Biography
Paul Melly is a journalist and researcher covering Western Africa and the Sahel, and Madagascar.
He focuses mainly on politics, human rights and governance, security, development and regional issues; he takes a special interest in francophone Africa and the regional engagement of international partners such as France, the EU and the US.
He is a regular contributor to media including Africa Confidential, BBC Online, the Economist Intelligence Unit and Oxford Analytica.
He is the author or co-author of reports on politics in Mauritania and in Senegal, rural livelihoods and food security in the Sahel and northern Nigeria, governance and livelihoods in northern Niger, Nigerian informal cross-border trade, Islam in Madagascar, instability in the Sahel, EU diplomatic mediation, French policy towards Africa and Gulf countries’ engagement with the continent.
These reports are for Chatham House, EU institutions, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the World Food Programme and external partner governments. He collaborates on papers with francophone West African researchers in the Solution Think Tank network.
Past experience
| 2000–10 | Reporter/Editor (Politics, Diplomacy, Social issues), Gulf States Newsletter |
| 1993–2000 | Assistant Editor (Francophone Africa & Economics), Africa Analysis |
| 1989– | Country author, Francophone Africa, Economist Intelligence Unit |
| 1986-92 | Freelance writer, Globe and Mail (Business, Development issues) |
| 1982-86 | Reporter – Trade & Finance, Export Times |
