Commission For Africa Research Articles

O potencial da Guiné-Bissau para a economia azul: o caso das Ilhas Bijagós

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA, 2014)¹, the importance of ocean and coastal areas is fundamental for the six African states considered by the United Nations to be Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mauritius and the Seychelles.Guinea-Bissau is a country with a total coastline of 28,120 square kilometres and an estimated 80 islands located in its coastal waters, making it a key player in leading the transition to the blue economy on the African continent. Of the six African states considered as SIDS, Guinea-Bissau has the largest population, of around 1.6 million inhabitants, and the largest geographical area.The aim of this paper is to analyse the various sectors of the Blue Economy in Guinea-Bissau, developing a diagnosis of needs and a set of recommendations to promote the optimisation of maritime resources.Firstly, a geographical overview of Guinea-Bissau will be presented. Secondly, an argument will be developed to defend Guinea-Bissau's potential as one of Africa's main players in the area of the Blue Economy. This will be followed by a needs assessment of Guinea-Bissau's various Blue Economy sectors, namely: (1) the state of maritime transport; (2) tourism and Guinea-Bissau's natural capital; (3) fisheries; (4) fossil maritime energy; and (5) renewable energies.Following this diagnosis of the needs of Guinea-Bissau in general, the case of the Bijagós Archipelago, a group of islands in Guinea-Bissau considered a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve protected area since 1996, will be analysed in greater detail.¹ UNECA, 2014.

Understanding the value of rehabilitation: Perspectives from South African Stakeholders.

The need for rehabilitation in South Africa has doubled between 1990 and 2017 and is expected to increase in the coming years. However, the rehabilitation needs of South Africans (and globally) remain largely unmet. Establishing a common understanding of the value of rehabilitation can inform clinical practice and policymaking to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This study aims to explore the value of rehabilitation services in South Africa's public healthcare sector by gathering perspectives from stakeholders. The goal is to inform policy decisions related to the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa. The study used a phenomenological approach and interpretivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face, online, or telephonically with 12 stakeholders from various rehabilitation sectors. The value of rehabilitation was analysed and categorised into five main categories: context, service delivery, patient outcomes, economic and financial components, and collaboration within and between sectors. The value of rehabilitation was found to be multifaceted, because of the varying health, economic, and social challenges faced by many South Africans. The study identified components of value-based rehabilitation that should be prioritised in the proposed NHI of South Africa. Future research should explore all stakeholder perspectives, including patients, and provide empirical evidence of rehabilitation's economic and societal value. We highlight priority areas that are central to the value of rehabilitation in South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Tailoring rehabilitation services to patient and community needs is crucial for achieving value-based care. Given South Africa's commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, prioritising rehabilitation remains essential.

Assessment of socioeconomic and ecosystem services of the blue economy in Tanzania using the UNECA's Blue Economy Valuation Toolkit

Even though Tanzania has been engaging in domestic and international sea-based economic activities for centuries, there are no specific statistical data on the contribution of the blue economy to the Tanzania’s economy reinforcing the importance of this work. The purpose of this paper is to present economic, social, and ecosystem values that the blue economy resources generate in mainland Tanzania by using the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Blue Economy Valuation Toolkit (BEVTK). In 2020 the major blue economy industries in Tanzanian contributed USD 7.2 billion to the gross value added (GVA) and employed over 2 million individuals. The value of ecosystem services was approximately USD 104.24 billion in the year 2020, with large permanent freshwater lakes contributing significantly (74.87%). The Composite Social Index Value of BE was estimated at 48.64, indicating that the blue economy contributes positively to the social development of mainland Tanzania. Among the negative outcomes of social indicators, the BEVTK generated a youth unemployment (12.2%) and a gender inequality index (53.0). The BEVTK presented here can be applied to another country context where decision-makers have similar interests in assessing the blue economy components and their contribution to the national economy.

Mapping digital health ecosystems in Africa in the context of endemic infectious and non-communicable diseases

