Experts on countries of origin by country

Expertise on religion and politics in a number of African, Asian and Latin American countries - and in a number of languages. Current research includes China (Tibet), Chile, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe; Libya and Syria

Experienced expert witness and author of country reports for courts and tribunals nationally and internationally
Academic expertise in East African and Southern African administrative, political, economic and social issues. Also available for document authentication and in-country certification.

 Themes; risks on return; state sponsored violence; gross violations of human rights perpetrated by state security forces; political violence, torture and sexual violence; arbitrary arrest and detention; opposition politics and election violence; gender based violence; economy; education; criminal justice system; witness protection; criminal justice system; prison conditions; sufficiency of protection; LGBTI; policing; housing; employment; food security identification on return;  internal relocation; health care; health insurance; mental health services; gender based violence; domestic violence, forced marriage; human trafficking; ethnic groups; social groups; country case law.  

The Expert is a Sub-Saharan Africa specialist with extensive experience in Country Operations Management, Resource Mobilization, Business Development, Communications and Advocacy across multiple countries with leading international NGOs.

Lecturer in African Studies at the University of Edinburgh with extensive experience researching and writing about violent social groups and discrimination in selected African countries.  

Dr. Muzong W. Kodi has more than 40 years of research, writing and lecturing on Africa as well as working and residing in several African countries. He has written more than 200 country expert reports for asylum seekers and other migrants from several African countries. He has also provided more than 100 authentication reports for official documents and several reports on nationality and adoption cases. As a consultant, he has been contracted by international organisations, regional African organisations, and multinational companies. He previously held senior management positions in Transparency International, Amnesty, International, and the African Centre for Monetary Studies. I also taught at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He holds a PhD in African History from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and speaks fluent French, English, Lingala, and Kikongo, as well as intermediary Swahili.

Occupation: International Consultant in governance, anti-corruption, human rights, as well as political and investment risks in Africa.

Countries of expertise: the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo (ROC or Congo-Brazzaville), Angola, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda… Read more

Dr. Emily A. Lynch is a cultural anthropologist and consultant with extensive experience conducting research on the Great Lakes region of East Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Her ethnographic areas of expertise focus on the everyday experience of refugees and forced migration, humanitarian intervention and settings, protracted conflict and displacement, resettlement systems, repatriation networks, trauma and resilience, and genocide. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and B.A. from Earlham College.

Journalist and researcher, with more than twenty years experience reporting on human rights, development issues and related humanitarian affairs. Has prepared a number of expert witness reports for the UK, USA and the Netherlands. Extensive base of complementary knowledge in Francophone Africa. 

The Expert is an independent research consultant with over ten years of experience. He specialises in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (DRC – Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan). The Expert’s consulting services serve as a powerful tool and resource to enhance donors’ and aid agencies’ capacity building and promote policies and programs that are more realistic, based on institutions’ configurations and better adapted to grassroots needs. He frequently produces desk-based country expert reports on various countries in Africa. He has gained a wide range of experience in participatory research programs and stakeholders’ engagement, including political mediation for civil society organisations in conflict-affected areas. The Expert uses culturally appropriate techniques to advise on political risks and cultural insensitivities in responses to conflict and political engagement. He is an experienced trainer and workshop facilitator;  he uses various methods and problem-solving approaches, including the theory of change in social and economic development contexts. The Expert is a published author. He has produced over 300 research-based reports, analytical papers, and scoping studies, including a national award-winning training resource to support… Read more

Dr. Primus Tazanu is a trained social anthropologist, having obtained a PhD from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and an MA from the University of Aalborg, Denmark. Throughout his career, Dr. Primus has made consistent and valuable contributions to the field of social anthropology, evidenced by his production of highquality peer-reviewed publications. As a curious and passionate scholar, he delves into the depths of everyday social events and societal phenomena, continuously uncovering new insights. Dr. Primus Tazanu's dedication to excellence goes beyond his academic pursuits, as he also excels in organizational skills, ensuring the prompt and efficient completion of his tasks. Furthermore, he takes pride in providing his valuable expertise at an affordable fee, demonstrating a strong commitment to accessibility and inclusivity. In conclusion, Dr. Primus Tazanu's remarkable academic background, inquisitive nature, organizational acumen, and considerate pricing make him a highly respected and sought-after expert in the realm of country-of-origin information.

The Expert is a medical and psychological anthropologist with extensive training in public health. Her research and practice have focused on conflict-affected populations, including survivors of conflict-related sexual violence/genocide-rape, youth heads of household, and children associated with armed forces and armed groups.

The Expert conducted four years of in-depth fieldwork on the ground in Rwanda between 2003 and 2012. In 2016, she conducted short-term research in Afghanistan on human trafficking, and in 2017, she directed a center for mental health in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She has completed short deployments for child protection and mental health support in emergency response, the longest of which was for 3 weeks in 2016 across Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia to assess the protection situation of forcibly displaced Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi children seeking asylum.