Ship without sails

The document examines Africa's engagement with the CWC and BTWC, noting that while CWC participation is high due to the support of the OPCW, BTWC engagement is low due to a lack of an oversight body and a perception that biological weapons are not a primary threat. It highlights significant gaps in national legislation and the vulnerability of African public health systems to deliberate disease outbreaks.

• The BTWC is significantly less effective in Africa than the CWC because it lacks a dedicated oversight body to manage implementation, verification, and awareness.
• National legislation to control chemical and biological weapons in Africa is inconsistent and often inadequate; many states lack the resources to develop comprehensive laws, with some only including these weapons under general penal codes or anti-terrorism acts.
• Africa is highly vulnerable to deliberate disease outbreaks because many biological warfare agents are endemic to the region, particularly in East Africa, and public health infrastructures are the least developed globally.
• Libya is working to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles with US assistance, with a deadline of 31 December 2010 for Schedule 1 chemicals and 31 December 2011 for Schedule 2 chemicals.
• African states often perceive biological weapons as a low priority compared to more immediate security challenges such as under-development and the proliferation of small arms.
• There is a lack of awareness regarding the BTWC and dual-use research risks among the African scientific community, though scientists are generally open to discussing oversight mechanisms once informed.
• African States Parties to the CWC have expressed concerns over the low representation of Africans within the OPCW technical secretariat and the insufficient transfer of technology for the development of peaceful chemical industries.

APA

du Rand, A. (2008). Ship without sails. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper171.pdf

Chicago

du Rand, Amelia. Ship without sails. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper171.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=du Rand |first1=Amelia |title=Ship without sails |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper171.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{durand2008ship, author = {du Rand, Amelia}, title = {{Ship without sails}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper171.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }