June 25, 2010
Dakar, Senegal

In the framework of its political dialogue, advocacy and operational reflection on the implementation of the principles of Developmental Governance, the Africa Governance Institute organizes on June, 25th 2010 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in its headquarters in Dakar a session of the ’AGI’s Friday’s program on the concept of Fragile State.

Meeting first aims to allow participants to question the political economy and the relevance of one of the most commonly used context frames by different actors of the development community in order to present and describe configurations that mix punctual crisis and structural constraints (environmental, economic, social,...) in several African countries.

The objective of the meeting is then to query, without falling into the controversy and taxonomy, the operationality of identifying axes of implementation of Developmental Governance principles. As a matter of fact it will be to develop an operational ground-level reflection allowing an African and South vision on numerous concepts too often forged by the countries of the North.

Three starting assumptions will feed the reflection:
1. The notion of Fragile State is a social construction imported from the reality in different countries in Africa;
2. It is the object and issue of various social and political uses. Promoting Developmental Governance in Africa through Advocacy and Political Dialogue, Strategic Research, Dissemination and Diffusion.
3. A more endogenous requalification of configurations and situations it qualifies would allow a more operational implementation of the principles of Developmental Governance on these grounds.

1. Introduction by a representative of AGI, 5 minutes;
2. Roundtable discussion moderated by a facilitator:
 5 to 10 minutes intervention per speaker;
 Discussions;
3. Synthesis. The text of the summary will be shared and published on AGI’s website both in French and English.