African Capital Cities Research Articles

Motorcycle taxis in transition? Review of digitalization and electrification trends in selected East African capital cities

The number of motorcycle taxis has soared in East African cities over the last decades, filling a gap in mobility needs while providing revenue opportunities to drivers. However, poor road safety combined with contribution to carbon emissions and air pollution creates a sustainability conundrum, which has led governments to control or repress the mode, yet without much success. After reviewing the characteristics and regulation of motorcycle taxis in Nairobi, Kigali, and Kampala, this study investigates the existence and impacts of two recent trends: digitalization and electrification. A comprehensive approach is adopted with a systematic review of the literature and policies, completed by field research and key informant interviews. We find out that electrification is mostly associated with positive impacts covering a spectrum of environment, economics, health, and social-related benefits, while the benefits of digitalization are more uncertain or contested. Impacts are however limited for both at the time of study as digitalization is highly volatile and electrification nascent. In conclusion, the paper identifies an interlinkage between the trends via the example of data, and further key research needs.

Motivating volunteer health workers in an African capital city

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are central to health systems. Still, they are typically unpaid volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper follows all the CHWs in the capital city of Guinea-Bissau, who are non-salaried, and tests the impact of non-financial incentives on health indicators. We analyze two randomized interventions for CHWs: (i) an honorific award aimed at raising their social status; (ii) a video treatment aimed at increasing their perceived task significance. While employing administrative and survey data, we find that the social status intervention, differently from the task significance one, causes clear improvements in household health, particularly for young children.

Intrinsic mode choice determinants based on a descriptive analysis of the perceptions of Abuja commuters: towards refocusing the societal mind-set on environmentally sustainable modes choice

PurposeThis paper sought to uncover the intrinsic determinants of the choice of transport modes in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja, based on commuters' perceptions on different modes of transport. The ultimate goal of the study was to come up with suitable multifaceted measures to deter private car usage, while refocusing society's mind-set towards alternative forms of transport, thereby keying into some transport-related sustainable development goals (SDG) goals.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted qualitative methods: 320 commuters were surveyed at bus stops and car parks around the city, and respondents were identified using multistage sampling, aided by purposive/convenience sampling, and this number was reached by saturation of themes. Focus group discussions were held with eight screened public officials from relevant (transportation and environment related) agencies/unions in the city. NVivo 10 software was used to thematically analyse the data gathered from a relativist and an interpretive stand point.FindingsThe study found transport mode choice to be intrinsically more motivated by socio-economic forces serving as a basis for other socio-psychological factors. Multifaceted measures, including spatial, socio-economic, environmental and public relation measures, were found suitable to break car-use motives in the study area towards adopting alternative modes of transport, thereby achieving some transport-related SDG targets.Originality/valueThe study was unique as it looked at the intrinsic mode choice determinants from a Sub-Saharan African capital city perspective and provided suitable multifaceted best practiced measures that deemphasised car use while emphasising alternative modes, thereby shifting commuters' mind-set towards environmentally sustainable modes of transport.

Choosing and Using the Progesterone Vaginal Ring: Women's Lived Experiences in Three African Cities.

PurposeThis study explored experiences of selecting and utilizing a newly introduced contraceptive – the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) – among women seeking a contraceptive method in 3 African capital cities (Abuja, Nairobi, and Senegal). The study explored women’s perceptions of, and lived experiences with, using the new product to better understand their reception of a new contraceptive. This understanding will help inform the design of programs to support women in their adoption and continued use of the PVR and other new contraceptives.Patients and MethodsThis longitudinal, qualitative study drew on an interpretive phenomenological approach, involving multiple in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 9 study participants over a 6-month period. Participants involved in the study were postpartum women seeking contraceptive services at participating clinics. A total of 25 IDIs were conducted, and a detailed “within-case” and “cross-case” analysis of participants’ accounts was carried out to identify similar and dissimilar themes along descriptive, linguistic, and conceptual lines.ResultsFour overarching themes emerged from the analysis. These themes circulated around the unconventionality of the PVR, which heightened its desirability among participants; the sense of comfort that women gained from opting to use the PVR over other FP methods; narratives of consideration that centered on women’s partners, and that were important for ensuring the sustainability of women’s PVR use; and the conundrums that women grappled with as they prepared to disengage from the PVR after two cycles of use.ConclusionThe PVR is an acceptable contraceptive method to postpartum women in urban African settings. However, prior to its introduction into new country contexts, formative data on women’s perceptions of, and reactions to, the product need to inform country preparation processes. Such information would be useful for tailoring counseling around this contraceptive, as well as for product marketing and robust uptake of the method.

