Tackling the Challenges of Postcrisis Reconstruction in Africa: Lessons from the Field

As more and more of its countries emerge from periods of crisis, the issue of postcrisis reconstruction in Africa is gaining increasing prominence on the international agenda. The passage from crisis to stability and progress is a time‐consuming and potentially open‐ended process. During my career, I worked in two postcrisis African countries – Rwanda and Liberia – and I was also concerned indirectly with conflict situations in other countries. In this article I set out some personal reflections on what I consider to be the key challenges facing governments and civil society in their efforts to deal with the effects and scars of crisis and civil disruption. In my view, seven factors have a direct bearing on the pace of rebuilding and recovery.