The Nordic Africa Institute – Publications

Zimbabwe’s rich lithium reserves have sparked a foreign investment boom, particularly from China. While the government, eager to attract investments, helps foreign mining companies secure access to 'the white gold', artisanal miners are sidelined. A ban on unprocessed lithium exports, intended to boost domestic processing, has instead benefited political elites and marginalised local communities even further. To foster inclusive growth, the government should formalise artisanal mining and strengthen regional cooperation.

The traditional livelihood practice of pastoralism is under threat in Turkana County in Kenya. The past decades have seen a shift in livelihood practices from pastoralism to other livelihood practices in the arid and semi-arid lands; including small-scale crop farming, small-scale businesses, charcoal burning and selling of firewood. Through the case study areas in three villages – Emeiyana, Nalemsekon and Ayanae Akunoit – in Lokichar, Turkana County, this paper analyses the role of long periods of drought and the existing state of political and socio-economic marginalization in driving livelihood changes among vulnerable pastoral communities. The study results indicate that access to water especially during periods of prolonged drought such as the recent 2020–2022 drought, is a crucial factor driving livelihood changes. The historical marginalization of the communities is found to further aggravate the situation resulting in food insecurity.

The Nordic Africa Institute scholarship programmes aim to promote research on contemporary Africa in the fields of social science and the humanities. The programmes provide funding and support to both Nordic and African scholars, playing a crucial role in fostering academic excellence and strengthening intellectual collaboration.

In its recent elections, Ghana’s acclaimed democracy underwent something of a stress test, which it passed by reaching three important milestones. First, the relatively peaceful transfer of power from incumbent to opposition. Second, the election of Ghana’s first ever woman vice president. And third, a first outing for the new affirmative action act, signed into law only months before the election. However, in this election the legislation’s aim of empowering women in politics paid off more in rhetoric than in actual numbers.

Democracy is challenged across the globe. However, summing up the elections held last year across Africa, there are some positive signs. Five countries (Botswana, Ghana, Senegal, Somaliland and Mauritius) held elections that ended with incumbent presidents handing over power peacefully to successful opposition candidates. And one country (South Africa) saw the end of three decades of single-party rule. Altogether, these six elections show proof of democratic resilience in Africa and bring hope of a trend reversal.

Droughts have severely affected the pastoral production system resulting in hunger, massive loss of livestock, acute water shortages, and drought-related conflicts. This study aimed to understand the drought adaptive mechanisms from a gender perspective in Modogashe Ward, Kenya. To achieve this, the study investigated the impacts of droughts and the various ways in which men and women cope and adapt to the impacts. Due to the homogeneousness in sociocultural and economic activities in the Ward data was obtained from 60 respondents comprising 30 males and 30 females through a stratified random sampling method. One respondent, either the husband or wife, was chosen per household. Both men and women rely on pastoralism as the main source of livelihood. Thus, the impacts and adaptation mechanisms were similar for both genders. However, due to the attachment of men to livestock, the impacts and adaptation mechanisms revolved around environmental factors while those of women revolved around the provision of household basic needs. Furthermore, the study area had limited adaptation mechanisms options resulting in similar coping and adaptation strategies among men and women but with minor variations in the preferred strategies. The variations in the preferred strategies were a reflection of the existing gender roles within the social construct of the community. Men were inclined toward measures that promote livestock keeping while women preferred measures that enhanced the provision of household basic needs. The findings from this study highlight the significant role of gender dimensions driven by the local socio-cultural settings in influencing the uptake of drought adaptation practices and strategies among communities.

This working paper explores the perspectives of young men and women in rural Kenya on social equity and climate adaptation. It draws on research conducted in three Endorois indigenous communities in Baringo County. Focus group discussions addressed young people’s understandings and experiences of social equity and fairness, empowerment, collective action, local governance, natural resource management, and climate adaptation. By applying a social equity lens to young people’s understandings and interpretations of the risks and opportunities they face, this research aims to identify entry points that empower them to advance their own lives and communities in ways they value. The findings suggest that young men and women perceive their communities as largely equitable — despite facing compounding disadvantages that include climate change and loss of livestock, the mainstay of their livelihoods. They value social equity and fairness, advocating for a balanced approach that prioritizes the most vulnerable, treats people equally, and ensures inclusive decision-making guided by competent leaders. Based on these understandings, they emphasize the strength of their village institutions and of their generation’s agency and capabilities. Nevertheless, the testimonies also reveal significant barriers to achieving equitable climate adaptation, related to the need for greater access to resources and opportunities. Young women, especially, report a deep sense of marginalization and experience significant gender inequalities, noting their limited participation in the institutions and networks governing decision-making and resource distribution within their households and communities. Despite these challenges, both young women and men in the study had attained education at high school or college level, and felt empowered by their academic achievements. Their aspirations for improving their lives and strengthen their villages’ resilience to climate change offer a basis for optimism. The study proposes investing in stakeholder capacity, fostering youth leadership and intergenerational exchanges, and developing strategies and partnerships responsive to the needs of rural youth, with particular concern for young women’s inclusion. It underscores the importance of locally-led governance, inclusive decision-making, and collective action as key to achieving equitable climate adaptation and social transformation.

In the mountainous areas of south-western Uganda, peasant miners are characterized aspeople who ‘work for the stomach’ and pursue an unsustainable activity: extracting alluvialgold with artisanal technology. After days of hard work in the mines, they allegedly squander their money on alcohol and sex. A common way of disapproving of these miners’ behaviour isto compare them to lake fishers (ababariya). By focusing on the ababariya narrative as anentry point into the lifeways of miners, and the relationship between mining and fishing andagriculture, we explore how peasant miners think about a sustainable life. Our argument isthat the ababariya can be instrumental in the reproduction and legitimization of existing social and economic inequalities. We therefore examine the contexts that frame the ababariyanarrative and the inequalities that it legitimizes. This leads us to reflect on whether this narrative on ‘excessive behaviours’ reveals something about an alternative way of thinkingabout economy and social relationships based on abundance rather than scarcity.

The recent South African election marked a historic shift, as the ANC lost the parliamentary majority it had held ever since the end of apartheid. Women remain underrepresented in both parliament and government. Leaving aside the numbers, the new political landscape, with its multiparty cabinet and increasingly violent opposition, has brought fresh challenges for women in politics. They will have to join forces across party lines to resist the rise of big man politics, marked by patriarchal behaviour and violent masculinity.