Supported by the Conseil Supérieur pour la Formation et la recherche Stratégique (CSFRS) http://www.csfrs.fr/ and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) http://www.afd.fr

In July 2011, IFRA-Nigeria was awarded a 100,000 euros research grant by the Conseil Supérieur de la Formation et de la Recherche Stratégique (CSFRS) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to analyse socio-political Risks in Niger. In order to respond ton the call for project, IFRA-Nigeria formed a consortium with the Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local (LASDEL) in Niamey.

The project ‘PERILA N-N’ aims at assessing different dimensions of political as well as security risks in Niger Republic through the probing of the fragile character of the State, local factors of instability and potential sources of socio-political conflicts. It also includes the study of trans-border exchanges between Niger Republic and Nigeria.

This achievement must be replaced in the context of the launching, a few months ago, of a new five-year long strategic plan which paves the road for a re-foundation of IFRA-Nigeria’s research policy. Our Institute therefore reaffirms its readiness to compete for international research grants to increase significantly its scientific presence as one of the emerging think-tanks in West Africa through cutting-edge field research and high-quality publications.

The project is divided into three major research sub-themes:
1) assessment of faith-related risk, especially through the prism of the educative system ;
2) assessment of risks related to the fragile state of the public sector, at the level of infrastructures, border control and food security ;
3) and assessment of socio-economic risks, particularly in the context of migrations and extreme poverty among rural population.

A team of high-profile Niger and Nigerian scholars will work on this project to collect new empirical data, write case studies and contribute to the overall report. Dr. Nathaniel Danjibo from the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, will coordinate the Nigerian team, while Dr. Mahaman Tidjani Alou and Dr. Amadou Oumarou will be in charge of the LASDEL team. The project will start in September 2011 and will end in August 2012.