Background
In 2008 the Nordic Africa Institute and the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) initiated a pilot collaboration on a thematic lecture series on African Security.
The primary aim of the lecture series was to provide FOI Studies in African Security team an opportunity to broaden and strengthen their knowledge on the relevant conditions and factors for security studies in an African context. In addition to the participants from FOI the lecture series also had participants from other Swedish policy-relevant institutions such as the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF), the National Defence College (NDC) and the International Division of the National Swedish Crime Prevention Police.
With the objective of building upon the 2008 pilot collaboration, NAI and FOI signed a two year agreement for a continued collaboration in 2009-2010. The agreement served as a basis for a multidisciplinary researcher dialogue, information sharing and knowledge transition between the two agencies. It also provideed a forum for discussion on how the political-security-development nexus impacts on African Security.
The lecture series on African Security continued in 2009 with a total of 6 sessions held. Dr Cyril Obi, Leader of the Research Cluster Conflict, Displacement and Transformation, Tania Berger of the Policy and Research Support Unit at NAI and Camilla Elowson, Analyst at the FOI Africa Programme were responsible for the implementation of the continued collaboration and agreement 2009-2010.
