Private sector engagement in conflict resolution is increasingly relevant as many fragile democracies are struggling to break the vicious circle of socio-economic underdevelopment and the resulting political instability. In this Feature Service article, CIPE’s Abdulwahab Alkebsi and Aleksandr Shkolnikov discuss the role of the private sector in conflict resolution using the example of Kenya. The violence that followed December 2007 elections was widely blamed on ethnic tensions. Yet, the underlying reasons were more than that: ethnic tensions were the manifestation of deep-running democratic governance failures and unequal access to economic opportunity.
Alkebsi and Shkolnikov emphasize the role that the private sector can play – and in the case of Kenya did play – in ending the crisis that threatened the future of the nation. They point out that by focusing on tangible outcomes, such as providing jobs, creating wealth, delivering goods and services, and promoting stability, the private sector can move countries away from political bickering to the design and implementation of concrete policy priorities and visible improvements in citizen’s quality of life.
Article at a Glance
- The roots of Kenya’s post-electoral violence go beyond ethnic divisions – they have much to do with a lack of effective political representation and broad economic opportunities.
- The private sector in post-conflict settings has an important role to play in brokering peace agreements.
- Building the institutions of representative democratic governance and a stable, competitive market economy is a key element of conflict prevention.
Published Date: June 05, 2009