Towards deliberative democracy through the democratic governance and design of public spaces in the South African capital city, Tshwane

Many political, economic and social transformations have occurred in South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1994. The country has made significant efforts in trying to establish and rebrand its cities as multiracial and multicultural hubs with democratic public spaces. In an ideal city, public space represents and embodies the ideology of deliberate democracy as postulated by Habermas. However, attempts in South Africa to re(design) public spaces also reflect instances of alienation, conflict and anxiety. This article focusses on the governance and design of public space in the capital of South Africa, the City of Tshwane. The analysis highlights the challenges encapsulated in the governance and design of different types of spaces towards enabling opportunities for deliberate democracy in Tshwane. The paper argues that to address these challenges, urban designers and local authority officials need to focus on both the process and product of urban design, through an emphasis on Spatial Democracy; to readdress governance practices, and Democratic Space; to redirect design practices, both of which have a significant impact on the use, misuse and lack of use of public space.

Ensuring quality education? Low-fee private schools and government regulation in three sub-Saharan African capitals

Low-fee private schools are currently relied upon by many low-income families, particularly in urban areas under-served by government. A common response includes calls for effective regulation if they are to be allowed to operate. This paper goes beyond the common theoretically-based perspectives and documents key stakeholders’ experiences, and finds that Ministries of Education in three African capital cities are failing in their roles as regulators of both government and private education. Unrealistic regulations and under-resourced inspectorates have resulted in patchy oversight systems of which rent-seeking has become an integral part, failing most school-going children.

Spatiotemporal analysis of urban growth in three African capital cities: A grid-cell-based analysis using remote sensing data

Spatiotemporal analysis of urban growth patterns and dynamics is important not only in urban geography but also in landscape and urban planning and sustainability studies. Based on remote sensing-derived land-cover maps and LandScan population data of two time points (ca. 2000 and 2014), this study examines the spatiotemporal patterns and dynamics of the urban growth of three rapidly urbanizing African capital cities, namely, Bamako (Mali), Cairo (Egypt) and Nairobi (Kenya). A grid-cell-based analysis technique was employed to integrate the LandScan population and land-cover data, creating grid maps of population density and the density of each land-cover category. The results revealed that Bamako's urban (built-up) area has been expanding at a rate of 5.37% per year. Nairobi had a lower annual expansion rate (4.99%), but had a higher rate compared to Cairo (2.79%). Bamako's urban expansion was at the expense of its bareland and green spaces (i.e., cropland, grassland and forest), whereas the urban expansions of Cairo and Nairobi were at the cost of their bareland. In all three cities, there was a weak, but significant positive relationship between urban expansion (change in built-up density) and population growth (change in population density). Overall, this study provides an overview of the spatial patterns and dynamics of urban growth in these three African capitals, which might be useful in the context of urban studies and landscape and urban planning.

Perspectives on South-South relations: China's presence in Africa

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the broad questions on China's presence in Africa from the perspectives on South-South relations. More generally, China has a diffuse and growing presence in Africa through trade relations, as the importation of various consumer goods is highly visible in most African capital cities, and numerous smaller towns. The racial problem is compounded by the prevalence of a sinophobic media in which a racial hierarchy constructs the China below whites, albeit with blacks being relegated to the bottom. Yet there are empirically observable racist tendencies amongst the Chinese settlers towards Africans, although this is often overstated. China has become influential in Africa at the level of trade, investments and geo-political relations, but it is far from being a hegemonic recolonizer. Moreover, Africa is increasingly militarized, but China is not substantially engaged at this level. The paper concludes by suggest that much more research is necessary in the future in terms of understanding South-South international relations, so that many more people learn more about countries in the Global South and their complex set of interactions. This requires various African intellectual networks to re-visit the Bandung spirit and reconstruct the idea of non-alignment and solidarity.

Feminization of the medical workforce in low-income settings; findings from surveys in three African capital cities.

