Enhancing Africa’s response to organised crime
Village elders demonstrating how rustlers launch livestock raids - Kaiset (Uganda), May 2018
The "Enact" programme aims to help Kenya and other African countries tackle transnational organised crime.
The programme (full name: "Enhancing African capacity to respond more effectively to transnational organised crime") aims to help build up the knowledge, skills and awareness to enhance Africa’s response to transnational organised crime.
While much of Africa is enjoying rising economic growth, the unprecedented openness in trade, finance, travel and communication has also created enormous opportunities for organised crime. This threatens governance, peace, security and development. The types of organised crime and related issues that the programme addresses include:
- human trafficking and human smuggling;
- drug and arms trafficking;
- cybercrime;
- illicit financial flows;
- animals, plants and non-renewable resources;
- maritime security;
- mafia-style crimes;
- counterfeit goods, and
- cross-border smuggling.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS, based in South Africa) and Interpol are leading the implementation of the programme, which is funded by the European Union’s Pan-African Programme. The ISS is responsible for undertaking a number of research activities, such as the study into cattle-rustling in East & the Horn of Africa. Interpol uses the results of the research to work with law enforcement officers from partner countries, in order to help build capacities for effectively addressing the threats identified.
As part of its activities, the Enact programme is establishing a regional organised-crime observatory for East Africa here in Nairobi. (Four other such regional centres are being based in Pretoria, Abidjan, Yaoundé and Tunis.)
In August 2018 the programme organised a workshop in Nairobi on cattle-rustling, gathering government representatives and law enforcement agencies from nine countries in eastern Africa. Traditionally, several parts of the region have been plagued by a customary practice of cattle-rustling, linked to age-old cultural and marriage practices. Modern-day rustling is reported to be undertaken by criminal syndicates, who make often-violent raids on pastoralist communities and commercial farms.
For further details of Enact activities, see the programme's brochure and website.