Assessing the capacity of national platforms for disaster risk reduction in Africa

This study assesses the capacity of nineteen National Platforms across Africa’s three main regional blocs: the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It takes stock of progress made, critically reviews the contribution that National Platforms have made to the mainstreaming of Disaster risk reduction into national planning processes and to overall disaster mitigation and preparedness at the national level. Further, it formulates recommendations on the way forward to render National Platforms effective in a context where their usefulness is in doubt.