Specialist advisory firm helping governments and development partners solve complex challenges across East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
Lobahan Consulting is not an outside observer. Our leadership has lived and worked inside East Africa's displacement systems, humanitarian operations, and governance institutions. We do not arrive as outsiders — we arrive as people who understand the terrain, speak the languages, and have built the relationships that matter.
That combination of regional depth and technical expertise is what sets us apart. We work at the intersection of policy and practice, translating complex international frameworks into solutions that actually work on the ground.
"Better governance, safer borders, stronger institutions — these are not abstract goals. They are things that can be designed, built, and delivered."
We organise our work around seven interconnected practice areas, each addressing a real gap in how institutions across the region are supported.
When governments have the right systems, policies, and institutions in place, migration becomes a driver of development rather than a source of instability.
Services include: Migration policy development, border governance, immigration systems, frontline capacity building, and counter-trafficking solutions.
See More →Sustainable peace requires governance that people trust and systems that resolve disputes before they escalate into conflict.
Services include: Sub-national governance, conflict resolution, infrastructure for peace, P/CVE frameworks, and durable solutions for displaced people.
See More →We help institutions navigate the digital journey from strategy through to working systems that serve real populations.
Services include: IT infrastructure, web and mobile applications, fintech and digital finance, digital identity systems, and youth digital empowerment.
See More →We design and embed the systems that make tracking, learning, and accountability possible from day one of a programme.
Services include: PMLE systems design, real-time dashboards, third-party monitoring, beneficiary accountability, and organisational learning.
See More →Credible evaluation is about understanding what works, why, and for whom — delivered with the rigour donors and governments require.
Services include: Independent programme evaluations, results verification, impact and value-for-money assessments, gender analysis, and multi-partner evaluations.
See More →Before you build anything that lasts, you need to understand exactly what you are working with — the systems, the actors, and the constraints.
Services include: Political economy analysis, conflict and fragility assessments, organisational capacity assessments, needs assessments, and risk analysis.
See More →The most complex challenges in East Africa require more than conventional approaches. We design, test, and scale innovative solutions across sectors.
Services include: Food systems innovation, humanitarian technology, climate adaptation, social innovation, innovation labs, and emerging technology in governance.
See More →Unlike conventional consultancies that analyse East African challenges from the outside, we have navigated the displacement lifecycle from within it. That is not a marketing claim — it is the lived experience of our leadership team.
We work with a focused group of institutional partners where our expertise makes a real and measurable difference.
Key developments across governance, migration, and development in East Africa and the Horn — the context behind the work we do.
Somalia's Federal Government has accelerated efforts to formalise its migration governance framework, including border digitalisation and biometric registration of mobile populations across key crossing points.
Across Somalia and Ethiopia, sub-national governance structures remain underfunded and under-supported. New IGAD frameworks are attempting to bridge the accountability gap between federal institutions and district-level administration.
Kenya's Maisha Namba rollout and Rwanda's National ID infrastructure offer critical lessons for countries like Somalia seeking to build inclusive, interoperable identity systems that serve displaced and mobile populations.
Our dual-headquarters model reflects our genuine operational presence at the heart of the region's most critical development contexts — not visiting, but rooted.
Nairobi is the diplomatic and humanitarian capital of East Africa — home to the UN's regional headquarters, major development banks, and the IGAD Secretariat. Our Nairobi office anchors our regional policy, digital transformation, and evaluation work.
Regional HQMogadishu sits at the centre of the Horn's most complex governance and displacement challenges. Our Mogadishu office gives us direct operational access to Somalia's federal institutions, sub-national administrations, and humanitarian actors.
Horn of Africa HQTell us about your challenge. We will come back to you within 48 hours with an initial assessment and a proposal for how we can help.
Stay up to date with our latest insights, project updates, and thought leadership from across East Africa and the Horn of Africa.