Socio-economic resilience in the shadow of Boko Haram

The report examines the erosion of socio-economic resilience in the Lake Chad Basin due to the Boko Haram conflict. It details the disruption of fishing, agriculture, and livestock trade, the negative impact of state-imposed trade bans and extortion, and the specific vulnerabilities of women. It argues that the lack of state development presence pushes communities toward 'perverse social contracts' with violent extremist groups for survival.

• Boko Haram has generated revenue by seizing control of regional economic activities and imposing coercive taxes on local populations in areas under its territorial control.
• State counterinsurgency efforts have paradoxically increased community vulnerability through the banning of essential goods—such as fish, fuel, and fertiliser—and the closure of traditional trade routes.
• The fishing sector has been severely impacted by the banning of access to the Lake Chad islands and the destruction of equipment by weeds in accessible areas.
• Agricultural production has declined as farmers were driven from fertile islands to unsuitable sandy mainland areas, leading to increased competition for land and food insecurity.
• Livestock traders face significant financial losses due to the death of animals and the necessity of using longer, more expensive routes to reach the primary market in Nigeria.
• Women in the Lake Chad Basin are disproportionately affected by the crisis, facing bankruptcy, displacement, and gender-based violence, while often becoming the sole breadwinners for their households.
• The absence of state development services in peripheral areas has led some communities to enter into 'perverse social contracts' with groups like ISWAP to secure their livelihoods.
• Security forces have contributed to economic instability through the extortion and harassment of traders and transporters at checkpoints.
• The combination of conflict, COVID-19 border closures, and climate change—specifically frequent flooding—has further eroded the resilience of the population.

APA

Hoinathy, R., & Tayo, T. (2022). Socio-economic resilience in the shadow of Boko Haram. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/war-38.pdf

Chicago

Hoinathy, Remadji, and Teniola Tayo. Socio-economic resilience in the shadow of Boko Haram. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/war-38.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoinathy |first1=Remadji |last2=Tayo |first2=Teniola |title=Socio-economic resilience in the shadow of Boko Haram |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=March 2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/war-38.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoinathy2022socioeconomic, author = {Hoinathy, Remadji and Tayo, Teniola}, title = {{Socio-economic resilience in the shadow of Boko Haram}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/war-38.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }