For years now, Somalia has experienced the effects of not only climate change, but also climate extremes – oscillating between devastating droughts and fierce floods. Ranked as the most climate-vulnerable country in the world, Somalia faces lasting environmental and socio-political challenges due to the frequent extreme climate events; furthermore, efforts to secure timely climate financing are hampered due to ongoing conflict in the country.

In this episode, Abdihakim Yusuf Ali Ainte and Maram Ahmed discuss ways to turn Somalia’s climate vulnerability to climate resilience. They explore the environmental and socio-political challenges brought by devastating climate events, which exacerbate ongoing conflict and humanitarian challenges such as food security, displacement, and poverty. They also discuss innovative climate financing methods for improved climate adaptation.

Related content:

• https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2024-09/developing-countries-need-cheaper-loans-or-world-will-miss-its
• https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/11/africas-maritime-agency-cannot-be-overlooked
• https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/10/africa-aware-drought-horn-africa
• https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/12/towards-just-transition-africa

There is a deeply entrenched view both within and outside of Nigeria that corruption represents an intrinsic feature of Nigerian society.

In reality, however, the issue of corruption is more complex and driven by a range of social and behavioural factors. It is these underlying factors sustaining corruption in Nigeria that the Chatham House Africa Programme’s Social Norms and Accountable Governance (SNAG) research project seeks to diagnose and address – posing the central question: ‘why do people do what they do?’

In this episode, Dr Leena Koni Hoffmann and Dr Raj Navanit Patel discuss how and why the SNAG research project came about, explain the social norms methodology that underpins their research, and share key findings from the project for policymakers and Nigerian citizens.

Odeh Friday (Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria) discusses Accountability Lab Nigeria’s engagement with government officials who have rejected corrupt practices and changing the narrative on corruption in Nigeria.

The Social Norms and Accountable Governance (SNAG) research project is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

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Collective Action on Corruption in Nigeria

Pass-mark bribery in Nigerian schools

Vote-selling behaviour and democratic dissatisfaction in Nigeria

In this episode, Wenjie Chen, Deputy Division Chief of the Regional Studies Division at the International Monetary Fund’s African Department, discusses the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa titled 'A Tepid and Pricey Recovery'.

The International Monetary Fund’s global economic outlook for 2024, released this January, cites a resilient global economy with positive projections for the year ahead. Africa is expected to be the second fastest-growing economic region in the world in 2024, following Asia. Despite this positive forecast, there are concerns about the rising costs for African countries to meet their debt obligations and a funding squeeze that hinders the region’s economic growth potential.

In this episode, Wenjie Chen, Deputy Division Chief of the Regional Studies Division at the International Monetary Fund’s African Department, discusses the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa titled "A Tepid and Pricey Recovery," released in April 2024. She highlights key findings from the report and contextualizes the IMF’s recommendations for harnessing Africa’s economic growth potential amid inevitable shocks.

In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country’s key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council.

54 years ago, Sierra Leone was elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the first time, serving a two-year mandate from 1970 to 1971. Now, Sierra Leone returns to the Security Council for the 2024-2025 term after enduring a decade of civil war and embarking on a 20-year journey of post-war reconstruction. This period included the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeeping force, which played a pivotal role in facilitating the end of the conflict.

In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country’s key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council. He explores how these priorities align with broader objectives for the African continent and reflects on the lessons learned from Sierra Leone’s own post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

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Democracy in Sierra Leone and Liberia

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As the devastating war in Sudan nears the one-year mark, it remains fuelled by transnational military business networks, and one such sector funding the military activities in Sudan’s gold sector.

In this episode, Ahmed Soliman discusses his upcoming research on the Sudan conflict and its link to the gold sector – from how gold has evolved as a ‘conflict good,’ its connection to the current war and transnational dynamics. Dr Suliman Baldo (Executive Director, Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker) gives an overview of key political shifts in Sudan’s history that have facilitated links with the country’s gold sector. Denise Sprimont-Vasquez joins the podcast to discuss the economic activities and the illicit networks of conflict actors that are fuelling the ongoing war in Sudan.

This episode was produced with support from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development.

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How a transnational approach can better manage the conflict in Sudan

Resolving Sudan’s crisis means removing those fighting

Independent Thinking: Sudan on the brink

Tim Eaton and Leah de Haan (Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme) discuss their research on the transnational links between the movement of people and armed conflict – from Edo State in Nigeria, through Niger, to Libya.

This episode was produced with support from the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy, and Trends (XCEPT) research programme, funded by UK International Development.

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Read our research:

Stability at what cost? Smuggling-driven development in the Libyan city of Kufra

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Partial reforms in Tanzania’s political and socio-economic environment have been widely lauded since President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s sudden rise to office in March 2021, but progress towards the reconciliation and repair of Tanzania’s democratic system remains incomplete. Criticisms over the limits of the current reform process are increasingly coalescing around demands for a new Tanzanian constitution, with the current framework – and the ruling CCM party – in place since independence despite the shift to multipartyism in 1992.

On this episode of Africa Aware, the Rt Hon Freeman Mbowe, leader of Tanzania’s largest opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), reflects on his country’s political outlook. Mbowe shares his insights on CHADEMA’s push for a new constitution, the party’s balance of ideology with electability and Tanzania’s position within broader regional blocs in Eastern and Southern Africa.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepares for its upcoming elections, the nation stands at a critical juncture in its democratic trajectory. Against a backdrop of historical challenges and persistent political complexities, the forthcoming elections are of paramount importance to the future of the country and its democratic aspirations.

On this episode of Africa Aware, Martin Fayulu, opposition leader and former DRC presidential candidate, outlines the current obstacles to free and fair elections in the country, the impact of the security crisis facing eastern parts of the nation, and his vision for the role the DRC can play continentally.