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Publications

Publications

The Institute publishes books, research reports, research papers, briefings and meeting reports in a range of formats. Publications cover policy, research, arts, culture and local knowledge in the countries of eastern and central Africa. Research publications—books, reports and papers—are peer-reviewed. Some RVI publications are also available in French and/or Arabic. Blogs can be read here.

The RVI is a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (2001); all publications are free for download in PDF format under Creative Commons licences. Print versions of most books and reports, and digital versions in Kindle and other specialist formats, are available for sale from Amazon and other online retailers, and from selected bookstores. Proceeds from sales are allocated to the Institute's Scholarship Fund, which provides support to researchers and activists from eastern and central Africa.

The views expressed in books and reports published by the RVI are those of the authors, not the Institute.

Forming the next government in Somalia: Key considerations for building consensus
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Forming the next government in Somalia: Key considerations for building consensus
By
2020
Forming the next government in Somalia - Somali Dialogue Platform (2020).pdf

The vote of no confidence on 25 July in the Prime Minister has led to renewed political uncertainty in Somalia; the constitution gives the President thirty days from this date to appoint the next Prime Minister, who will in turn appoint a Cabinet.

This development comes at a crucial moment in Somalia’s political trajectory. The Presidential term ends on 7 February 2021 and parliament’s…

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Introducing RVI's Development Strategy 2020–2023
By
2020
RVI 2020.09.01 RVI Development Strategy 2020 - 23.pdf

We are pleased to share the Rift Valley Institute’s Development Strategy, 2020-2023.  The strategy is the outcome of a collective process involving staff, trustees, Fellows of the Institute, partners and key external stakeholders. It builds on the Institute's 2016-2020 Development Strategy, reaffirming the values that drive our work, incorporating feedback from supporters and associates, and…

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Bosaso and the Gulf of Aden: Changing dynamics of a land-sea network
x-border project
Horn of Africa
Research Reports
Bosaso and the Gulf of Aden: Changing dynamics of a land-sea network
By
Jatin Dua
2020
Bosaso and the Gulf of Aden by Jatin Dua, Abdideeq Warsame and Ahmed Shire - RVI X-Border Project (2020)_0.pdf

Bosaso and the Gulf of Aden: Changing dynamics of a land-sea network is the second report in a series looking at the relationship between modern-day Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of north-east Somalia, Yemen and the wider Gulf region. It focuses on the port city of Bosaso, which, historically, built its economic fortunes on easy access to the sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden and…

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South Sudan's Changing Tastes: Conflict, displacement and food imports
x-border project
Sudan and South Sudan
Research Reports
South Sudan's Changing Tastes: Conflict, displacement and food imports
By
2020
South Sudan's Changing Tastes - RVI X-Border Project (2020)_0.pdf

South Sudan’s long wars have forced millions of people to leave their own homes, farms and pastures and move to unfamiliar new areas of the countryside, to refugee camps and cities. In the process, they have changed the way they get and eat basic foods. Many remember the tastes of the old days: flavourful, satisfying sorghums, millets and other staples like cassava, which are grown from local…

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Possible avenues for dialogue merge; election model set for debate in parliament
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Somali Dialogue Platform: Situational Update 3
By
2020
Possible avenues for dialogue emerge - Summary - Somali Dialogue Platform (2020).pdf

The third update from RVI's Somali Dialogue Platform project examines political dynamics around elections in Somalia and considerations for advancing dialogue to reach consensus.

The update is a product of the Somali Dialogue Platform, which supports Somalis to achieve consensus on contentious political issues. The Platform is implemented by the Rift Valley Institute and FDG Synergy.…

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Conflict, Mobility and Markets: Changing food systems in South Sudan
x-border project
Sudan and South Sudan
Briefings
Conflict, Mobility and Markets: Changing food systems in South Sudan
By
Loes Lijnders
2020
Conflict, Mobility and Markets by Loes Lijnders - RVI X-Border Project (2020).pdf

Displaced Tastes is a collaborative research project run by the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) and the Catholic University of South Sudan (CUofSS) as part of the X-Border Local Research Network. The project examines how experiences of conflict, regional displacement and mobility, and the shift to an increasingly market-oriented and import-dependent economy have changed what people in…

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Political Dialogue in Somalia: Reaching consensus on elections during COVID-19
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Political Dialogue in Somalia: Reaching consensus on elections during COVID-19
By
Somali Dialogue Platform
2020
Political Dialogue in Somalia - Somali Dialogue Platform Quarterly Policy Briefing No 1 (2020).pdf

Despite progress in some significant areas, Somalia’s politics continue to be shaped by stark differences between key political players. This is most evident in the ongoing disagreement around one-person-onevote (OPOV) elections, the framework for which is timetabled to be finalized by parliament in June. At the same time, the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic have accentuated political…

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Tax and the State in Somalia: Understanding domestic revenue mobilization
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Tax and the State in Somalia: Understanding domestic revenue mobilization
By
Sagal Abshir, Khalif Abdirahman, Hannah Stogdon
2020
Tax and the State in Somalia by Sagal Abshir, Khalif Abdirahman and Hannah Stogdon - RVI (2020).pdf

In early 2019, the Federal Government of Somalia announced that it had raised the government budget to USD 300 million, and by August 2019 had recorded public expenditure of USD 171 million. This enabled the IMF to announce on 25 March 2020 that Somalia was now eligible for debt relief, which will enable the World Bank to release more funds. But, despite these encouraging figures, Somalia…

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COVID-19 in South Sudan’s Borderlands: A view from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal
x-border project
Sudan and South Sudan
Briefings
COVID-19 in South Sudan’s Borderlands: A view from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal
By
Joseph Diing Majok, Nicki Kindersley
2020
COVID-19 in South Sudan's Borderlands - RVI X-Border Project (2020)_0.pdf

Focusing on South Sudan’s borderland with Sudan, in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, it is clear that the national response to the virus, particularly the border shutdown, has rapidly become a new factor in Sudan and South Sudan’s cross-border political economy. The direct impact of COVID-19—like the consequences of Khartoum’s political transition and the establishment of the Transitional Government…

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Khat and COVID-19: Somalia's cross-border economy in the time of coronavirus
x-border project
Horn of Africa
Briefings
Khat and COVID-19: Somalia's cross-border economy in the time of coronavirus
By
Sahra Ahmed Koshin
2020
Khat and COVID-19 by Sahra Ahmed Koshin - RVI X-border Project (2020).pdf

The number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections and related deaths is rapidly increasing in Somalia. However, at present it is the secondary, primarily economic, effects of the pandemic that are being most keenly felt. The impact on the khat trade in particular is a good illustration of the economy’s regional and international connections, and the effects of anti-COVID-19 measures on cross-…

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