EIMAS Research Projects

​Africa in the Face of Global Climate Change: The Effect of Temperature on Economic Growth

Odunola Alexander Oladeji

This study investigates the historical relationship between temperature and economic growth in Africa using country data on temperature and Gross Domestic Product per capita of 54 countries over the period of 1960 to 2020. By employing the fixed effect panel approach, we find evidence of positive temperature–growth relationship with historic mean annual temperature – for one-unit (1ºC) temperature rise, per capita GDP growth increased by 1.450 log points. On further analysis, we account for extreme temperature shocks on the continent by incorporating annual maximum and minimum temperature in the analysis. Notably, results show that a unit (1ºC) rise in temperature of the annual maximum increases income growth by 0.280 log point, suggesting that economic growth rate is higher at mean annual temperature increase than maximum annual temperature increase. We also examine the temperature–growth relationship on the medium run (decade long average). Our results reveal a positive association between temperature and per capita GDP which increases by 0.891 log point when decade-long temperature average rise by 1ºC. Lastly, we analyse heterogeneity along income, temperature, oil and resource income, rule of law and share of agriculture to GDP. Regardless, we found a significant positive association between temperature and per capita GDP.

Keywords: African economies, climate change, economic growth

supervised by Prof. Dr. David Stadelmann & Dr. Raymond Frempong

​Ecotourism Certification for Accommodation Facilities: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Eco-Rating Scheme by Ecotourism Kenya

Silvia Diazzi

Ecotourism is a global phenomenon that promotes responsible tourism practices to overcome the damaging impacts of mass tourism and overcome greenwashing. The Eco-rating scheme by Ecotourism Kenya is an ecotourism certification program developed in Kenya. This study aims to identify if the certification can be a strategic business opportunity for tourism accommodation facilities. The study is based on data collected with qualitative methods through semi-structured interviews with major stakeholders in the tourism sector in Kenya and an online survey for Travelife-certified tour operators. The research identified perceived attractive factors, performance and financial benefits, and challenges of the Eco-rating scheme. It also provides insights on the relationship between eco-rated facilities and Travelife-certified tour operators and the future of sustainable tourism and the ecotourism certification program in Kenya.

Keywords: Ecotourism; Kenya; Certification; Eco-rating scheme; business approach

supervised by Prof. Dr. Helena Carlota Ribeiro Vilaça & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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​Femininity and Faith: The Media Construction of Gender in Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in Kenya

Edidiong Charles Ibanga

Pentecostalism has been regarded as the fastest-growing form of Christianity in Africa and worldwide. One way that Pentecostal charismatic Christianity asserts itself is through the media. Media have become a vital component of the religious landscape, with the Pentecostal Charismatic churches’ extensive use of audiovisual mass media technologies becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Discourses on gender and its various expressions within Christianity have been made over the years. Extensive studies have been conducted that focus on the role of women in Pentecostal charismatic churches, as well as gender and power relations. There have been no studies that explore how women (and men) are represented in the advertising media of the PCCs. This research addresses that gap in knowledge by interrogating the nature of media messages put across by PCCs, to determine whether they hint at "liberation" or "normalization", and for which gender. The study questions the consequences of the gender roles and relations re/produced in and through PCC advertising media. This study adopted a qualitative approach using participant observation, interviews, and content analysis. The study location was Kenya – East Africa and four churches were sampled – two in Nairobi and two in Eldoret. Select Facebook advertisements, and video advertisements of these churches were analyzed. The study concluded with the observation that representations of femininity constructed through the advertising media of these churches are far from liberating, but rather normalize and reinforce existing narratives and practices that marginalize women.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Eva Spies & Prof. Dr. Benjamin Kirby

​Forgotten Histories, Misguided Policies and the dying Prospects for Full integration: Unpacking South Africa’s Nationalist approach towards migration governance

Keneuoe Leballo

supervised by Dr. Jochen Lingelbach & Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg

​Intraparty Governance in Tanzania's Ruling Party

Lawrence Edward Katunga

In intra-party governance of political party systems, the examination of internal party dynamics and democratic practices is essential in understanding the overall functioning of any political organization. This research focuses on exploring the intraparty governance of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) the ruling party in Tanzania for 45 years with emphasis on examining the internal party democracy through the lens of conflict resolution. Through the lens of conflict resolution, this study sheds more light on the extent to which the CCM practices internal democracy and the implications of intraparty conflicts on the democratic decision-making processes within the Chama Cha Mapinduzi.
Using a qualitative case study approach this study analyzed qualitative data acquired through semi-structured interviews and secondary source data in exploring the intraparty governance structures and approaches within the CCM. The interviews with some party leaders and members, civil society members and other stakeholders in the academia to triangulate the data collected helped providing rich insights into the internal dynamics of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi. Various dimensions of intraparty governance such as leadership selection, power-relations, decision-making processes, factionalism, member participation among others were looked at from the perspective of internal democracy and intraparty conflicts. The research findings will contribute towards existing literature on political party dynamics by providing an in-depth analysis of governance in the case study of the CCM.
The study provides insights into some strengths and weaknesses of the CCMs internal democratic practices which makes it look more elitist due to heavy control and influence of its leaders on various internal party processes. From the results, the study highlights certain aspects that can be improved as part of intraparty governance of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi in order to have a more inclusive and participatory decision-making environment even when intraparty conflicts emerge and advance internal party democracy by developing strategies that promote consensus-building, transparency and accountability. The findings are of value for the CCM and other political parties in understanding the complexities of intraparty conflicts and how they can enhance internal democracy.

Keywords: Intra party governance, democracy, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, Intra-party conflict, dominant political party

supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg & Prof. Dr. Céline Thiriot

​Readapting To Resist: The Case of Brazil’s Urban Quilombo Aparelha Luzia

Lucas da Silva Ferreira de Novais

supervised by Prof. Dr. Amélia Maria Polónia da Silva & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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​Sports Tourism in Kenya. The Kalenjin Runners as a Source of Development for the Rift Valley

Konstantinos Loukianos Maragkos

The dominance of Kenya's "running tribe," the Kalenjin runners, has been well established during the last decades at a global level. Their international recognition and impressive track records attracted further interest in research. The majority of scholars investigated this phenomenon mostly from anatomical, physiological, and genetic perspectives. Social scientists tried to provide an alternative view by researching socio-cultural determinants to understand athletes' abilities better. However, little research has been conducted on the runners' success, recognition, and reputation as sources of development for the sports tourism industry of the Kenyan North Rift. Running became the second touristic attraction after safaris in Kenya, and Iten and Eldoret are the must-visit places for sports tourism. Sports tourism has been marketed and identified as a niche product in Kenya. The research aims to answer the following question: What are the key determinants for the Kalenjin runners' contribution to the sports tourism industry in Iten and Eldoret?