BackgroundWomen represent an increasingly growing share of the medical workforce in high-income countries, with abundant research focusing on reasons and implications of the phenomenon. Little evidence is available from low- and middle-income countries, which is odd given the possible repercussion this may have for the local supply of medical services and, ultimately, for attaining universal health coverage.MethodsDrawing from secondary analysis of primary survey data, this paper analyses the proportion and characteristics of female physicians in Bissau, Maputo and Praia, with the objective of gaining insights on the extent and features of the feminization of the medical workforce in low- and middle-income settings. We used descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric test to compare groups and explore associations between different variables. Zero-inflated and generalized linear models were employed to analyse the number of hours worked in the private and public sector by male and female physicians.Results and discussionWe show that although female physicians do not represent yet the majority of the medical workforce, feminization of the profession is under way in the three locations analysed, as women are presently over-represented in younger age groups. Female doctors distribute unevenly across medical specialties in the three cities and are absent from traditionally male-dominated ones such as surgery, orthopaedics and stomatology. Our data also show that they engage as much as their male peers in private practice, although overall they dedicate fewer hours to the profession, particularly in the public sector.ConclusionsWhile more research is needed to understand how this phenomenon affects rural areas in a broader range of locations, our work shows the value of exploring the differences between female and male physicians’ engagement with the profession in order to anticipate the impact of such feminization on national health systems and workforces in low- and middle-income countries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12960-015-0064-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

How do dual practitioners divide their time? The cases of three African capital cities

Health professionals dual practice has received increasing attention, particularly in the context of the universal health coverage movement. This paper explores the determinants of doctors' choices to become a dual practitioner and of dual practitioners' choices to allocate time to the private sector in the capital cities of Mozambique, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. The data are drawn from a survey conducted in 2012 among 329 physicians. We use a two-part model to analyse the decision of both public and private practitioners to become dual practitioners, and to allocate time between public and private sectors. We impute potential earnings in public and private practice by using nearest-neighbour propensity score matching.Our results show that hourly wage in the private sector, number of dependents, length of time as a physician, work outside city, and being a specialist with or without technology all have a positive association with the probability of being a dual physician, while number of dependents displays a negative sign. Level of salaries in the public sector are not associated with dual practice engagement, with important implications for attempts aimed at retaining professionals in the public sector through wage increases. As predicted by theory that recognises doctors' role in price setting, earnings rates are not significant predictors of private sector time allocation; personal characteristics of physicians appear more important, such as age, number of dependents, specialist without technology, specialist with technology, and three reasons for not working more hours in the private sector. Answers to questions about the factors that limit working hours in the private sector have significant predictive power, suggesting that type of employment in the private sector may be an underlying determinant of both dual practice engagement and time allocation decisions.

Number, Age Composition and School Achievements of Siblings in Two African Capital Cities

This paper uses biographical data from Dakar and Yaoundé, two large African cities, to study the link between number of siblings and school attainment. The data describe all fertility events experienced by parents and the number of siblings of each child over time. The average family size effect is estimated first. The family size effect at different ages is then estimated. The results show that, in Dakar, both the overall and age-specific effect of family size on education are negative and statistically significant. In Yaoundé, the overall effect is not significant, but negative effects at some schooling ages (between 14 and 17) are observed in this study. Finally, the negative impact of family size on school achievement seems to be driven more by elder siblings than by younger ones.

Patterns, determinants, impacts and policy implications of the spatial expansion of an African capital city: The Greater Gaborone example

Abstract Africa has experienced unprecedented rates of urban growth, at above 3% annually. This growth was accompanied not only by agglomeration economies and spread effects but negative externalities that impinge on the inhabitants and the natural resource base in the rural–urban transition zone. Already, cities occupy large geographical areas that are continually expanding. Botswana’s population is small with a recent urbanization history. However, it has recorded one of the highest urbanization levels (61%) and annual urban growth rates (2.5%). Unlike in most developed countries, the dynamics of peri-urbanization in Gaborone reflect a strong interplay of market and institutional factors. Actual population growth and demand for space has always defied projected forecasts. The country presents unique prospects for investigating patterns and processes that characterize urban growth and their intersecting environmental and policy implications for sustainable urbanization. The study utilizes a developmental approach based on spatial data to describe, interpret and analyse patterns and processes that determined the growth of Gaborone. It is evident that certain developments within the urban shadow of the city have been unregulated. In spite of the apparent ecological footprints resultant from the geographical manifestation of urban growth, legislative mitigation measures have rarely been implemented to promote sustainable urbanization.

