While Africa has enjoyed increasing stability and rising economic growth, this has also facilitated cross-border criminal activity across the continent. The past decade has seen dramatic shifts in the conversation around transnational organised crime (TOC) in Africa.

Transnational organised crime affects every section of society, from state actors to local communities. It fuels corruption and conflict, infiltrates business and politics, and triggers violence often directed at society’s most vulnerable, while at the same time diverting resources that could be dedicated to development, reducing poverty or improving basic services.

Criminal organisations use legitimate state structures to sustain the circulation and sale of illicit goods, facilitate money laundering and minimise the risk of prosecution. In addition, more and more organised crime activities are linked with conflict and violent extremism in Africa.

In order to combat organised crime on the continent, the Enhancing Africa’s response to transnational organised crime (ENACT) project aims to reduce the impact of transnational organised crime on development, governance, security and the rule of law in Africa.

The project is intended to build comprehensive knowledge base on the role of organised crime in Africa using evidence-based research and factual analysis to inform policy decisions, and to strengthen the technical skills and capacities of key African stakeholders to enhance their effectiveness in responding to transnational criminal threats.

To support its objectives, ENACT has:

  • Produced a repository of research from the continent since its establishment, close to 80 research reports and policy briefs have been published that focus both on markets and actors in TOC, as well as several political economy papers across the regions.
  • Developed an Organised Crime in Africa Index. The index uses key measures of criminality and resilience, along with more detailed subsets to open dialogue on state vulnerability and response to TOC.
  • Enhanced capacity building for law enforcement, delivered through the INTERPOL-ENACT analytical units.
  • Provided technical assistance to regional and national police, criminal justice, and related agencies, a key work stream to tie evidence-based research to policy influence.

 

ENACT’s Phase I began in 2017 and supported the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership and the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and Roadmap 2014-2017. Phase I concluded in January 2022.  Phase II goes from February 2022 to January 2024 and phase III will run from February 2024 to January 2026.

The project is implemented by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), in partnership with INTERPOL and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).

 

Links:

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ENACT

12/2016 – 01/2022

ENACT II

02/2022 – 01/2024

ENACT III

02/2024 – 01/2026