Keywords: Sports tourism; Kenya; Kalenjin; Iten; Eldoret

supervised by Prof. Dr. Amélia Maria Polónia da Silva & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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​Sweet Are the Waters: Ogiek Rights to Land and Development and the African Court on Human and People’s Rights Court Ruling

Diana Takacsova

Living mainly in Kenya’s Mau Forest Complex situated within the Rift Valley Region, and in the Mount Elgon ecosystem in Western Kenya, the Ogiek are one of East Africa’s last hunter-gatherer populations. With a distinct culture and traditions tied to their natural environment, the community has been historically faced with evictions and marginalisation and has a long history of resistance. In 2017, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights delivered a landmark ruling in favour of the Ogiek of the Mau Forest, which recognised that the Government of Kenya violated the community’s rights on several accounts. This research takes the landmark court ruling as a central point to deconstruct the role of internal and external actors in the Ogiek’s marginalisation and the commodification of the Forest, turning to the question of how the community’s right to land and development can be achieved amid the existing land pressure. Building on the theoretical grounding informed by the concepts of modernisation theory, land grabbing, and alterglobalisation, it relies on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, documentary photography, and collaborative visual practices in order to examine the hypothesis that the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ ruling was more than a decision between an indigenous community and the state. What was ultimately at stake is a weighing on two opposing worldviews: one grounded in the progress of neoliberal globalisation and the modernisation theory – and the other in the translating of alterglobalisation.

Keywords: Ogiek, Mau Forest, alterglobalisation, visual research, collaborative visual practices

supervised by Prof. Dr. Amélia Maria Polónia da Silva & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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​The Literary Turn in African Studies: The Contribution of the Three Generations of African Writers to Decoloniality and the Advancement of African Studies

Kelvin Acheampong

The literary turn in African Studies is conceptualized here not as entailing the shift to textual/discourse analysis pioneered by Edward Said, but as how African literary figures have contributed to the advancement of decolonization/decoloniality in African Studies. Its point of departure is the “decolonial turn”, explicated by Nelson Maldonado-Torres as the “massive theoretical and epistemological breakthroughs in the works of Third World figures”. Although these breakthroughs, as a concerted effort, act as a counterpoint to the “colonizing turn”, the decolonial turn is not a single, univocal or homogeneous movement but a “family of diverse positions that share a view of coloniality as a fundamental problem in the modern age… and of decolonization/decoloniality as a necessary task that remains unfinished.” Because of the vastness of the intellectual and academic productions of African literary writers and scholars, the thesis is focused on Ayi Kwei Armah’s Osiris Rising, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s The Book of Not and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, representing literatures from three generations of African literary productions. The ideas of generations and turns in literary studies in particular and African Studies in general are complicated by overlapping ideological dispositions of the writers.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni & Dr. Gilbert Shang Ndi

​Towards a Curriculum for Global Education Integration and Implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Analysis of Rwanda’s Secondary School Curriculum

Abiud Maosa Bosire

As a result of increased global interconnectedness and interdependence, current and future generations are destined to face complex global challenges. This necessitates that schools and educational systems provide students with global education and 21st century competencies to prepare them for the contemporary complex realities and challenges, and to actively contribute to providing solutions. This study investigated the integration and implementation of global education through the Competence-Based Curriculum at secondary school level in Rwanda, particularly to establish the conceptualization and presence of global education and similar themes and concepts in the curriculum. Furthermore, the study sought to understand teachers' knowledge and awareness of both the Rwandan curriculum and the inclusion of global issues in learning. The study employed a mixed methods study design to give, utilizing document analysis, key informant interviews and teacher interviews to provide a detailed account of global education integration into curriculum and implementation in secondary schools in Rwanda. Purposive sampling was employed to select four key informants from Rwanda Basic Education Board, while stratified random sampling and convenience were employed to select 15 secondary schools in Kicukiro District, Kigali and 208 teachers respectively to participate in the study. The study findings established the implicit mention and linkage of global education in the Competency-Based-Curriculum in Rwanda in form of eight cross-cutting issues in both the curriculum and textbooks at all levels of secondary education. On the other hand, teachers understanding of global education and global issues in the curriculum varied across factors such as gender, teaching experience and subject specialization. The teachers also appreciated the inclusion and teaching of global issues through the Competence-Based Curriculum, albeit the numerous challenges they face in schools. The study concluded that even though global education-related concepts were present in the education guiding documents in Rwanda, that is the curriculum, and textbooks, their reflection in actual implementation through teaching and learning in schools was lacking based on teachers’ knowledge and awareness of global education and related concepts.  Hence, for effective implementation of global education in Rwandan secondary schools, teachers as critical actors must receive proper training on teaching global education and global issues.

Keywords: Global Education, Competence-Based Curriculum, Rwanda, Secondary education, sub-Saharan Africa

supervised by Prof. Dr. Luís Antunes Grosso Correia & Dr. Dalila Margarida Pinto Coelho

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Urban Risk Management and Building Resilience: Integration of Disaster Risk Management Strategies into Development Planning for the Urban Poor in Narok County, Kenya

Timothy Earl Mateo Castillon

In recent years, Narok County in Kenya has been heavily affected by disasters. It has caused severe illness, livelihood disruption, infrastructure damage, deaths, injuries, and food shortages. Disaster management has been assessed with a focus on causes, effects, and mitigation measures. Nevertheless, perennial flooding and extreme droughts persist. The study examines the causes, effects, institutional arrangements, and other aspects of DRM in Narok. During the fieldwork from February to May 2022, interviews, participant observation, and official document analysis were utilised for data collection.

Rainfall and outdated and inefficient infrastructure are significant factors driving disasters in Narok town. A flood is mainly characterised by soil erosion, while it is also characterised by loss of life and property, livelihood losses, and displacement. State and non-state organisations contribute to DRM through policies, legislation, strategies and plans, training and partnership coordination. DRM strategy is however limited by a lack of clear policies and legislative structures, inadequate funding, equipment, and qualified personnel in relevant organisations.
This study recommends a comprehensive assessment of the root causes and effects of disasters; enhancement of building partnerships; and integrated DRM approach. Scientific evidence derived from this study may be used to inform policy and support the implementation of an integrated and sustainable DRM strategy in Narok County.