Negotiating markets for health: an exploration of physicians’ engagement in dual practice in three African capital cities

Scarce evidence exists on the features, determinants and implications of physicians’ dual practice, especially in resource-poor settings. This study considered dual practice patterns in three African cities and the respective markets for physician services, with the objective of understanding the influence of local determinants on the practice. Forty-eight semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in the three cities to understand features of the practice and the respective markets. A survey was carried out in a sample of 331 physicians to explore their characteristics and decisions to work in public and private sectors. Descriptive analysis and inferential statistics were employed to explore differences in physicians’ engagement in dual practice across the three locations. Different forms of dual practice were found to exist in the three cities, with public physicians engaging in private practice outside but also inside public facilities, in regulated as well as unregulated ways. Thirty-four per cent of the respondents indicated that they worked in public practice only, and 11% that they engaged exclusively in private practice. The remaining 55% indicated that they engaged in some form of dual practice, 31% ‘outside’ public facilities, 8% ‘inside’ and 16% both ‘outside’ and ‘inside’. Local health system governance and the structure of the markets for physician services were linked to the forms of dual practice found in each location, and to their prevalence. Our analysis suggests that physicians’ decisions to engage in dual practice are influenced by supply and demand factors, but also by how clearly separated public and private markets are. Where it is possible to provide little-regulated services within public infrastructure, less incentive seems to exist to engage in the formal private sector, with equity and efficiency implications for service provision. The study shows the value of analysing health markets to understand physicians’ engagement in professional activities, and contributes to an evidence base for its regulation.

Fertility goal-based counseling increases contraceptive implant and IUD use in HIV-discordant couples in Rwanda and Zambia

BackgroundHIV-discordant heterosexual couples are faced with the dual challenge of preventing sexual HIV transmission and unplanned pregnancies with the attendant risk of perinatal HIV transmission. Our aim was to examine uptake of two long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods — intrauterine devices (IUD) and hormonal implants — among HIV-discordant couples in Rwanda and Zambia. Study DesignWomen were interviewed alone or with their partner during routine cohort study follow-up visits to ascertain fertility goals; those not pregnant, not infertile, not already using LARC, and wishing to limit or delay fertility for ≥3 years were counseled on LARC methods and offered an IUD or implant on-site. ResultsAmong 409 fertile HIV-discordant Rwandan women interviewed (126 alone, 283 with partners), 365 (89%) were counseled about LARC methods, and 130 (36%) adopted a method (100 implant, 30 IUD). Of 787 fertile Zambian women interviewed (457 alone, 330 with partners), 528 (67%) received LARC counseling, of whom 177 (34%) adopted a method (139 implant, 38 IUD). In both countries, a woman's younger age was predictive of LARC uptake. LARC users reported fewer episodes of unprotected sex than couples using only condoms. ConclusionsIntegrated fertility goal-based family planning counseling and access to LARC methods with reinforcement of dual-method use prompted uptake of IUDs and implants and reduced unprotected sex among HIV-discordant couples in two African capital cities.

City and Nation in an African Context

Despite the manifest failings of the Congolese state since independence, its inability to deliver services or to promote the status or prestige of its population, the educated minority of citizens of the capital city, Kinshasa, continue to cling to a notion of the unified state as an ideal that is closely tied to their own sense of self in the world. At its peak, it was a city especially of display and consumption that nourished this sense. The city was the site of the creation of this class par excellence. The particular hold of the state as an ideal comes not out of some inherently African trait but in consequence of the conjuncture of class plus the particular way in which Kinshasa has evolved by contrast with other African capital cities and the DRC by contrast with other African countries.

Tracing the utility of injury surveillance data in Pretoria (South Africa) and Borås (Sweden)

Our research attempted to study the factors that influenced the use of injury data in two cities, representing different injury and socio-economic profiles. In Pretoria, the South African capital city, injury data uptake was constrained by, among other factors, the transitional institutional environment, stakeholders' suspicion of research and the absence of safety promotion champions. In the Swedish city of Borås, injury data uptake was facilitated by well-established research agency–municipality partnerships, injury prevention champions, a receptive political and knowledge driven environment and dedicated resources. The study signified the role of a range of content issues, contextual arrangements, social actors who may or may not operate from a perspective of sufficient consensus and institutional communication processes that may either facilitate or hinder the multiple employment and rapid movement of data along the ‘ladder of knowledge utilisation’. Safety promotion researchers may need to expand their roles beyond data production to improve data utility.

