Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has a wealth of unique natural resources and growing economies that are being appropriated by criminals for profit. These exploitative activities not only perpetuate instability and limit the economic development of the region, but provide the source materials for many of the transnational illicit networks studied by C4ADS that are threatening security all over the world. However, impaired by a legacy of colonial exploitation, Sub-Saharan Africa’s capacity to combat these threats remains stymied. Instead, perpetual challenges of foreign influence, conflict, and geopolitical struggles undermine governance and sovereignty, encouraging informal economies and corruption and opening the door to illicit transnational networks.

To identify and disrupt these networks, C4ADS functions as a fusion center, connecting partners and information to facilitate the identification of convergent priorities around wildlife trafficking, natural resource crime, and asset recovery across the continent. In addition, we partner with on-the-ground NGOs, journalists, and law enforcement agencies to improve capacity through training, analytical support, and data centralization within partner jurisdictions.