Keywords: Disaster Risk Management, Narok County, Africa

supervised by Prof. Dr. Amélia Maria Polónia da Silva & Rui Miguel Santos

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​African Alliances of Subversion: Collaboration and Solidarity amongst Artists from Africa and the Diasporas in the perfocraZe International Artist Residency (pIAR), Kumasi, Ghana

Esi Callender

African Alliances of Subversion examines the potentialities and challenges of collaboration and solidarity amongst Black artists from Africa and its diasporas engaged in activism, using the perforcraZe International Artists Residency (pIAR) in Kumasi, Ghana as a case study. Grounded in the researcher's positionality as a socially-engaged artist in the Ghanaian diaspora, this study draws on Black feminist methodologies, valuing experiential knowledge and community dialogue. Pulling from Ghanaian Marxist arts-educator kąrî’kạchä seid’ou’s concept of ‘transforming art from commodity to gift’ and Black American scholar Sadia Haartman’s reflections on the ‘afterlife of slavery’ in Ghana, this research uses reflexive participant observation and semi-structured interviews with pIAR leadership, mentees, and international artists-in-residence.
The findings highlight the complexities of navigating power dynamics within and surrounding pIAR, founded by Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi (aka crazinisT artisT), a trans woman and provocative performance artist within Ghana’s largely anti-LGBTQ public sphere. Major topics include how pIAR embraces conflict as necessary for solidarity, the impact of global connections on local arts and activism, and the tensions arising from divergent experiences of Blackness between Black artists from Africa and its diasporas. Ultimately, the thesis reflects on the collaborative practices at pIAR, illustrating how shared interests in African cultural heritage, mutual care, and accountability form the basis for solidarity among Black activist artists.

supervised by Dr. Joschka Philipps & Dr. Serawit Bekele Debele

​Coalition Formation and Shifting Alliances: An Analysis of Editorial Cartoons in Selected Kenyan Newspapers

Saimum Rahman Prattay

supervised by Dr. Franz Kogelmann & Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg

​Expert Knowledge Local Intelligence: Building a Hybrid Early Warning and Early Response System in Farmer-Herders Conflict in Nigeria

Oluwayemisi Elizabeth Ojo

This master's thesis investigates the emerging hybrid conflict early warning and early response system in the context of the farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria. The research is based on the understanding that populations affected by armed conflict are motivated to respond to warnings and have invaluable local knowledge but frequently lack the resources and power to do so. Establishing cooperation between local actors, with assistance from a global third party, becomes an approach to addressing this situation. This condition, referred to as Hybridity, combines top-down and bottom-up strategies while including local agency and power.
Using a qualitative case study design, the thesis examines how Hybridity theory informs the design and implementation of community-led EWER in farmer-herder Conflict in Plateau State, analysing the system's structure, key actors, roles, and capacities. Furthermore, the study assesses the prospects and limitations of Hybridity for conflict early warning and early response.
By employing Richmond's Hybridity theory and conducting empirical research, this thesis aims to provide further empirical data in understanding fourth-generation Early Warning and Response Systems and their applications in ethnopolitical conflicts. The study contributes to the scholarship on community-led conflict early warning and response, particularly within the African context, by shedding light on the complicated result of the hybrid system while emphasising the need for a paradigm shift in methodology to enhance conflict prevention.
Given the rising prevalence of intra-state ethnopolitical conflicts, this study holds significant implications for policymakers, practitioners, and funding organisations involved in peacebuilding efforts. It seeks to provide evidence-based insights for developing early warning systems and contribute to the overall understanding of conflict prevention in the Sahel region of Africa.

Keywords: Community-led conflict early warning and Response System, Farmer-herder conflict, Hybridity theory, Conflict prevention, Nigeria

supervised by Dr. Joschka Philipps & Dr. Elisabeth Hofmann

​Framing Youth Climate Activism in Uganda on Social Media

Laura Joana Krehbiel

Since 2018, climate activism in the form of mass protests and digital activism has been on the rise globally. This phenomenon has mostly been studied in the Global North, while the activism of youths from the Global South and how they use social media for their activism has largely been understudied. To contribute towards filling this gap, this research analyses how the youth climate activism movement in Uganda, where the activism has been particularly loud despite adverse political conditions, uses social media for their activism. To this end, the youth climate activism movement in Uganda is first characterised and then a digital content analysis of the climate change, emotional and collective action framings the activists use on the social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is undertaken. The findings bring forward that both, activists from Uganda and the Global North, frame their activism in similar ways on social media, with some notable differences, including the injustice framing. These findings enable a discussion that contributes to the literature on social movements in Africa, how they use social media, and how this intersects with the restricted public space in Uganda.

Keywords: digital youth climate activism, social media, social movements, framing analysis

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke & Dr. Jan Sändig

​How Chinese Cultural Project Affect Perceptions of China as a Global Actor: A Case Study of the Mozambique-China Cultural Centre in Maputo

Pondsinee Charoenwong

China has emerged as a significant global actor, wielding economic and political influence on a global scale. With its growing economy, expanding military capabilities, and active diplomatic engagement, China's role in shaping international affairs has become increasingly prominent. At the same time, its involvement in Africa has increased. The cooperation between China and African countries has been promoted for decades. While its success has brought concerns for the West, African governments prefer working with China, although it may bring them some difficulties, such as debt-trap diplomacy. This is because China promotes a non-interference policy, and most projects can be done within one political term. Mozambique is one of the essential African partners for China. Both countries established a comprehensive strategic relationship under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative over the coming years. There is a significant success of bilateral collaboration in various sectors. However, criticism over China’s evolution in Mozambique also exists, such as exploitation and lack of transparency. Soft power – especially cultural projects – has become one of the most popular ways to build a positive image. This research, thus, will explore and analyse the effects of a Chinese-built cultural project on Mozambicans’ perceptions of China as a global actor focusing on the Mozambique-China Cultural Centre and the analysis will be based on the cultural area of soft power concept by Joseph Nye. The result shows that younger generations have developed more positive perspectives of China.

Keywords: China as a global actor, Cultural project, Mozambique-China Cultural Centre, Soft power, Perceptions of China

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke & Dr. Elisabeth Hofmann

​How Do Nigerian Medical Practitioners Debunk Health Misinformation on TikTok? A Multimodal Social Semiotic Study

Roseline Chioma Amete

Research has portrayed TikTok’s misinformation-amplifying qualities, despite its massive potential for health edutainment evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring urgent attention. As credible sources, healthcare practitioners are well-positioned to debunk such misinformation, but must do so correctly to prevent backfire effects and reinforcing misconceptions. This study analysed six TikTok videos using recommended debunking best practices and the social semiotics theory as frameworks. It ascertained how they incorporated essential elements for correcting health misinformation and audience-tailored these for greater efficacy, while maximising TikTok’s multimodal affordances. Results obtained are instructive for better misinformation debunking practices, mainly through audiovisual media.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Laura König & Prof. Dr. Tina Bartelmeß

​Integration of Women into the Job Market in Rural Burundi: The Case of PROMOST Project

Joyce Kasoni

Faced with the youth unemployment crisis, many countries and the global community are now turning to Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) as a means to develop youths' skills to increase their employability. However, studies show that many TVET graduates especially women end up not being employed despite having acquired skills. Through studying the PROMOST Project case in Burundi, this study wanted to find out what factors influence the entry of women into the labour market after graduating from TVET. Additionally, the study looked into the quality and the sustainability of the activities of those who succeeded to enter the labour market. The study employed a case study design to give a detailed description of the experiences of PROMOST project participants. It employed the use of mixed methods, where qualitative methods were used for data collection and some elements of a quantitative approach were used in presenting some of the findings in tables and graphs. The main data collection methods used include key informant interviews with participants and some officials who were purposively sampled, document analysis, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and observation. Data analysis was done using qualitative methods i.e. thematic analysis and used the women empowerment theoretical framework to interpret the findings. The study found that entry of women in the labour market in Rural Burundi is influenced by poverty and family financial situation, cultural and gender norms, and level of education. The way the empowerment project is designed and implemented was also found to be influential in determining what type of job in the market, the women had access to. Additionally, the study found that the quality of employment was relatively low and casual, while self-employment was found to be labour intensive microenterprise with small financial capital and resources. 

