Rida Lyammouri

I have a strong background in international development, with a focus in conflict resolution, countering violent extremism (CVE), and peacebuilding. Over my eight years experience as an analyst, researcher, and trainer, I have supported different international development and security organizations working on the Sahel Region. I coordinated research projects supporting the the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – including USAID Office of Transition Initiative (OTI) and other USAID partners – and the Department of Defense (DOD). As an independent consultant I provided technical support to different USAID partners for programming and business development purposes. In this capacity I researched, identified, and presented key drivers to conflicts and violent extremism in the Sahel Region. I also made programming recommendations, some of which have been implemented, based on field-collected data backed by desk research and literature review. This included meetings with government officials, civil society and non-government organizations representatives, and regional entities [e.g Sahel G5 and ECOWAS]. In September 2017 I led a successful business development mission for a $25 million multi-year project in Mali. I delivered analysis on the Sahel Region that cultivated a deeper understanding of domestic and regional issues and enabled implementation of immediate and long-term programs to tackle ongoing conflicts and prevent further struggles. I have personally written over 200 short and deep dive analysis reports. I am also founder and managing director of Sahel MeMo Consulting LLC (Sahelmemo.com). Sahel MeMo Consulting has a core emphasis on providing timely actionable information and in-depth analyses on current and emerging security, economic, and political dynamics in the Sahel, with special focus on areas of limited-access in conflict in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Analyses are based on open-source and on-the-ground research conducted by researchers based in the region. Sahel MeMo team have recently completed a complex research project throughout Niger that involved the collection of 1,400 individual surveys for quantitative research, 10 focus groups discussions and 6 in-depth individual interviews with key influential community leaders (youth, women, tribal) for qualitative research.