Specialist Advisory · Africa

Understanding conflict.
Enabling stability.

A specialist advisory firm at the intersection of conflict, fragility, and violence across Africa — combining investigative rigour, field experience, and evidence-based analysis to inform policy and programming in the world's most complex environments.

Our Work
35+
African Countries
3
Senior Founding Partners
6
Languages Spoken
UN · WBG · ICG
Prior Institutions

Built on decades of institutional and field experience

Rosslyn Consulting Ltd is a specialist advisory firm focused on conflict, fragility, and violence across Africa. We are a core team of three senior experts, supported by a trusted network of associates deployed on a project basis.

Our founding members have held senior roles with the United Nations, the World Bank Group, the International Crisis Group, and leading research and evaluation institutions.

We operate in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, and Amharic — enabling genuine field engagement across Central, Eastern, West, and Sahel Africa.

English French Spanish Portuguese Swahili Amharic
We combine political economy and conflict analysis with rigorous field research, programme design, and evidence-based evaluation — grounded in experience across more than 35 African countries.

Rosslyn combines deep expertise across three pillars: cross-border programme design and the HDP nexus; investigative and security analysis of armed groups and natural resource governance; and impact evaluation, monitoring, and private sector development in fragile contexts.

Eight areas of specialist practice

Our capabilities span the full spectrum of conflict-affected development — from frontline security analysis to rigorous econometric evaluation.

Conflict & Security Analysis

Political economy of violence, conflict drivers, fragility assessments, FCV country analysis, peacekeeping advisory.

Armed Groups, Extremism & Terrorist Financing

Network investigations, jihadist financing, arms trafficking, militia dynamics.

Investigative Research & Due Diligence

Financial networks, corporate and investment due diligence, OSINT, UN Panel of Experts methodology.

Borderlands, Displacement & Cross-Border Dynamics

HDP programming, borderland resilience, migration, cross-border health and trade.

Private Sector Development in Fragile Contexts

Development finance, ESG, investment facilitation, DFI performance reviews.

Natural Resources & Extractives

Resource governance, illicit financial flows, extractive industries in conflict-affected areas.

Impact Evaluation, MEL & Econometrics

Theory of change, logframe design, RCTs, quasi-experimental methods, results measurement.

Governance, Peacebuilding & SSR

Political transitions, state legitimacy, security sector reform, and peacebuilding programme design.

A track record across the continent's hardest contexts

Our team has led and contributed to programmes and investigations for the world's leading multilateral, bilateral, and private sector clients.

Conflict & Security Analysis
UN Peacekeeping Mission DRC
Senior Political Advisor, North Kivu (MONUSCO)
International Crisis Group
Acting Africa Programme Director, supervising research and reporting across multiple African regions
World Bank FCV Team
Country fragility and conflict analysis, Uganda and Ivory Coast
Armed Groups & Financial Networks
UN Security Council Panels
Somalia & Eritrea — Al-Shabaab financing and arms investigations
UN Group of Experts on DRC
Finance Investigator & Coordinator; contributed to arrests and convictions of armed group leaders
Commission for International Justice & Accountability
Syrian militias and ISIS financial networks
Investigative Research & Due Diligence
Global Witness
Investigation of illicit DRC copper sales, triggering SFO investigations
S-RM & Kroll
Africa-wide investigative due diligence and political risk advisory for private clients
Sahan Foundation
Investigations into human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Horn of Africa and Libya
Borderlands & HDP Nexus
UNDP Africa Borderlands Centre
Co-founder and specialist — $30M centre
UNDP Crisis Bureau
Burundi-DRC-Tanzania cross-border development programme — $25M
XCEPT Research Programme (FCDO)
Cross-border policy and evidence collection in fragile contexts
Private Sector & DFI
IFC Africa Fragility Initiative
MEL lead for $70M private sector programme in fragile states
African Development Bank
Review of sovereign/non-sovereign lending, ESG and infrastructure investments
British International Investment
Assessment of direct and fund investments in Africa & South Asia
Impact Evaluation & MEL
Innovations for Poverty Action
RCTs and qualitative evaluation of employment interventions in Ethiopia and Liberia
World Bank DIME
Design and implementation of impact evaluation systems across multiple countries
IFC Africa Fragility Initiative
Theory of change, logframe, data collection, reporting, and knowledge management

Trusted by leading institutions

We work across the multilateral, bilateral, private sector, and civil society landscape — wherever conflict and fragility intersect with development.

Multilateral & UN
  • World Bank
  • IFC
  • UNDP
  • MONUSCO
  • UN Security Council Panels
  • African Development Bank
Bilateral & Research
  • FCDO
  • European Commission
  • ODI
  • IPA
  • SSHAP
Private Sector & Advisory
  • Kroll
  • S-RM
  • British International Investment
  • Multinational extractives companies
NGOs & Think Tanks
  • International Crisis Group
  • Global Witness
  • Sahan Foundation

Deep roots across the continent

Our primary focus is Central and Eastern Africa, with substantial additional experience across the Sahel and West Africa. We are active across more than 35 countries.

We combine regional expertise with country-level depth — understanding the cross-border dynamics and sub-regional conflict systems that drive outcomes on the ground.

Primary Focus

Central Africa

Primary Focus

Eastern Africa

Additional Experience

The Sahel

Additional Experience

West Africa

Three disciplines, one firm

A senior team assembled from the UN, World Bank Group, and International Crisis Group — each bringing a distinct and complementary area of practice.

HL

Dr. Hugh Lamarque

Borderlands & Cross-Border Programming · HDP Nexus · Governance

Co-founded the UNDP Africa Borderlands Centre; led a $30M programme and $2M grant in the Sahel. Published extensively on cross-border health, trade, and displacement. Holds advanced GIS and qualitative/quantitative research skills.

DM

Dinesh Mahtani

Conflict Investigation · Armed Groups · Natural Resource Governance

Former UN Security Council panel investigator, MONUSCO Senior Political Advisor, and Acting Africa Programme Director at International Crisis Group. Specialist in extremist financing, militia networks, and investigative due diligence.

JS

Joe St Clair

Impact Evaluation · MEL · Private Sector Development in FCV Contexts

Lead on the IFC Africa Fragility Initiative ($70M), RCTs with Innovations for Poverty Action, and reviews of CDC and AfDB investments. Specialist in development finance, econometrics, and monitoring & evaluation systems.

Get In Touch

Work with us

If you are working on conflict, fragility, or development challenges across Africa, we would be glad to hear from you.

Joe St Clair · Director
joe@rosslynconsulting.com
+44 7950 113 137