Keywords: Youth Unemployment, TVET, labor market, women empowerment, female participation

supervised by Prof. Dr. Helena Carlota Ribeiro Vilaça & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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​Kenya Off-Grid Access Project and Energy Justice Dilemmas

Tafadzwa Makara

In recent years off-rid electrification has grown exponentially, becoming a third-way option for most communities in Kenya living on the edge of state-controlled electricity systems. The energy transitions are occurring on the backdrop of political histories engulfed in uneven geographies of marginalities producing and reproducing uncertain energy futures. The ‘energyscapes’ in the post-colonial realities of Kenya have emerged as social spaces of exclusions, leaving people in some counties, mainly in remote geographies, out of the energy transitions. Years of state-led marginalisation of other counties have necessitated massive private-sector investments. The transitions have assumed a pathway with a neo-liberal character, raising spatial justice concerns for people in alienated geographies. The dilemma is how a market-oriented private sector-embedded electrification regime like the Kenya Off-Gird Solar Access Project (hereafter KOSAP) secures pro-poor energy justice interests and aspirations. Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project is embroiled in many justice conundrums, including what and whose futures (private, community, or state) it is advancing. Another predicament from KOSAP is the understanding and meaning of justice, an elusive concept that takes on meaning depending on who defines it. The transitions exist in politically charged spaces with competing political and economic interests; hence this study has used the political economy theoretical perspective to understand this relationship. The need to contextualise justice, the study also adopted the energy justice theorisations.  These questions were engaged with understanding the need to depart from Western-oriented epistemologies. This thesis uses a qualitative technique in which key informants’ interviews and document reviews were used to grapple with these KOSAP emerging dichotomies of energy justice, off-grid electrification, and their attendant contradictions. Thus, this study concludes that various factors, including monopolisation, cost implications, governance issues, and absence of off-grid oriented policies, make KOSAP short in delivering energy capability and justice.

Keywords: Energy Justice; Kenya; Off-Grid Electrification, Energy Futures; Uneven Geographies; KOSAP

supervised by Prof. Dr. Festus Boamah & Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke

​Religiosity in Somali Immigrants in Germany

Khaula Nazir

supervised by Dr. Tom Kaden & Prof. Dr. Benjamin Kirby

​State Violence and Prospects of Transitional Justice in the Somali Region of Ethiopia

Abdifatah Mohamed Abdi

This thesis is an examination of the factors that hinder the implementation and attainment of transitional justice in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Using legalism, reconciliatory, and transformative theories, the study aims to explore and articulate the processes employed by the Ethiopian government towards the advancement of transitional justice among the communities of the Somali region. Data was collected using qualitative research methods.
The findings of the study reveal that political, social, and economic factors played a central role in obstructing the realization of transitional justice in the region. Politically, institutional bureaucracy and the complexity of justice institutions, among others, were major hindrances. From a social perspective, aspects involving dual identities, pastoralism, and pastoral culture played a key role. In addition to these factors, the study also found out that the different parties (government and the locals/ victims) hold different understandings of transitional justice. The implication was that while the government thought its processes would serve to deliver transitional justice, the victims looked to religious beliefs—to God to deliver justice. For them, justice would be delivered on judgment. Based on these findings, the study argues that an interplay of these multitudes of factors, among others, in a complex and intricate manner challenged the transitional justice efforts of the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission and civil society organizations in the post-2018 period.

Keywords: Transitional Justice, Justice, Politics, Tradition, Religion, State, and Somali Region

supervised by Dr. Jane Ayeko-Kümmeth & Prof. Dr. Thokozani Kaime

​The Cadence of Life: A Study of the Effects of the Seventh Day Adventist Religion on the Everyday Life of the Massai People of Manyara and Arusha, Tanzania

Sheila Aketch Orero

supervised by Prof. Dr. Benjamin Kirby & Dr. Tom Kaden

​The Continuing Presence of Trauma: Namibian Artists Dealing with the Genocide of OvaHerero and Nama

Laura Sophie Mahler

The genocide of OvaHerero and Nama by the German colonial power in present-day Namibia has not been sufficiently dealt with in Germany as well as in Namibia. Some Namibian artists have taken it upon themselves to address the genocide in their art. Fifteen of them were interviewed for this thesis and some of their artworks were analysed. The most important motivation for dealing with this topic is the trauma caused by the genocide, which continues to influence many people today. The research question is therefore which aspects of trauma are the main motives for the artists to deal with the genocide. Various aspects emerged from the research, namely the struggle for identity, the responsibility for ancestors, and the need for healing the historical trauma that has remained untreated until now. Through healing, not only the past should be processed, but also current problems in Namibia can be dealt with. To heal, communication about the issue, also through art, turned out to be essential. With these findings, this thesis can make a valuable contribution to the discourse on the genocide by examining the topic from an artistic as well as psychological perspective and placing it in the context of trauma.

supervsied by Nicole Klug & Dr. Jochen Lingelbach

​The Uptake of Clean Energy Technologies A Case Study of Nairobi City County, Kenya

Gerald Tagoe

supervised by Prof. Dr. Festus Boamah & Prof. Dr. Stefan Ouma

​Transmission, Preservation and Meaningmaking of Traditional Musical Heritage in the Rwandan Diaspora in Belgium (2023)

Manishimwe Giselle Musabimana

Since pre-colonial times, music has been essential to Rwanda’s culture. Despite being little researched by academia, it is inextricably linked to dance, accompanying both formal and informal celebrations, and serves as a powerful aesthetic, communicative and performative medium. After the bloody revolution of 1959, but especially after the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, many Rwandans fled their homeland. The traditional musical practices migrated with its people and continue to travel through the Rwandan diaspora, which has not severed its ties to its cultural customs and values but has instead established networks of encounter and exchange in which the homeland is continuously invoked. This research seeks to trace the modes of transmission, preservation, and “meaning-making” of Rwandan traditional musical heritage among the Rwandan diaspora. The study will engage with Rwandan diaspora dancers and musicians to investigate the home-diaspora dynamics in which these traditional musical practices are passed down through generations; the modalities in which traditional music is preserved and performed; the ever-changing understandings, significances, and imaginaries that these cultural traditions evoke, and the ways and extents to which they shape and affirm a sense of “cultural heritage”. Through a set of semi-structured interviews and a reading of music performances, it will draw a composite picture of lived experiences among Rwandan musicians and dancers in the diaspora.

Keywords: Traditional Music, Cultural Heritage, Diaspora, Rwanda

supervised by Dr. Markus Coester & Dr. Artemis Ignatidou

​Unveiling the Diverse Perspectives on Women´s Rights in Tunisia: A Comparative Study of Secular and Islamic Women´s Rights Associations

FatimaElmardiya OmerElfaroug Ahmed

supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg & Prof. Dr. Eva Spies

​Youth political participation within the framework of East African integration processes

Rachael Amanda

This thesis critically examines youth political participation (YPP) within the East African Community (EAC), focusing on the East African Youth Policy introduced in 2013 and the roles of two Tanzanian youth organizations: the Tanzanian Youth Vision Association (TYVA) as a national entity and the Faraja Africa Foundation (FAF) as a regional actor. Through historical analysis of YPP within African regionalism, the study frames Pan-Africanism as a grassroots-based theory of empowerment, asserting that true integration requires multidirectional power flows—engagement from all levels of the social and political hierarchy to challenge entrenched elitism and restore agency to marginalized identities. However, the study finds that a breakdown in feedback loops between the regional, national and grassroots institutions represents a core barrier to post-colonial Pan-African integration today.
​This disconnect, coupled with disparities in funding, access, and inconsistent national support, leads to fragmented youth engagement across the region. Youth organizations seen as more established and "politically suitable" repeatedly gain access to decision-making, while others remain marginalized, sidelined from significant discussions on regional policies such as taxation and legislation. These findings highlight an urgent need for standardized, inclusive policies that recognize the realities of youth beyond major urban centers, supporting YPP equitably across EAC member states. The study concludes with a call for de-elitizing youth participation frameworks and creating pathways for meaningful engagement without requiring compliance with established political norms, allowing for critical exchange and an integration to old, forgotten and new ideas for development.

Keywords: Regional Integration, Pan-Africanism, Youth Political Participation (YPP), East African Community (EAC), Inclusive Governance

supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg & Dr. Chloé Buire

Addressing Epistemic Injustice in Climate-Conflict Knowledge Production: The Case of Sudan

Yosr Khedr

supervised by Prof. Dr. Martin Doevenspeck & Dr. Asaf Augusto

African Issues in Austrian Schools: an analysis of Austrian textbooks and teachers’ practices in secondary schools

Barbara Igler

Textbooks are an important tool for schools as an institution. They help teachers to organise their lessons and disseminate knowledge to pupils. The knowledge conveyed can be described as selective due to the role of the state in the production of textbooks and due to the enforced compression. Textbooks are often the first and only point of contact for learning more about other continents and therefore contribute a considerable amount to how other regions of the world are perceived and viewed. Knowledge about the African continent is primarily conveyed in Austrian geography textbooks. To answer the research question ‘How are African issues presented in Austrian textbooks and how are they perceived by teachers in secondary education in Austria?’, a qualitative content analysis of nine geography textbooks from three different school levels was carried out. Quantitative steps, which were used to determine the frequency of certain thematic areas, were combined with qualitative steps, which enquired into the way in which knowledge is conveyed. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to find out how teachers perceive and transfer knowledge about the African continent. The data collected made it clear that the knowledge conveyed about the African continent can be categorised as predominantly Afropessimistic. Positive examples describing the continent are rare, which leads to Africa being portrayed as a homogeneous mass characterised by problems.

Keywords: textbooks, qualitative content analysis, knowledge dissemination, Africa, Austria

supervised by Prof. Dr. Luís Antunes Grosso Correia

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​Community perceptions of participatory efforts in NGO development projects: A case study from Masaiti District, Zambia

Limbani Kamanga

The underwhelming success of NGO-led projects in most rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa has prompted a shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach in the management of development projects, where strong beneficiary participation is recognized as a key ingredient for success. However, the specific context of rural communities and the current operational and funding schemes of NGOs challenge the implementation of strong community participation. As a result, most community development projects continue to operate with weak participation. While various scholars and practitioners have identified areas for modification to enable strong participation, limited attention has been paid to understanding the experiences of community members with current participatory efforts. Using a qualitative single-case study of an economic empowerment project implemented in Masaiti District, Zambia, this study explored this gap by investigating the perceptions of community members regarding their weak participation and the participatory strategies utilized by NGOs. The study found that community beneficiaries evaluated the depth of their participation and the participatory strategies based on the material benefits obtained from a project. This perception was attributed to economic vulnerability, which influenced community participants to operate on subsistence logic, and the normalization of domination, which shaped the perceptions of both community participants and external stakeholders.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke & Dr. Elisabeth Hofmann

Decolonizing Museums: African Cultural Heritage in European Museums, a Disasporic Perspective of Contact

Mariajosé Amaral Chombo

supervised by Prof. Dr. Hugo Daniel de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva

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Diaspora Philanthropy and Changing Landscape of Aid in Africa: The Case of the Zimbabwean Diaspora

Armstrong Mudzengerere

The emergence of diaspora philanthropy is fast changing the landscape of aid in Africa in the domain of local social investment and development of marginalized communities. Using the case of the Zimbabwean diaspora, the thesis explores the shift from personal remittances to diaspora philanthropy for social investment and community development. This shift challenges the long-standing concentration of dominant discourses on brain drain and remittances which overlook how diaspora philanthropy has morphed to be an efficient and strong alternative to Western aid hegemonies. Theoretically, the study is predicated on the principles of the Bandung conference on decolonization in combination with Julius Nyerere’s Arusha declaration and its principles on self-reliance. These theoretical frameworks inculcate a prognosis of the pressing problems through an in-depth understanding and conceptual analysis of key emotive themes like philanthropy, aid, decolonization and ubuntu. Methodologically, the thesis is anchored on empirical data collected through 15 in-depth semi structured interviews with members of the Zimbabwean diaspora involved in philanthropy and experts in the field of African philanthropy. The thesis highlights how diaspora philanthropy is becoming a key component of decolonized aid futurities and development. What is distinctive about diaspora philanthropy is its linkages with African traditions and cultures of Ubuntu (“nobody goes hungry in the village”). The rise of diaspora philanthropy has a potential to concretize struggles for alternatives and the decolonization of development, exhibiting how Zimbabweans in the diaspora exercise African humanism as an anchor for social responsibility and self-reliance. Additionally, the thesis critically dissects how diaspora philanthropy is different from the white savior donor community to show that decolonization is not just about changing the skin color of the donor but the system and methods need to change as well.

