Opportuna Kweka

Dr. Opportuna Kweka is a senior lecturer in the Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences. She has a PhD in Geography obtained from the University of Minnesota, Masters of Arts degree in Demography and a Bachelor of Arts degree in land use, planning and environmental studies from the University of Dar es Salaam. She is a political economist and expert of refugees and IDPs issues. Her PhD focused on the change in the refugee policy in Tanzania and its implication on livelihood and the environment. Her masters was on the Migration of the Maasai pastoralists in urban areas following the El-nino rains in 1998 and other policy related factors. She is the Chair of the  University of Dar es Salaam’s Research Chair on Forced Displacement (UDSM-RCFD) and the leader of the IDRC’s funded Project titled Strengthening knowledge, evidence use and leadership in the global south on forced displacement: focus on East Africa which established the research chair on forced displacement at the University of Dar es Salaam. The leads a team of 32 members, of the research chair from different disciplines, departments and institutions in East Africa who are working on issues of refugees, and internally displaced persons from climate-disaster, development induced displacement (urban infrastructure, conservation and large scale investments) in the region.

Selected Publications

1. Social categorization and local humanitarian help: the limitations of legal categories for refugees, Utafiti, No 2. Online, October 2022.
2. Spaces of Interaction between Protracted refugees in Nyarugusu Camp and the Surrounding Host Community with Rosemary Msoka,Journal of Geographic Association of Tanzania. 41 No. 2 p 59-78 in 2022.
3. South-South Humanitarianism: The case of COVID-organics in Tanzania, with Richey et al. in World Development.
4. Socio-economic Assessment in the Refugees Camps and Hosting Districts of Kigoma Region, work submitted to UNHCR in 2018.
5. Mapping of Socio-economic needs, partners and interventions for local integration of Burundian refugees in Tanzania, report submitted to the Solutions Alliance in 2016.
6. Mapping of Migration Data Sources in Tanzania: Migration observatory, African, Caribbean and the Pacific in 2015.
7. Citizenship without Integration: the Case of Burundian Refugees in Tanzania, the African Review: A journal of African Politics, Development and International Relations, Vol. 42 No. 2 of 2015, pp 76-93.
8. Lessons leant during the Mtabila Closure, research report submitted to IRC in 2013.
9. Assessment of the Plan for Internal Relocation of Naturalized Burundian Refugees, a research report submitted to IDRC in 2012.
10. Tanzania, a book chapter in the book titled Marginalization and the Plight of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in East Africa edited by Zachary Lomo, Fountain Publisher, Kampala in 2012.
11. Being and Staying Pastoralists: In Search of a Livelihood Security for Maasai Displacement, a Paper Presented in a Conference on the Future of Pastoralism, Addis Ababa, 21-23 March, 2011 available on www.futureagricultures.org
12. Dual Citizenship for Development? Chemichemi Mwalimu Nyererein 2009.
13. Refugee caring regime: a paper presented in the international migration workshop in Ghana in 2007, IMI, Oxford.
14. A PhD thesis titled: The Impact of Structural Adjustment Programmes on the refugee policy in Tanzania and Implications on Livelihood and the Environment submitted to the University of Minnesota Minneapolis in 2007;
15. Migration and land use changes: the case of Maasai pastoralists migration to urban areas in 1999, a master dissertation in Demography, UDSM.

Selected projects:

South coordinator for the project Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania funded by DANIDA

Citizenship in the Great Lakes Region of Africa  with CSFM, IRRI and SSRC in New York.

(Français)

La Dr Opportuna Kweka est maîtresse de conférences au département de géographie du College of Social Sciences. Elle est titulaire d’un doctorat en géographie obtenu à l’université du Minnesota, d’une maîtrise en démographie et d’une licence en aménagement du territoire, planification et études environnementales de l’université de Dar es Salaam. Elle est économiste politique et spécialiste des questions relatives aux réfugiés et aux personnes déplacées. Son doctorat a porté sur le changement de la politique des réfugiés en Tanzanie et ses implications sur les moyens de subsistance et l’environnement. Sa maîtrise portait sur la migration des pasteurs masaïs vers les zones urbaines à la suite des pluies El-nino de 1998 et d’autres facteurs liés aux politiques. Elle est présidente de la chaire de recherche sur les déplacements forcés de l’Université de Dar es Salaam (UDSM-RCFD) et dirige le projet financé par le CRDI intitulé Renforcer les connaissances, l’utilisation des données probantes et le leadership dans les pays du Sud sur les déplacements forcés : accent sur l’Afrique de l’Est, qui a établi la chaire de recherche sur les déplacements forcés à l’Université de Dar es Salaam. Elle dirige une équipe de 32 membres de la chaire de recherche, issus de différentes disciplines, départements et institutions d’Afrique de l’Est, qui travaillent sur les questions de réfugié.es et de personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur propre pays en raison de catastrophes climatiques et de déplacements induits par le développement (infrastructures urbaines, conservation et investissements à grande échelle) dans la région.

Publications sélectionnées

1. Social categorization and local humanitarian help: the limitations of legal categories for refugees, Utafiti, No 2. Online, October 2022.
2. Spaces of Interaction between Protracted refugees in Nyarugusu Camp and the Surrounding Host Community with Rosemary Msoka,Journal of Geographic Association of Tanzania. 41 No. 2 p 59-78 in 2022.
3. South-South Humanitarianism: The case of COVID-organics in Tanzania, with Richey et al. in World Development.
4. Socio-economic Assessment in the Refugees Camps and Hosting Districts of Kigoma Region, work submitted to UNHCR in 2018.
5. Mapping of Socio-economic needs, partners and interventions for local integration of Burundian refugees in Tanzania, report submitted to the Solutions Alliance in 2016.
6. Mapping of Migration Data Sources in Tanzania: Migration observatory, African, Caribbean and the Pacific in 2015.
7. Citizenship without Integration: the Case of Burundian Refugees in Tanzania, the African Review: A journal of African Politics, Development and International Relations, Vol. 42 No. 2 of 2015, pp 76-93.
8. Lessons leant during the Mtabila Closure, research report submitted to IRC in 2013.
9. Assessment of the Plan for Internal Relocation of Naturalized Burundian Refugees, a research report submitted to IDRC in 2012.
10. Tanzania, a book chapter in the book titled Marginalization and the Plight of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in East Africa edited by Zachary Lomo, Fountain Publisher, Kampala in 2012.
11. Being and Staying Pastoralists: In Search of a Livelihood Security for Maasai Displacement, a Paper Presented in a Conference on the Future of Pastoralism, Addis Ababa, 21-23 March, 2011 available on www.futureagricultures.org
12. Dual Citizenship for Development? Chemichemi Mwalimu Nyererein 2009.
13. Refugee caring regime: a paper presented in the international migration workshop in Ghana in 2007, IMI, Oxford.
14. A PhD thesis titled: The Impact of Structural Adjustment Programmes on the refugee policy in Tanzania and Implications on Livelihood and the Environment submitted to the University of Minnesota Minneapolis in 2007;
15. Migration and land use changes: the case of Maasai pastoralists migration to urban areas in 1999, a master dissertation in Demography, UDSM.

Projets sélectionnés :
Coordinatrice Sud pour le projet ” Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania ” financé par DANIDA.

Citoyenneté dans la région des Grands Lacs d’Afrique avec le CSFM, l’IRRI et le SSRC à New York.

Share: Twitter, Facebook
Short URL: https://carleton.ca/lerrn/?p=5852