User Agency in the Middle Range: Rumors and the Reinvention of the Internet in Accra, Ghana

This article is an analysis of rumors about Internet scamming told by Internet café users in the West African capital city of Accra, Ghana. Rumors provided accounts of how the Internet can be effectively operated by young Ghanaians to realize ‘‘big gains’’ through foreign connections. Yet these accounts were contradicted by the less promising direct experiences users had at the computer interface. Rumors amplified evidence of wildly successful as well as especially harmful encounters with the Internet. Rather than simply transferring information, through the telling of rumors, Internet users reclaimed a social stability that was disrupted by the presence of the Internet. These stories cast young Ghanaian Internet users as both good and effective in relation to the Internet. The study of accounts as they relate to the activities accounted for is an established area of interest in social theory. By considering how rumors function as accounts and how such interpretations of the technology are propagated among users, this analysis contributes to a broader understanding of user agency.

Patience and action pays: a comparative analysis of WSS reforms in three East African cities

There have been significant efforts in the last 15 years to improve performance in water supply and sewerage services (WSS) operations of most cities in Africa. This has called for a number of reforms. WSS utilities in the three East African capital cities have been among the list that has undertaken such reform. Consequently, a number of legislative, institutional and managerial reforms, all aimed at creating good enabling environments to drive performance, have been undertaken. This paper outlines some of these reforms in WSS operations of the three capital cities of Kampala, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. We present, amongst other things, the key reform drivers, reforms undertaken, achievements and underlying success factors. We conclude that there is need to synergise the use of incentives, strong leadership, managerial autonomy and accountability as important buttresses for successful reforms. In doing all this, political support and, indeed, support from other stakeholders is important. We also note that reforms need time, adequate stakeholder mapping and incorporation of significant local capacity development to be fully effective.

Day labourers in Pretoria, Windhoek and the United States - a comparison of two capitals and a different world

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to compare the economic dynamics of day labouring in two Southern African capital cities, namely Windhoek and Pretoria, against the background of the experiences of day labourers in a developed country such as the United States. Problem investigated: People waiting at the side of the road, hoping to obtain a piece job for the day, is a typical phenomenon in a situation where people are forced to venture into the informal sector to generate an income. Day labour is a national and international phenomenon that seems to be on the increase. Literature on the similarities and differences across different geographical areas and levels of economic development is limited, however. Approach: For the purpose of this study, day labourers in Pretoria were the subject of a case study which was compared with studies done in Windhoek and the United States during the same period, namely 2003 to 2004. The general demographics of day labourers in these two cities were investigated, as well as their employment history and the income earned. Findings and implications: Day labourers in Pretoria and Windhoek were mainly male, fairly young, generally low skilled, earning low and uncertain levels of income and working under harsh conditions. This corresponds to the demographic characteristics of day labourers in the United States. In both the United States and Southern Africa, day labour pays poorly. It was found that day labourers seldom earn more than the subsistence level of income for the respective countries discussed in this paper. A significant portion of day labourers in Pretoria, Windhoek and the United States previously held formal sector jobs. The biggest difference is to be found in the future prospects of day labourers. The opportunity for day labourers in the United States to make the transition into the formal sector of the economy is far better than for their counterparts in Southern Africa.Value of the research: The paper expands existing knowledge of day labouring as part of the informal labour market. This is important given the significance of the informal sector in South Africa and Africa at large. It provides a comparison between experiences of the same activity in a developed country and in two cities in developing countries, illustrating important similarities and differences in this regard. Conclusion: Day labour is a complex phenomenon, and a number of problems, violations and abuses may be found in this sector of the labour market. In order to address these issues successfully, the particular set of circumstances facing day labourers in different areas must be accounted for.

Paradox of African Capital Cities: Case Study of global capitalism and urban poor in Lagos and Abuja Capital Cities in Nigeria.

The Western and Asian methods of studying African capitals suffer from conceptual and methodological problems. The Arabs and colonialists asserted that the beginning of history in Africa started with the coming of Arabs, and that the formation of African elites and urban development were mainly the initiatives of colonial governments. Europeans and Arabs created the notion that African Capitals became internationally significant only with the colonial policies and economy, which in turn enriched and empowered Africans. They did not focus on the much benefits Arabs and colonial governments, the Multi-National Corporations [MNCs] and European private businessmen derived there from the capitals. They over-emphasized the social mobility of the poor and progress of the elite in the cities. Considering the extent of the capitalist activities, African capitals served more the interest of the international communities. Thus, it is equally important to examine for whom the capitals exist. African Research Review Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 1-13