Keywords: Diaspora philanthropy, Decolonization, Aid, Community Development

supervised by Prof. Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Isaac Abotebuno Akolgo & Prof. Dr. Toyin Falola

Ethiopia at War: Political causes of the civil war between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) between 2020 and 2022

Thaís Honório Horn

supervised by Prof. Dr. Hugo Daniel de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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Local mediation dynamics and the elusiveness of peace: Mali as a case study

Nouran Mahran

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke & Dr. Adam Sandor

Path of Prosperity? Exploring Chinese Investment Impacts on Kenyan Construction SMEs

Qianli Ma

This thesis investigates the multifaceted impacts of China's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Kenya's construction sector on the growth and operational dynamics of Nairobi's Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Adopting a mixed-methods approach, which integrates qualitative in-depth interviews and institutional knowledge retrieval with quantitative secondary data analysis, the research examines how Chinese FDI shapes SME development within the framework of industry clusters and networks. The study explores the evolution of Kenyan SMEs, considering how local firms leverage industrial networks and valuation mechanisms to enhance their positioning and competitiveness in response to Chinese investment practices. Key questions revolve around the regulatory environment, the role of knowledge spillovers, and the specific investment models employed by Chinese firms. Anchored in broader discussions of local development, technological transfer, and empowerment, the thesis aims to elucidate the potential of Chinese FDI to augment technological capabilities, foster skill development, and enhance SME integration within industry clusters. Ultimately, it provides targeted insights and recommendations for local government-affiliated organisations, promoting informed policy-making and sustainable, network-driven growth in the region.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hoenke & Dr. Raoul Bunskoek

Russian Media and West African Politics: Analyzing Political Objectives through Media Portrayals of Military Coups in the Sahel

Nino Gdzelidze

Russia's contemporary engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa has received considerable attention in academic circles and the media, prompting debates about the motivations behind Moscow's recent but noticeably active involvement on the continent. This thesis also examines Russia's objectives in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the West African Sahel—a region where Moscow has built particularly strong partnerships in recent years. In analyzing Russia's objectives, the thesis brings in the element of media. It explores how Kremlin-affiliated Russian media outlets TASS and RIA Novosti domestically portray the most recent military coups in Burkina Faso and Niger and analyzes what these portrayals reveal about Moscow's objectives in the West African Sahel.
Methodologically, 350 online media articles were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. In order to supplement these findings and incorporate West African perspectives into the thesis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven experts as part of the fieldwork conducted at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. In order to answer the research question: “What do Russian media portrayals of military coups and their aftermaths in Burkina Faso and Niger reveal about Moscow’s objectives in the West African Sahel?”  the media findings were cross-examined with relevant scholarly works and insights from the interviewed experts.
The thesis argues that media portrayals of the recent coups in the West African Sahel reveal  that Russia pursues political and status-related interests by opportunistically engaging with the region. It suggests that Russian media, likely reflecting the Kremlin’s stance, views the West African Sahel as a critical arena where Russia can assert itself as a global superpower capable of influencing regions traditionally perceived to be under Western influence.

Keywords: West African Sahel, Russian Media, Military coups

supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg & Dr. Adam Sandor

​Strategies of Informality: A Case Study of Informal Urban Farmers in Johannesburg, South Africa

Mia Erin Dancey

Johannesburg has long been a privileged site for the study of informality. Researchers have flocked to the city to examine its townships – informal settlements – and the activities of their residents. Against this unique backdrop, this study investigates the lives of informal urban farmers, a group often overlooked in studies of both informality and agriculture. Given the significant unemployment rate in South Africa, informal urban farming has demonstrated its potential for poverty alleviation, and improving nutrition and food security. However, it has yet to be studied within the context of urban informality in Johannesburg. Following an ethnographic qualitative case study approach, this research asks how informality constrains and enables urban farmers. The theoretical framework combines post-colonial and subaltern perspectives with Actor-Network Theory to reimagine informality as a space of negotiation. Through a series of interviews and field visits with five urban farmers based in Johannesburg, supplemented with expert interviews, this thesis uncovers urban farmers’ strategies of negotiation, which allow them to navigate the precarious but dynamic space of informality. The research also addresses how urban farmers perceive informality and their position within it, providing insights into potential measures for alleviating the challenges they face. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on informality by centring the voices of informal urban farmers and contributing qualitative data often neglected in studies of informality in South Africa. The exploratory nature of this research yields novel conclusions from which future studies should expand to understand the complex and intriguing phenomenon of informal urban agriculture in deeper and fuller detail.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Hugo Daniel de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva & Miguel Filipe Vilela de Oliveira Pinto Silva

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Art as a Bridge: Community Engagement with African Art in Bordeaux

Aliya Kuantayeva

This thesis interrogates how African art operates as urban social infrastructure in Bordeaux’s postcolonial present. The main aims are to map and theorise the socio-spatial ecologies through which African art enables community engagement across formal and vernacular cultural infrastructures. Guided by the overarching question, "How does African art function as a medium for community engagement, intercultural dialogue, and urban transformation in Bordeaux?", the study addresses three sub-questions: (1) how African art is presented, curated, and contextualised across museums/galleries and urban spaces; (2) how diverse publics, especially diasporic communities, encounter and interpret these practices; and (3) how colonial memory and ongoing decolonial initiatives shape circulation and reception. A qualitative, interdisciplinary design combines multi-sited urban/spatial and sensory ethnography with a structured event log: participant observation at 20+ events from March till August 2025 including spanning festivals, city fairs, cultural centres, African Diaspora Association fairs, film nights, community kitchens, markets, bookshops, university spaces, public squares, and pop-ups; open-ended, dialogical conversations with organisers, artists, and attendees; and documentary-visual analysis. Thematic analysis is complemented by light descriptive quantification (site/format typologies; indicative audience ranges). The thesis demonstrates that African art in Bordeaux catalyses intercultural dialogue, memory-work, and place-making, while making visible frictions of representation, collaboration, and institutional practice; it offers a typology of engagement practices and clarifies how curatorial/programming and spatial formats mediate access, visibility, and participation across the city.

Keywords: African art, Bordeaux, community engagement, relational aesthetics, postcolonial urbanism, cultural mediation, spatial ethnography

supervised by Prof. Dr. Sylvain Guyot & Dr. Anne-Marie Meyer

Assessing Policy Coherence and Safeguarding Practices Implementation in Infrastructure Projects: The Case of the Shire Valley Transformation Programme in Malawi

Dalitso Bruno Tobias Tembo

Mega-infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Malawi’s Shire Valley Transformation Programme Phase I (SVTP-1), present a complex interplay between development ambitions, ecological sustainability, and social equity. The complexity is more nuanced when translating internationally recognised environmental and social safeguards into meaningful outcomes in crisis-prone and institutionally fragile contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa. This thesis investigates how policy coherence, stakeholder alignment, and adaptive institutional capacities shape the effectiveness of safeguard implementation within SVTP-1.

