The Political Economy of Coffee in the Sidama–Gedeo–Guji Belt, Southern Ethiopia
This report is part of a wider research project on the political economy of coffee in Ethiopia in the context of the political transition since 2018. It focuses on the Sidama–Gedeo–Guji coffee belt in southern Ethiopia, aiming to understand the local implications of the 2017 coffee sector policy reform in this area. Sidama, Gedeo (Yirgacheffe) […]
EWNET Review of Books Series (ERBS) 2026: Inaugural Seminar
The Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET) has established a dedicated platform, the EWNET Review of Books Series (ERBS), to launch, celebrate and facilitate the critical appraisal of newly published books by women researchers in the social sciences and humanities. The series aims to contribute to academic traditions of rigorous co-reading, critical engagement and citation practices […]
RVI Research Featured in JEAS Special Collection
Research from a Rift Valley Institute project features in the latest issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies—Volume 20, Issue 2 (May 2026)—as part of a special collection on ‘Religion and Politics in Post-EPRDF Ethiopia’. This collection—guest edited by Jörg Haustein and Terje Østebø—sets out with the premise that a national or Addis Ababa-centric […]
EWNET Podcast Episode 8 – EWNET Members Exchange: Conversation between Konjit Hailu (PhD) and Elshaday Hagos
In Episode 8 of the EWNET Podcast, two EWNET network members, Konjit Hailu (PhD) and Elshaday Hagos, discuss their educational backgrounds, career journeys and research interests. Konjit reflects on how her experience as a working mother shaped her interest in work-life balance among women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, a theme she explored during her doctoral and […]
SHECONF 2026: International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities
Event report On 26 March 2026, researchers, practitioners and academics gathered in Addis Ababa for SHECONF 2026, an International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia, the first of its kind convened by the Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET). The conference brought together scholars from across Ethiopia to examine how gender, power and knowledge […]
EWNET Ep 7: Bridging Research and Policy with Practice – A Conversation with Semiha Abdulmelik
In this EWNET podcast episode 7, Samiha Abdulmelik, a peacebuilding and gender practitioner with over 20 years of experience speaks to Dalaya Ashenafi. Samiha shares how her childhood, inspired by her father’s feminism and early exposure to global crises, led her to work in conflict zones like Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Iraq. She reflects on […]
Making Local Knowledge Work: Reflections from SHECONF 2026
The Ethiopian Women Researchers Network brought together scholars from across Ethiopia to examine how gender, power and knowledge production are shaping contemporary research and public debate. On 26 March 2026, researchers, practitioners and academics gathered in Addis Ababa for SHECONF 2026, an International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in Ethiopia, the first of its […]
Peace and Instability: Tigray since the Pretoria Agreement
CONFLICT TRENDS ANALYSIS / MARCH 2026 Summary THE ETHIOPIA PEACE RESEARCH FACILITY This conflict trends analysis was produced by the Ethiopia Peace Research Facility (PRF). The PRF is an independent facility combining timely analysis on peace and conflict from Ethiopian experts with support for conflict sensitive programming in the country. It is managed by the […]
SHECONF 2026: Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities Research in Ethiopia
Event details Date: 26 March 2026Format: Hybrid (in-person and online)Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Hosted by: Ethiopian Women Researchers Network (EWNET)Registration: https://forms.gle/WFPiL8a6JhgqnnaT8 Description SHECONF 2026 is EWNET’s inaugural conference, bringing together Ethiopian women researchers from across the country and the diaspora to present their work, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections between research and […]
Rethinking Ethiopia II: Youth and politics
Seminar report Rethinking Ethiopia, a collaborative essay competition initiative between Addis Ababa University’s Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) and the Rift Valley Institute’s (RVI) Peace Research Facility (PRF), offers a platform for Ethiopian youth to express their ideas and improve their writing skills. The first round of the initiative took place in 2023–2024, […]