The Private Security Governance Observatory is a network of African civil society organizations (CSOs) that seeks to share knowledge and reinforce their organizational capacity to promote good governance of the private sector.

The Observatory was initiated in 2014 and grew organically out of the interest of its members. By raising awareness among CSOs and supporting the establishment of sustainable, locally driven CSO networks across Africa, the Observatory main objectives are:
• To provide capacity building support for civil society and offer practical ways to increase engagement between CSOs;
• To build a strong network and reinforce dialogue between CSOs so as to identify practical ways to improve and strengthen monitoring of the private security sectors in specific national contexts;
• To provide a repository of knowledge on national, regional and international regulatory mechanisms;
• To increase awareness on the nature and challenges of private security regulation, as well as to promote security and human rights;
• To encourage multi-stakeholder dialogue between governments, industry and CSOs.

In almost all States, national legislative and regulatory frameworks take into account, in one way or another, the activities of the private security sector. Find here information on national private security sectors from Observatory member countries.