Employing a convergent mixed-methods approach, the research integrates qualitative document analysis, semi-structured interviews with key actors, and a quantitative household survey to capture both institutional perspectives and grassroots experiences. Anchored in an integrative theoretical framework that combines Policy Coherence Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Complex Adaptive Governance Systems, the study provides a multi-scalar analysis of structural alignment, actor dynamics, and adaptive responses.

Findings reveal a strong formal alignment between SVTP-1 and international/national safeguard frameworks, yet implementation is hindered by bureaucratic bottlenecks, elite capture, and centralised fiscal control. While vertical stakeholder coordination is relatively structured, horizontal linkages at the local level remain fragile and donor dependent. Community engagement is robust but not fully inclusive, with underrepresentation of women in leadership, youth under 24, and marginalisation of labourers. Adaptive responses to crises are present but lack institutionalisation.

The analysis underscores that effective safeguard implementation requires more than technical compliance; it demands inclusive, reflexive, and resilient governance systems. Lessons from SVTP-1 highlight the need to institutionalise participatory learning, decentralise authority, and bridge power asymmetries to ensure that safeguards deliver just, equitable, and sustainable development outcomes.

Keywords: Policy Coherence; Safeguarding Practices; Climate-shocks & Crisis Context; Governance Dynamics; Stakeholder Coordination; Community Participation; Resilience; Sub-Saharan Africa

supervised by Prof. Dr. Jana Hönke & Dr. Elisabeth Hofmann

Breaking Barriers: Enhancing Access to Secondary Education for Regugee Girls in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Camp

Angelina Nakama David Bako

The right to education is a foundational pillar of human development, yet for millions of refugee girls globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, this right remains elusive. In Uganda’s Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement (KRS), South Sudanese girls continue to face disproportionately high barriers to accessing secondary education. These challenges stem from a complex interplay of displacement-related vulnerabilities, gendered cultural expectations, poverty, and systemic gaps within the educational system. Despite international frameworks such as Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the 1951 Refugee Convention that call for inclusive education, refugee girls remain underrepresented in post-primary schooling. This study, therefore, investigated the barriers affecting South Sudanese refugee girls’ access to secondary education in KRS. It was guided by three research questions: (a) What sociocultural factors influence the participation of South Sudanese refugee girls in secondary education within the KRS? (b) How do financial constraints affect the enrolment, attendance, and retention of South Sudanese refugee girls in secondary schools in KRS? (c) In what ways do institutional practices and policies within the education system impact the progression of South Sudanese girls from primary to secondary education in KRS? Drawing on a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 31 participants, including refugee students (n = 23) and educational stakeholders (n = 8), and triangulated with field observations. Thematic analysis was conducted using both inductive and deductive approaches, guided by three intersecting theoretical lenses: the theory of gender inequality, the theory of educational access in refugee contexts, and the framework of social determinants of education. Demographic insights revealed that most student participants were adolescents aged between 14 and 19, predominantly from nuclear or extended households. In contrast, many stakeholder participants had over five years of experience working within refugee education systems. These contextual characteristics shaped the perspectives shared and lent depth to the analysis. The findings reveal that entrenched sociocultural norms, such as early marriage, domestic labour expectations, and undervaluing girls’ education, remain major impediments to secondary school access. Financial challenges, particularly the burden of school-related expenses and declining humanitarian aid, further restrict opportunities for continued learning. Institutional barriers, including overcrowded classrooms, limited sanitation facilities, a shortage of female teachers, and unsustainable programming, exacerbate these challenges. The study concludes that improving access and retention for refugee girls in secondary education demands a multidimensional approach that tackles structural inequities and gender-specific vulnerabilities. Recommendations include increasing community sensitisation, ensuring consistent material support, integrating vocational skills training, expanding gender-sensitive infrastructure, and embedding sustainability mechanisms across all educational-related interventions. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of refugee education in fragile contexts and calls for more inclusive, equitable, and resilient educational frameworks that elevate the voices and meet the needs of displaced girls.

Keywords: Access to Secondary Schooling, Refugee Girls’ Education, Gender Inequality, Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Educational Barriers, Sociocultural and Institutional Constraints

supervised by Dr. Jochen Lingelbach & Prof. Dalila Pinto Coelho

Competing Narratives and Identity Politics: The Sociopolitical Dynamics of Amhara Ethnonationalism in Ethiopia

Mihret Walelign Mengstu

The sociopolitical trajectory of Ethiopia has been shaped by competing narratives, ethnic politics, and ethnonational movements, reflections of the nation-building process of the state. This thesis examines how these dynamics are expressed in the rise of Amhara ethnonationalism. The study examines how narratives, identity politics, and grievances contribute to the emergence of ethnonational movements, focusing on the Amhara case, in which the group had been reluctant to mobilise under ethnic terms for a long time. Guided by a constructivist approach and qualitative research, including interviews with political figures, scholars, and activists, alongside content analysis, the study addresses three core objectives: identifying the triggers of the movement, exploring its foundational narratives, and examining its sociopolitical implications. Findings reveal that the movement is fueled by structural grievances toward ethnic federalism, which simultaneously marginalized the Amhara and created an enabling environment for ethnic mobilizations. At its discursive core, Amhara ethnonationalism rejects the “national oppression thesis” that shaped the sociopolitical dynamics of Ethiopia. The movement argues that the thesis misinterprets Ethiopia’s class-oriented feudal order as ethnic domination; therefore, disentangling the Amhara identity from imperial connotations is crucial to its narrative. Thus, it holds as a defensive reaction and a proactive claim for reform, with implications for reshaping Ethiopia’s political trajectory. The movement reflects Ethiopia’s entrenched struggle over history and memory, a ‘temporal paralysis’ where the past dominates the present and constrains the future. Ultimately, the study provides insights into Ethiopia’s complex identity politics, underscoring the need to rethink its institutional and political framework to achieve a cohesive future.

Keywords: Amhara ethnonationalism, Narratives, Identity Politics, Interethnic relations, Ethiopia

supervised by Dr. David Ambrosetti

Drivers and Barriers: Understanding Ugandan SMEs’ Trade Preferences within the East African Community (EAC)

Saba Abraha Tsegaye

This master’s thesis investigates how Ugandan Agricultural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) perceive East African Community (EAC) trade policies and how these perceptions influence their export decisions within the EAC. The study addresses a critical gap in understanding the subjective experiences of SMEs, a crucial stakeholder group often overlooked in broader discussions of regional integration. Utilizing a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews in Kampala, Uganda, and guided by the Uppsala Internationalization Model and New Institutional Economics (NIE) theory, the research explores SMEs' awareness of policies, factors affecting their export choices, and the barriers they encounter.
Findings reveal that while SMEs hold mixed perceptions, positive views are driven by the promise of a larger regional market. However, practical challenges arising from inconsistent policy implementation, non-tariff barriers (NTBs), and high transaction costs lead to negative perceptions. The study highlights a "psychic distance" not just from geographical or cultural differences, but from unreliable institutional environments, sometimes leading SMEs to prefer more institutionally predictable markets like the EU despite greater physical distance. The research also identifies strategic adaptations by SMEs, such as leveraging informal networks and advocating for better infrastructure and policy harmonization. Ultimately, the thesis underscores the necessity for consistent and transparent policy implementation to bridge the gap between policy intent and actual benefits for Ugandan agricultural SMEs within the EAC.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Stroh-Steckelberg & Dr. Isaac Abotebuno Akolgo

