Ali Kaba is a Ph.D. candidate and Adjunct Lecturer (School of International Service) at American University. His research interests include customary land governance, land tenure reform, rural migration, foreign investment in local communities, and sustainable land use and natural resource management. Ali previously worked as Program Director and Senior Researcher at the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), a Liberian-based NGO focused on transforming decision-making related to land and natural resources. Ali has also worked with a variety of national and international institutions, including government agencies in Liberia and state governments in Nigeria.  He has written numerous briefs and articles and co-authored two books, including a comprehensive study of customary land rights in Liberia, Uganda, and Mozambique.