HCD Takes Democratization Research to the Hargeisa Book Fair
The Horn Center for Democracy (HCD) participated in the Hargeisa Book Fair in September 2026, presenting its latest research on democratization in the Horn of Africa to a public audience.
As part of its participation, HCD presented and disseminated its publication, Democratization in the Horn of Africa: Structural Constraints, Political Dynamics and Future Prospects, sharing key findings from the research and creating an opportunity for members of the public, researchers, governance practitioners, and other stakeholders to engage with the publication.
HCD’s Executive Director, Frew Demeke, and the book’s lead researcher, Dr. Dereje Feyisa, represented the Center at the engagement. Dr. Dereje shared the research findings and provided insights into the evidence and analysis underpinning the publication.
The engagement formed part of HCD’s knowledge production and dissemination strategy, which seeks to move research beyond publication and into spaces where evidence can inform public discussion, professional practice, and policy engagement. The strategy aims to expand access to HCD’s research among policymakers, academics, civil society actors, youth groups, governance practitioners, and other audiences, while fostering public and scholarly discussion on democratization and governance in the Horn of Africa (HoA).
By engaging with the public through a major literary and knowledge-sharing platform, HCD sought to encourage wider reflection on how democratic governance is shaped by political dynamics, institutional arrangements, and the experiences of societies across the HoA.
HCD will continue these efforts through similar public and knowledge-sharing platforms across the HoA, expanding access to its research and publications, promoting the uptake of evidence-informed knowledge, and contributing to thought leadership and democratic practice across the region.