Press Releases

Since 2001, the gacaca community courts have been the centrepiece of Rwanda’s justice and reconciliation process. Nearly every adult Rwandan has participated in the trials, but lawyers are banned from any official involvement. Human rights organisations fiercely opposed the use...

Multi-party elections are a salient feature of Africa’s rapidly evolving political landscape. International support for elections is prioritised above all other strategies for consolidating democracy. The legacies of political reform are diverse, and variable. Technology, natural...

It is frequently asserted that urbanisation levels are rising faster in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world. In the latest Counterpoint from Africa Research Institute, “Whatever happened to Africa’s rapid urbanisation?”, Dr. Deborah Potts presents evidence to show...

Somaliland’s maternal, infant and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world. A rudimentary health system collapsed in the final years of the civil war which ended in 1991. Fighting forced the country’s health professionals to leave the country or flee to refugee...

International donors have sought to improve the social, political and economic position of women in Africa through an approach known as “gender”. A new Counterpoint publication from Africa Research Institute – Talking gender to Africa – argues that this strategy is failing. The...

As protests against the government of Malawi sweep the capital Lilongwe, the commercial capital Blantyre, and the northern city of Mzuzu, Africa Research Institute reveals how Malawians have long used public radio to voice social, political and economic grievances. Voices of...

In a briefing published on the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone’s independence, Africa Research Institute examines the causes and history of electoral strife in the country. Every election since independence in 1961 has been attended by violence. Old Tricks, Young Guns: Elections...

Two thirds of Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and the sector accounts for 30-40% of the continent’s GDP. Flowers, fruit and vegetables from Africa are increasingly present on the shelves of European supermarkets. Smallholder farmers have been able to service...

Donors must channel funds to replace lost skills, says Africa Research Institute. In a briefing published today – ‘After The Promises: Re-thinking UK policy in Africa,’ – the Africa Research Institute urges the government to dedicate a share of its international...

Africa Research Institute is pleased to announce publication of Planting Ideas, an independent investigation into Malawi’s controversial home-grown subsidy scheme for small farmers. This timely study defies much of the received wisdom to argue that agricultural subsidies can be...