Equity-Focused Models for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education in Kenya: A Critical Outlook

Joseph Thukia Wanjiku

Kenya’s commitment to inclusive higher education sits uneasily beside the everyday realities of students with disabilities. Policies and funding instruments exist on paper, yet they often overlook essential disability-related costs, such as assistive devices, accessible transportation, and personal support, leaving many students to bear these burdens or abandon their studies. This thesis examines whether national financing schemes and institutional practices facilitate meaningful participation, and how gender and place of residence influence students’ ability to convert funding into tangible educational outcomes. The thesis combines an integrative literature review (N = 32) with semistructuredinterviews (N = 15) conducted across three public universities and policy actors. The theoretical frame draws on the Capability Approach, the social model of disability, and intersectionality to move beyond formal access and examine substantive freedoms and systemic exclusion. Findings show that Kenya’s main financing instruments, the Higher Education Loans Board loans (HELB) and National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) grants, are formally available but structurally limited. They routinely omit disability-specific costs such as assistive technologies, personal aides, and specialised transport. Hence, means-testing and generic eligibility criteria fail to
capture the hidden expenses that make studying possible. Delayed disbursements and these coverage gaps force many students to rely on ad hoc support from family, politicians, or charities.
Institutional support is uneven: one university operated a coordinated Disability Directorate that provided tangible accommodations, while others relied on underfunded or informal offices, which weakened accountability and service delivery. Cross-agency fragmentation further reduces the capacity of funding to meet need. Gender and rural residence amplify disadvantage, leaving women with disabilities and rural students less able to benefit from available funding. The thesis offers
targeted, actionable reforms. At the national level, it advocates for disability-responsive funding criteria that explicitly include hidden costs and cater to chronic disabilities, often overlooked in disability grants. A unified strategy for inclusive higher education should align the budgets of HELB, NCPWD, and universities to reduce duplication and close service gaps. At the institutional level, recommended measures include ring-fenced disability budgets, stronger disability offices with clear
mandates, routine training for academic staff on inclusive pedagogy, and participatory budgeting that includes students with disabilities. Improved data collection, using standardised disability measures, is also central to equitable policy design. Beyond policy prescriptions, the thesis reframes success as the ability of students to convert resources into meaningful achievements such as graduation and employment. That shift calls for moving beyond symbolic inclusion toward systemic change, including accessible application platforms, predictable funding for disability-related costs, and accountable governance processes. The thesis closes with a call for participatory reform that places students with disabilities at the centre of budgeting and policy evaluation.

Keywords: Students with Disabilities, Higher Education Financing, Equity and Inclusion, Public Universities, Kenya

supervised by Dr. Luís Grosso Correira & Dr. Dalila Pinto Coelho

Silent Screams? Investigating Framing of Spousal Abuse in Nigerian Online News Media

Wasilat Adepeju Azeez

This thesis investigates the framing of domestic violence against wives in Nigerian online news media. It examines how cultural norms, institutional constraints, and journalistic practices shape media narratives around spousal abuse. Adopting a qualitative multi-method approach that integrates content analysis of news articles from Premium Times, The Punch, and Vanguard with thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with media professionals, the research explores how Nigerian online platforms construct domestic violence narratives within the framework of Entman's framing theory. The study examines coverage evolution following the high-profile Osinachi Nwachukwu case, considering how journalists navigate between progressive advocacy and cultural sensitivity while operating within Nigeria's patriarchal social structures where domestic violence is traditionally regarded as private family concerns. Key questions revolve around episodic versus thematic representation patterns, the role of source accessibility in shaping narratives, and specific editorial decision-making processes employed by media organizations when covering sensitive social issues. Anchored in broader discussions of media's role in social transformation, cultural resistance, and institutional change, the thesis aims to elucidate how contextually enriched episodic framing emerges as a sophisticated strategy that embeds structural analysis within individual incident reporting, challenging traditional binary classifications in communication theory. The research reveals significant tensions between progressive editorial policies and practical constraints including victim access barriers, resource limitations, and regional disparities in cultural acceptance. Ultimately, it provides targeted insights and recommendations for media practitioners, advocacy organizations, and policymakers, promoting evidence-based improvements in domestic violence coverage and culturally sensitive approaches to challenging harmful social norms within patriarchal societies.

supervised by Dr. Bretton McEvoy & Prof. Alessandro Jedlowski

Social-Economic Implications of Endangered Heritage Crafts in Uganda

Zuhura Abdallah Mtenguzi

This study examines the socioeconomic implications of endangered heritage crafts in Uganda. Endangered heritage crafts are traditional skills and techniques that are at risk of disappearing. These crafts are not merely artistic expressions but are vital embodiments of intangible cultural heritage that reflect the histories, values, and identities of various ethnic groups. This study focuses on three primary objectives: identifying the types of heritage crafts in the region; determining which crafts are endangered and the resulting impact on communities; and analyzing the role of heritage institutions in their preservation and promotion. A qualitative research approach utilizing primary and secondary data guided the study. Specifically, data were gathered through interviews, focus group discussions, field observation, and desktop reviews.

The findings highlight a rich diversity of heritage crafts in Uganda, many of which face decline. Socially, the erosion of these traditional crafts endangers cultural identity and weakens community cohesion, disrupting the intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge and practices. This decline results in diminished social bonds and a weakened sense of communal identity that historically provided resilience during societal challenges. Economically, artisans relying on traditional crafts for livelihood face increasing difficulties due to diminishing market demand. As a result, employment opportunities within the craft sector are significantly reduced, leading to financial hardships for artisans lacking alternative sources of income. In Uganda, as in many African contexts, heritage crafts have provided crucial income for generations, especially in rural areas with limited formal employment. The loss of these economic opportunities exacerbates broader socioeconomic issues, including rural-urban migration and rising poverty levels.

Furthermore, the research identifies major barriers to the preservation of heritage crafts, such as inadequate funding for conservation efforts, poor knowledge of transfer mechanisms, negative societal perceptions, and insufficient infrastructure to support production and marketing. The declining interest of younger generations in traditional crafts, driven by the tempt of quicker financial returns in other sectors and a lack of appreciation for cultural heritage, poses an additional challenge. This study contributes to scholarly understanding of the intertwined socioeconomic dimensions of heritage crafts loss in Uganda, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable frameworks for traditional knowledge transfer and community-based approaches that foster appreciation for heritage crafts while addressing economic sustainability.

supervised by Prof. Dr. Amélia Polónia