Thought Leadership

2009 - Maritime Strategies for Africa
The Council on African Defence and Diplomatic Studies (CADSS)

In 2009, working in conjunction with the Commission of the African Union and a range of partners, the Foundation has helped to establish CADSS as an independent African-based and internationally-founded forum to facilitate collaborations and debate on strategic and diplomatic studies. Other partners in this venture include the London-based Royal United Services Institute, the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, the Center for Policy Research and Dialogue from Ethiopia, the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, India’s Observer Research Foundation, and the African Center for Strategic Studies in Washington. The following individuals are the founding CADSS patrons: Ambassador Torben Brylle, EU Special Envoy to Darfur, Denmark; General Carlton Fulford (rtd.), former Deputy Commander EUCOM; Director: African Centre for Strategic Studies, Washington; General Daniel Opande (rtd.), Kenya; General Ved Malik (rtd.), Director: Observer Research Foundation, India; The Hon. Patrick Mazimhaka, Former Deputy Chair: African Union, Rwanda; General Gebretsadkan Gebretensae (rtd.), Executive Director: Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue, Ethiopia; General Seth Obeng (rtd.), Ghana; General Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff, UK; Ambassador Francesc Vendrell, former EU representative, Afghanistan; Ambassador Francis Muthaura, Head of the Public Service, Kenya; Ambassador Sir Kieran Prendergast, former UN Under-Secretary General, UK.

Mindful of the need for such collaboration in managing piracy issues in West and Eastern Africa, but also over the longer-term in harnessing the maritime domain for African development, the first project identified for CADSS was to assist in devising a maritime strategy for the continent. To this end, four workshops have been convened during 2009, in Johannesburg, Dakar, Mombasa, and Addis Ababa.