is this threat that forced state members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) to begin setting up a regional architecture and strategy to prevent and counter violent extremism. If the Igad Centre fails to hone its key priority to being a regional thought leader on violent extremism, it risks becoming one of the many “new partnerships” whose skeletons now litter the African landscape. The changing context and meaning of violent extremism needs to be made crystal clear. AGENDA 2063As a regional thought leader on combating violent extremism, the Centre has to provide a platform for sharing expertise, good practice and lessons learnt through earlier initiatives.

Source: Daily Nation April 28, 2018 20:59 UTC