Background
- Introduction
- Economic and Political Opportunities
- Oxfam in West Africa
INTRODUCTION
West Africa has made enormous progress towards democracy in recent years. The region is also rich in natural resources, including diamonds, gold, oil, timber, and fish. But the people of West Africa continue to struggle with severe poverty and violent conflicts.
Located south of the Sahara, the West African region cuts across the arid Sahel zone to the tropical forests near the coast. Subsistence farming is the main economic activity, but drought and an encroaching desert limit agricultural opportunities for many.
The trading of small goods is another dominant economic activity in West Africa. Women in particular are engaged in petty trade and other artisanal employment (such as selling or processing food, cloth dying) but find it difficult to expand their businesses beyond a very low level of income. They lack access to financial resources, information, technology and markets.
Most of the governments in the region are weak democracies with no tradition of citizen participation in politics. Despite this fact, both Mali and Senegal have seen peaceful democratic transitions of power and are enjoying increased political participation. Other states are less open, controlling information and restricting freedom of expression. Governments are under pressure from international donors to decentralize their services, putting more of the responsibility of government at the local level. While this practice does create new opportunities for citizen involvement, it can also impose heavy burdens on unprepared local officials.