Staff profile

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at Durham University with a background in International Development. Through my research, I aim to contribute to interdisciplinary understandings of the complex relationships between transport, mobility, livelihoods, and development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Current Research

At Durham, I work on the European Research Council-funded project 'ALIVEAfrica: Animals, Livelihoods and Wellbeing in Africa'. Within ALIVEAfrica, I lead a case study on hunting and bushmeat-related livelihoods in Sierra Leone, exploring topics such as the legitimacy and local knowledge of wildlife laws, dynamics of trust and secrecy among different actors, zoonotic disease risks in markets, and livelihood impacts of the bushmeat trade. This research builds upon my previous work investigating rural lives and livelihoods in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which examined how improved transport connectivity contributes to development in areas like agriculture, education, employment, community cohesion, health, and women's economic empowerment.

Alongside my work on ALIVEAfrica, I am Principal Investigator on the project 'Using a Peer Research Methodology to Investigate Children's Mobility Challenges in Secondary Cities in Ghana and Liberia: A Comparative Study of Cape Coast and Ganta', funded by Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF). In this project, children will be trained as co-researchers to explore children's walking experiences in the growing urban centres of Cape Coast, Ghana and Ganta, Liberia. By empowering children to shape the research process, the project aims to generate child-centred insights to inform policy and planning for safe, inclusive mobility in African secondary cities. The comparative design will shed light on how varying levels of urbanisation impact children's mobility challenges and navigation strategies.

• West Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone
• Rural Livelihoods and Development
• Hunting
• Urban and Rural Transport
• Community Access
• Civil War and Post-War Reconstruction

Book review

• Jenkins, J. (2023). Theodore Trefon, Bushmeat: Culture, Economy and Conservation in Central Africa. London: C. Hurst for the International African Institute (pb £20 – 978 1 78738 814 7). 2023, 256 pp. Africa, 93(4), 580-582. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0001972023000670

Journal Article

• Jenkins, J., Lawundeh, W., Hanson, T., & Brown, H. (in press). Human-animal entanglements in bushmeat trading in Sierra Leone: An ethnographic assessment of a potential zoonotic interface. PLoS ONE, 19(3), Article e0298929. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298929
• Ntramah, S., Peters, K., Jenkins, J., Mugisha, M. M., Chetto, R., Owino, F., …Johnson, T. (2023). Safety, health and environmental impacts of commercial motorcycles in Sub-Saharan African cities. Urban, Planning and Transport Research, 11(1), Article 2259233. https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2023.2259233
• Kollie, K. K., Jenkins, J., Theobald, S., Nallo, G., Kpadeh, O., Jones, L., …Dean, L. (2023). Unpacking the impact of integrating the neglected tropical disease supply chain into the national supply chain system: illustrative evidence from Liberia. Parasitology, 150(11), 1052-1062. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182023000896
• Peters, K., Jenkins, J., Ntramah, S., Vincent, J., Hayombe, P., Owino, F., …Chetto, R. (2022). COVID-19 and the Motorcycle Taxi Sector in Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Key Stakeholders’ Perspective. Transportation Research Record, https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221131538
• Jenkins, J., Mokuwa, E., Peters, K., & Richards, P. (2021). Rural–urban connectivity strengthens agrarian peace: Evidence from a study of gender and motorcycle taxis in Sierra Leone. Journal of Agrarian Change, 21(4), https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12423
• Jenkins, J., Mokuwa, E. Y., Peters, K., & Richards, P. (2020). Changing women's lives and livelihoods: motorcycle taxis in rural Liberia and Sierra Leone. Transport, 173(2), https://doi.org/10.1680/jtran.18.00162
• Jenkins, J., Peters, K., & Richards, P. (2020). At the end of the feeder road: Upgrading rural footpaths to motorcycle taxi-accessible tracks in Liberia. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 92(1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2020.100333
• Jenkins, J. T., & Peters, K. (2016). Rural connectivity in Africa: motorcycle track construction. Transport, 169(6), https://doi.org/10.1680/jtran.15.00080

Report

• Peters, K., Jenkins, J., Vincent, J., Santos, R., Johnson, T., Ntramah, S., …Chetto, R. (2021). COVID-19 and the urban motorcycle taxi sector in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policy Brief. [No known commissioning body]
• Peters, K., Jenkins, J., Vincent, J., Santos, R., Johnson, T., Ntramah, S., …Chetto, R. (2021). Accelerating COVID-19 related 'best practice' in the urban motorcycle taxi sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. [No known commissioning body]
• Peters, K., Jenkins, J., Mokuwa, E., Richards, P., & Johnson, T. (2018). Upgrading Footpaths to Motorcycle Taxi accessible Tracks: Accelerating Socio-economic Development in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. [No known commissioning body]
• Peters, K., Mokuwa, E., Richards, P., & Jenkins, J. (2018). Gender Mainstreaming in the Motorcycle Taxi Sector in Rural Sierra Leone and Liberia. [No known commissioning body]