Episode 4 – Beyond Series | Rift Valley Radio
How do women navigate work, trade, and survival in conflict-affected borderlands?
In the fourth episode of the Beyond Series, we turn to women’s labour and cross-border trade as a lens for understanding resilience, gender roles and shifting economies in the Horn of Africa’s borderlands.
Featuring research by Sahra Ahmed Koshin and Dalle Abraham, the episode explores the lived realities of women traders in Galkayo’s khat markets in Somalia and the Mandera tri-border area linking Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Drawing from fieldwork and personal encounters, the researchers show how women operate within informal systems shaped by conflict, culture and economic uncertainty.
Through these stories, the conversation explores:
- How women navigate informal trade systems governed by unwritten rules and social norms
- The balance between family responsibilities, cultural expectations and economic survival
- How markets function as spaces of both opportunity and vulnerability in fragile settings
Host Nicki Kindersley guides the discussion on gendered economic agency, moral politics and the growing role of networks and technology in cross-border trade. The episode offers a grounded look at how women carve out space for themselves in high-risk trading environments and what policymakers often overlook when designing interventions.
This six-part podcast series is part of Rift Valley Radio and is produced in partnership with the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends programme (XCEPT). The series brings together researchers reflecting on how everyday experiences in borderlands can inform policy and practice.
Listen to Episode 4 below and explore more at xcept.riftvalley.net
