Gendered dimensions of emerging security threats: Exploring the nexus of climate change, violent extremism, and digital governance under the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Africa

Abstract

This study examines the gendered dimensions of emerging security threats in Africa by analyzing the interconnected impacts of climate change, violent extremism, and digital insecurity within the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. Despite normative advances under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and the African Union Continental Results Framework (2020–2030), implementation gaps persist due to structural inequalities, governance deficits, and widening digital divides. Guided by Structural Violence Theory, Intersectional Feminist perspectives, and Digital Governance Theory, the study investigates how environmental stress, extremist violence, and digital exclusion interact to shape women’s insecurity and constrain their participation in peace-building processes. A qualitative comparative approach is employed, drawing on document analysis and regional synthesis from the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and Great Lakes regions. Findings show that climate-induced displacement, resource scarcity, violent extremism, and digital harms such as online harassment and misinformation disproportionately affect women and girls, reinforcing economic marginalization, gender-based violence, and political exclusion. The study further finds that these dynamics are mutually reinforcing, producing a systemic pattern of structural violence across regions. The study recommends the integration of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms into WPS frameworks, the strengthening of gender-responsive digital governance, the mainstreaming of climate security into WPS National Action Plans, and expanded investments in women’s digital inclusion, capacity building, and inter-sectoral coordination. The study concludes that addressing women’s insecurity in Africa requires an integrated, intersectional, and multi-sectoral approach that links climate governance, countering violent extremism, and digital inclusion within a strengthened WPS agenda.