The crisis in the Sahel is serious and multidimensional, and if it continues unabated it could have consequences far beyond the region. As the states of the region are too poor and weak to deal with this on their own, international support is needed. It is therefore a positive sign that the region of Sahel is higher on the international agenda than it has ever been. The challenge, however, is that current international approaches and interventions in the Sahel are more in line with short-term external priorities, such as stopping irregular migration to Europe and fighting insurgencies that have been defined as part of a global complex of jihadist terrorism. There is no doubt that there is a migration crisis in the Sahel and we do need a military approach to several of the insurgencies. However, it must be part of a much broader agenda of humanitarian assistance and development support that is context and conflict sensitive.

This policy dialogue addresses the root causes of the Sahel crisis and shows how the situation has evolved over time. The current crisis is deeply rooted in historical circumstances that external stakeholders cannot ignore. The main area of focus for the report is the epicentre of the current conflict, which is located in and around Mali, but which may have several important ramifications for the neighbouring G5 Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Dams, irrigation systems and hydropolitics are back on the geopolitical agenda. In recent years, we have seen an accelerating interest in large-scale water infrastructures, such as multipurpose dams and irrigation schemes, in the Nile Region and adjacent catchment areas. Governments in these regions are struggling to increase food security and to provide more energy in the face of industrialisation, climate change and rapid urban growth. The tension between countries over access to water will probably rise, as spells of drought increase in length and intensity.

This small anthology presents seven chapters on dam building processes and projects from Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. It aims to deepen the understanding of the role of dams in development strategies in Africa and it problematizes why some dams are implemented while others are not, and the decision-making processes behind building either irrigation, hydropower or multi-purpose dams. Written in a short and consistent genre, it targets academics and policy makers interested in dam discourses and water infrastructure development.

As public debts are increasing in many African countries, we see a new type of debt distress, where short-term commercial loans and bonds have replaced some of the long-term multi- and bilateral loans. This policy note highlights two topical questions: what lies behind increasing levels of debt in Africa, and what are the challenges when financing development projects through loans?

Policy recommendations (in short):

• Debt transparency
• Better maturity matching
• Balance revenues and costs
• Prioritise investment projects and beware of white elephants
• Reject pro-cyclical fiscal policies

Southern Africa is likely to experience more social unrest in the foreseeable future. That is one of the conclusions in this policy dialogue, which provides an overview of political and economic developments relevant to regional peace and security in Southern Africa.

While the region continues to experience isolated armed conflicts, and while developmental backlogs present a major risk to regional stability in the long run, currently the most acute source of instability stems from governance deficits, which in the past decade have prompted crises in many of the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SADC’s institutional framework for regional peace and security has proven ineffective because SADC leaders have prioritised national sovereignty over the enforcement of democratic principles. The institutions have little capacity as they lack material and political support. The governance deficits and SADC’s lacklustre conflict management may in the long run arrest development in Southern Africa.

Cultural and natural heritage is a fundamental part of society and crucial in any development process; yet because of the complexity, it has proved difficult to incorporate culture and tradition in actual policy practice. Here the rich heritage of the Busoga is explored, using the water cosmology at the Itanda Falls in Uganda, with a specific emphasis on a rainmaking ritual and sacrifice to the rain-god during a drought. While rainmaking rituals cannot mitigate climate change in the modern world, and while fewer and fewer people believe in the traditional religion, the past and its traditions are still sources for the future. As we rethink the role of heritage in the processes of poverty alleviation, it is argued, a strong emphasis on cultural and natural heritage is one of the most efficient and important areas of long-term development in an era of globalization, when traditions are disappearing. Without a past, there is no future.

Agriculture remains the main source of livelihood for most rural people in East Africa. Farming is dominated by smallholders, of whom the majority are women. Their tenure and access to land is important for reducing rural poverty, enhancing food security and stimulating agricultural development. Secure tenure represents one of the most critical challenges to the development of sustainable agriculture in the region. In an effort to understand the land question and its variation across the region, this book analyses the land reforms, their context and dynamics.

The book presents recent studies on the dynamics of land tenure and land tenure reforms in East Africa with a focus on Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. By selecting these five countries, the book is able to show the changing practices and variations in the land tenure dynamics and explain how they relate to historical and more contemporary issues.

The chapters are written by researchers, policy makers and activists with a diverse background and experience/expertise in relation to the land question. Their contributions offer a multiperspective basis for critical rethinking and reflection on the future of the land question in East Africa.

Africa is currently home to some 78 million people with disabilities. Meanwhile, recent years have seen the size and populations of the continent’s major cities increasing at a startling rate. As a result, there is a pressing need to consider issues of urban design and accessibility, and how they affect people with disabilities.

Several African countries are tackling the issue of slums and informal settlements by building completely new housing developments. However, many residents view these new areas as less habitable because of poor social conditions. Drawing on three case studies, this policy note argues that community engagement is crucial when planning to replace informal settlements with modern housing in African cities.

This text is about an ongoing research project about contemporary African literature that circulates outside the infrastructures of the global book market. The researchers involved in the project are based at Uppsala University, Sweden, and collaborate closely with librarians at the Nordic Africa Institute where a small collection of ephemeral, often self-published texts is being established. This collection is a part of the book collection at the Nordic Africa Institute’s library, but can be accessed as a sub-collection in the library catalogue. The article is co-authored by one of the researchers and two of the librarians and is organized into two main sections: one is written from the perspective of the researchers who collect and study the material. This section outlines the project, its scope, general research questions and how texts have been collected. The second part is written from the perspective of the librarians, presents some of the possibilities and challenges involved in cataloguing the material and the ways in which it differs from the rest of the library collection.

In many African countries where civil war raged not so long ago, former warlords are today running for office in elections. This policy note assesses the effect that these warlord democrats have on democratisation and security.