East Africa: frontline for organised crime in Africa
This roundtable will consider organised crime trends in the region and identify priority areas for evidence-based technical support.
The ENACT Organised Crime Index shows that East Africa had the highest levels of organised crime on the continent in 2021. Human trafficking, arms trafficking and smuggling in flora and fauna topped the list, enabled by established criminal markets and syndicates, and corrupt state officials. Fragile states and conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia have also created spaces for organised crime groups to operate.
Stakeholders at this roundtable will discuss the ENACT project’s impact and priorities for future research and technical assistance.
ENACT aims to enhance Africa’s response to transnational organised crime. It is implemented by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and INTERPOL. Since 2017, ENACT has delivered evidence-based analysis to policymakers across Africa, and strengthened actors’ technical and operational capacity to respond.
Moderator: Mohamed Daghar, ENACT Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator, ISS Nairobi
Speakers:
- Kosyo Ivanov, Senior Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
- Martin Schondelmaier, Analyst, INTERPOL, Nairobi
- Richard Okwalinga, Uganda Police
- Gedion Kimilu, Head, INTERPOL Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa/CEO, EAPCCO Secretariat
- Dr Willis Okumu, Senior Researcher, ISS Nairobi
- Ken Opala, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, Kenya
