RILabs

The Horn of Africa Resilience Innovation Lab (HoA RILab)

The Horn of Africa RILab (HoA RILab), is one of ResilientAfrica Network’s (RAN) Resilience Innovation Labs (RILabs). HoA RILab is hosted by Jimma University, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, with three currently active network-plus partners. Two of the network-plus partners are within Ethiopia; these are Addis Ababa University, located in the central part of Ethiopia, and Bule Hora University which is found in Southern Ethiopia, close to the RAN project area. The other network-plus partner is Benadir University, located in Mogadishu, Somalia. The HoA RILab has identified two target communities which spread in two countries. These include:

• The Borana Pastoralist Community in Borana Zone, Southern Ethiopia; pastoralist communities account for about 12 percent of the total population in Ethiopia. Borana Zone has been highly affected by environmental degradation and recurrent droughts followed by conflicts over scarce resources like water and pasture; two districts have been selected for RAN initial interventions, namely Arero and Dhas.
• The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benadir Region, South-central part of Somalia; Benadir Region has got the highest number of IDPs in Somalia (96% of the estimated total IDPs); three districts have been selected for initial RAN interventions; these are Hodan, Hamarweyne and Wadajir.

Thematic Areas of Focus

RAN’s Horn of Africa RILab concentrates on two interrelated thematic areas:

i) Resilience to Recurrent Droughts; and ii) Resilience Factors in Chronic Internal Displacements.

In Ethiopia, livelihoods of most people are dependent on farming or pastoralism. Pastoralism, a livelihood that is based on livestock production, and which is often found in lower rainfall areas, is characterized by long and short distance migration searching for pasture lands and water. The scarcity of such resources poses natural threats to their livelihood systems due to the concomitant hostile competition, anthropogenic conflicts and instability, and these adversely affect their wealth, infrastructure, social services, psychosocial conditions, human capital, and ultimately aggravate their environmental conditions, creating a vicious cycle of poverty.

In general, poor infrastructure development and limited connectivity; low institutional and human capacities in supporting relief and development projects; logistical and governance shortfalls; dependency on scanty rainfalls and mono livelihoods; environmental degradation; cultural values and mindset which hinder rational livestock production and diversified livelihood; recurrent droughts followed by shortage of water and pasture; violent inter-clan and external conflicts; and high population growth have all contributed to the increasing poverty among the Borana pastoralists. Such resilience challenges have been aggravated by environmental conditions such as deforestation, overgrazing, bush encroachment, charcoal production, invasive plants, and destruction of water sources.

Somalia’s economy is agro-based with livestock surpassing crop farming in value, accounting for 40% of GDP. In Somalia, similar resilience challenges have prevailed. Incited by environmental variability and chronic conflicts, Somalia in general and Benadir Region in particular, have suffered chronic displacements for decades. According to USAID Report (2013), Somalia had approximately 1.1 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), most of them concentrating in Benadir Region.

The main shocks and stresses resulting from Internal Displacements in Benadir Region include intensification of conflicts, food insecurity and chronic malnutrition, asset depletion, psychosocial instability, unemployment, increasing poverty and deteriorating human capital.

The HoA RILab envisions having communities that are resilient to the shocks and stresses affecting their livelihoods through innovative solutions to their context specific challenges.

Prof. Kifle Woldemichael, MD, MPH Horn of Africa RILab Director Professor of Epidemiology Principal Investigator, Monitoring and Evaluation Training Program Focal Person, One Health Ethiopia Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia Email: kifle.wmichael [at] gmail [dot] com, kifle.wmichael [at] ju [dot] edu [dot] et

Desta Tushune Program Administrator/Communications Officer Horn of Africa Resilience Innovation Lab, RAN Jimma University Email: destaspice2010 [at] gmail [dot] com, destanice2011 [at] gmail [dot] com Skype: wubineh

Abraraw Tesfaye, (BA, MA) Program Coordinator/ Engagement Manager Horn of Africa Resilience Innovation Lab, RAN Jimma University Email: abrarawt [at] yahoo [dot] com Skype: abraraw.andabm

Yohannes Ejigu (B.Sc, MSc) M & E officer Horn of Africa Resilience Innovation Lab, RAN Lecturer in Department of Health Service Management Jimma University Email: yohannesejigu [at] yahoo [dot] com Skype: Yohannes8

Hunde Tekle Innovations Officer Horn of Africa Resilience Innovation Lab, RAN Jimma University Email: hunde.tekle [at] ju [dot] edu [dot] et, hunde.tekle [at] gmail [dot] com

West Africa RILab

The West Africa Resilience Innovation Lab (WA RILab)

The West Africa Resilience Innovation Lab is one of the four Sub-regional labs of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) located at the University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Tamale, Ghana. The Lab has three Network Plus Universities, namely the University of Education, Winneba located in the coastal central region of Ghana, The University of Bamako, Science, Technique and Technology, located in Bamako, Mali and the University of Dakar, located in the city of Dakar in Senegal. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) located in Kumasi, Southern Ghana is being considered as the second in-country partner University.

The WA RILab thematic focus is Rapid Urbanization, Climate Change and Food Security. The study communities are located in five districts including Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, in Northern region, Kassena Nankana Municipal Assembly, Navrongo in the Upper East region and AshaimaMunicipal Assembly in the Greater Accra region in Ghana. The others are Peki in Dakar, Senegal andTienbane in Bamako, Mali.

West Africa RILab Vision: Regional Network of Excellence in Indigenous Knowledge driven-innovation and Resilience Scholarship

Dennis Chirawurah West Africa RILab Director University for Development Studies Tamale, Ghana Email: afeyire [at] gmail [dot] com

Niagia F. Santuah West Africa RILab Programme Coordinator University for Development Studies Tamale, Ghana Email: nsantuah [at] yahoo [dot] com Skype: niagia.santuah

Mrs. Michelle Ayog-Nying Dassah West Africa RILab Administrator Email: ayog_nying [at] yahoo [dot] com Skype: michelle.apanga

Dr. KONLAAN, Benson Boinkum (MPH., PhD) West Africa RILab M & E Officer University for Development Studies Tamale, Ghana Email: bbkonlaan [at] uds [dot] edu [dot] gh Skype: