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Unleashing the Potential of Local Governments in Coastal West Africa in a Whole-of-Society Approach to Rehabilitation and Reintegration

Publication Date:

14/04/2026

Content Type:

Event Reports

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AccraCoastal West AfricaRehabilitation and Reintegration

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This report provides a summary of discussions during the event and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Strong Cities Network Management Unit, Strong Cities members, event sponsors or participants.

Event Details

Description: A regional workshop bringing together municipal leaders, national authorities, civil society organisations and international partners to explore how cities can strengthen prevention, reintegration and resilience in the face of evolving and interconnected threats across the region.

Where & When: 14 — 15 April 2026, Accra (Ghana)

Cities Represented

• Bénin: Matéri, Kalalé
• Burkina Faso: Dédougou, Dori, Fada N’Gourma
• Côte d’Ivoire: Doropo, Ouangolodougou
• Germany: Berlin
• Ghana: Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Wa, Bole, Lambussie, Wulensi
• Niger: Diffa
• Nigeria: Yola, Borno
• Senegal: Bakel, Galoya Toucouleurs

Partners Represented

International and non-governmental organisations:

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• Neem Foundation
• West Africa Center for Countering Extremism (WACCE)
• African Union Counter Terrorism Center (AUCTC)
• Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF)

Diplomatic Missions

• Embassy of Germany to Ghana
• Australian High Commission
• Delegation of the European Union to Ghana

Key Takeaways

• Rehabilitation and reintegration in coastal West Africa is shaped by local dynamics, including community trust, perceptions of security and the capacity of local institutions to respond. While national frameworks provide important guidance, their effectiveness depends on how they are implemented at the community level.
• Participants highlighted that the regional risk environment is becoming increasingly complex, with pressures linked to cross-border dynamics, displacement, socio-economic challenges and instability in the Sahel converging at the local level. Many municipalities are encountering these dynamics relatively recently and are still adapting their responses.
• Across contexts, reintegration was identified as the least developed stage of R&R, with gaps in longer-term support, coordination and follow-up once individuals return to communities. Discussions also emphasised that reintegration outcomes depend heavily on community acceptance and social cohesion.
• A key takeaway was the importance of linking reintegration with broader prevention and resilience-building efforts, including livelihoods support, youth engagement and local governance strengthening. Participants also underscored the need to strengthen coordination, information-sharing and learning systems across national and local levels.

Recommendations for Mayors and Cities

• Strengthen the role of municipalities within rehabilitation and reintegration systems
  Ensure that local governments are clearly positioned within national R&R frameworks, with defined mandates, access to resources and structured coordination mechanisms that enable them to translate policy into practice.
• Address reintegration as the weakest stage of rehabilitation and reintegration
  Prioritise longer-term support, follow-up and monitoring at the community level to ensure that reintegration processes are sustained beyond initial return.
• Prioritise community-based approaches that build trust and acceptance
  Invest in sustained community engagement, including dialogue processes and partnerships with traditional and religious leaders, to address stigma and support social cohesion.
• Embed reintegration within broader prevention and resilience efforts
  Link R&R to wider municipal priorities, including livelihoods, youth engagement and local governance, to address underlying drivers of vulnerability and support long-term stability.
• Strengthen coordination and information-sharing systems
  Improve coordination across actors and levels of governance, including through stronger data systems, referral pathways and mechanisms for ongoing learning and adaptation.

Recommendations for National Governments

• Clarify and formalise the role of local governments in R&R frameworks
  Ensure that national policies clearly define the responsibilities of municipalities in rehabilitation and reintegration, alongside mechanisms for coordination and support.
• Strengthen national–local cooperation
  Establish structured systems for two-way communication, enabling local insights to inform national strategies and ensuring coherence across levels of governance.
• Invest in systems that support reintegration at scale
  Strengthen screening, referral and case management systems, while ensuring that reintegration processes extend beyond institutional stages into communities.
• Support community-level reintegration and reconciliation
  Prioritise approaches that address both returnees and affected communities, including psychosocial support, livelihoods and reconciliation mechanisms.

Recommendations for Partners and Donors

• Invest in locally led approaches to reintegration and prevention
  Support municipalities and community-based actors to design and implement context-specific interventions that reflect local realities.
• Strengthen community-based systems and services
  Prioritise funding for psychosocial support, livelihoods and social cohesion initiatives that enable sustainable reintegration outcomes.
• Support coordination, data systems and learning
  Invest in systems that improve information-sharing, monitoring and adaptation across actors and programmes.
• Provide long-term, flexible support
  Ensure that funding and technical assistance enable municipalities to build institutional capacity and sustain efforts beyond project cycles

Next Steps

• Engagement and Coordination
  The Strong Cities Network will continue supporting municipalities in coastal West Africa to strengthen their role in rehabilitation and reintegration, including through ongoing engagement with national and regional partners.
• Peer Learning and Exchange
  The Network will facilitate continued peer exchange between cities, enabling municipalities to share experiences and learn from different approaches to reintegration and prevention across the region.
• Development of an Action Agenda for Cities on R&R
  Insights from the workshop will inform the development of a Strong Cities Network Action Agenda for local governments on rehabilitation and reintegration in coastal West Africa.

Additional Resources

• Strong Cities Mapping on the Overlooked Role of African Cities in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, Strong Cities Network (2022)
• Strengthening the role of cities in Coastal West Africa to address hate, extremism and polarisation through enhanced National-Local Cooperation, Strong Cities Network (October 2023)
• Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees from Syria and Iraq: Ten Lessons from the Berlin Experience for Local Governments, Strong Cities Network (Updated October 2024) 
• Unleashing the Potential of Moroccan Cities in Supporting a Whole-of-Society Approach to Rehabilitation and Reintegration, Strong Cities Network (June 2025)
• National-Local Cooperation Toolkit, Global Counterterrorism Forum, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• Countering Hate Speech in Times of Crisis: Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• Managing Migration: City-Led Approaches for Being an Inclusive, Welcoming and Socially-Cohesive City, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• City-Led Prevention of Hate, Extremism and Polarisation: Leveraging Local Youth Councils, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• City-Led Youth Engagement in Addressing Hate, Extremism and Polarisation: Ten Recommendations for Cities, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• Creating Safe, Cohesive and Resilient Cities through Urban Planning & Design: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• National-Local Cooperation: A Pillar of City-Led Prevention of Hate, Extremism and Polarisation – A Practice Update, Strong Cities Network (December 2024)
• Global Crises, Local Impacts Initiative, Strong Cities Network (2024)
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (Updated April 2024)
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (Updated March 2025)
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network (May 2024)
• Constructing UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Cities, Operational Guidelines (May 2024)
• City Spotlights Library, Strong Cities Network

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