Social media in Africa A double-edged sword for security and development Research report Kate Cox, William Marcellino, Jacopo Bellasio, Antonia Ward, Katerina Galai, Sofia Meranto, Giacomo Persi Paoli Preface This is the final report of a study commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which examines social media use and online radicalisation in Africa. With a focus on al- Shabaab, Boko Haram and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the analysis also describes governmental efforts to address this problem in relation to these three groups and outlines recommendations for policy, programming and research. RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy and decision making in the public interest through research and analysis. RAND Europe’s clients include European governments, institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organisations with a need for rigorous, independent, interdisciplinary analysis. For more information about RAND Europe or this study, please contact: Giacomo Persi Paoli Research Leader, Defence, Security & Infrastructure Westbrook Centre, Milton Road Cambridge CB4 1YG, United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0) 1223 353 329 x2563
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