Investments in digital health technologies such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, and telemedicine may support Africa achieve United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal for Health by 2030. We aimed to characterize and map digital health ecosystems of all 54 countries in Africa in the context of endemic infectious and non-communicable diseases (ID and NCD). We performed a cross-national ecological analysis of digital health ecosystems using 20-year data from the World Bank, UN Economic Commission for Africa, World Health Organization, and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used to characterize ecological correlations between exposure (technology characteristics) and outcome (IDs and NCDs incidence/mortality) variables. Weighted linear combination model was used as the decision rule, combining disease burden, technology access, and economy, to explain, rank, and map digital health ecosystems of a given country. The perspective of our analysis was to support government decision-making. The 20-year trend showed that technology characteristics have been steadily growing in Africa, including internet access, mobile cellular and fixed broadband subscriptions, high-technology manufacturing, GDP per capita, and adult literacy, while many countries have been overwhelmed by a double burden of IDs and NCDs. Inverse correlations exist between technology characteristics and ID burdens, such as fixed broadband subscription and incidence of tuberculosis and malaria, or GDP per capita and incidence of tuberculosis and malaria. Based on our models, countries that should prioritize digital health investments were South Africa, Nigeria, and Tanzania for HIV; Nigeria, South Africa, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) for tuberculosis; DROC, Nigeria, and Uganda for malaria; and Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia for endemic NCDs including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, and malignancies. Countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique were also highly affected by endemic IDs. By mapping digital health ecosystems in Africa, this study provides strategic guidance about where governments should prioritize digital health technology investments that require preliminary analysis of country-specific contexts to bring about sustainable health and economic returns. Building digital infrastructure should be a key part of economic development programs in countries with high disease burdens to ensure more equitable health outcomes. Though infrastructure developments alongside digital health technologies are the responsibility of governments, global health initiatives can cultivate digital health interventions substantially by bridging knowledge and investment gaps, both through technology transfer for local production and negotiation of prices for large-scale deployment of the most impactful digital health technologies.

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA: Finance Ministers’ Meeting

Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 60, Issue 3 p. 24220A-24221A Continental Developments ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA: Finance Ministers’ Meeting First published: 05 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2023.11044.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume60, Issue3May 2023Pages 24220A-24221A RelatedInformation

An Index of African Monetary Integration (IAMI)

ABSTRACT This study improves the African Regional Integration Index (ARII) proposed by the African Union, the African Development Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa by providing a theoretical framework and addressing shortcomings related to the weighting and aggregation of the indicator. This article measures monetary integration in the eight African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) by constructing an Index of African Monetary Integration (IAMI). It proposes an optimal currency area as a theoretical framework and uses a panel approach to appreciate the dynamics of the index over different periods of time.

Analysis of Climate Change Mitigation on Small Holder Farmers Adoption of Agroforestry and Biodiversity, Nakuru County, Kenya

Climate change, which is taking place at a time of increasing demand for food and fuel, has the potential to irreversibly damage the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has revealed that Climate change impacts are already costing Africa 5 percent of its GDP. Smallholder farmers contribute significantly in agricultural production but their efforts to food and economic viability depend very much environmental factors mostly climate viability. Farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa are characterized by low productivity, environmental degradation and unsustainability. The main challenge of land use and agriculture is to increase the productivity in a sustainable manner. Improving productivity and bio-diversity should be a crucial focus of good farming practices and climate change mitigation. There are many compelling reasons to focus on smallholder farmers when considering the climate challenge. This paper discusses the practices adopted by small scale farmers on adoption of agroforestry in mitigating climate change in Nakuru County. The County is an agricultural area with many smallholder farmers. Food insecurity and biodiversity loss are some of the challenges encountered in the area owing to climate change. The research sampled three Sub-counties Subukia, Lare and Kuresoi selected purposefully.138 household farms were randomly selected from a target population of 2768 smallholder farmers of which, 46 were from each sub-county. A mixed methods approach was used in this study. Data collected was coded and filtered then analysed using statistical methods (percentages, distributions) and descriptive analysis. The research was undertaken to deepen the understanding of the relationships between a changing climate and agroforestry to enable those dealing with smallholder farmers develop appropriate mitigation and adaptation responses in addressing the impacts of climate change.

НОВІ ПРІОРИТЕТНІ НАПРЯМКИ ЗОВНІШНЬОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ ВЕЛИКОЇ БРИТАНІЇ В ПЕРІОД ПРЕМ’ЄРСТВА ТОНІ БЛЕРА

The article analyzes the state and perspectives for the further investigation of the foreign policy of the Prime Minister Tony Blair (1997–2007). It is noted that the attention to the problem is caused both by Great Britain’s support of Ukraine in resisting russian full-scale invasion, and by the high level of activity of T. Blair and his Institute for Global Change, which are actively engaged in the development of concepts regarding a new vision of the place of post-Brexit Great Britain in the world. At the same time, they support Ukraine, actively analyze the importance and impact of russia’s war against Ukraine on the international world and security situation. The work outlines the traditional and new investigations of foreign historians who multifacetedly have scrutinized and continue to research the problems of the foreign policy of Great Britain during the prime ministership of Tony Blair. The formed scientific discourse on the relations of Great Britain with the USA and the EU countries, the problem of Great Britain’s participation in the Iraq war is highlighted. This discourse is marked by a reassessment of observed events, the formation of non-conventional approaches to problems, which is of particular interest and provides prospects for further research. Ukrainian historians continue to research issues of Great Britain’s foreign policy. Emphasis in works devoted to T. Blair’s foreign policy is usually placed on issues of Great Britain’s relations with the USA and the EU, Great Britain’s participation in the Iraq War and a number of military conflicts. The urgent need to form a scientific discourse, systematic, active scientific discussion at conferences and round tables is stressed. The author reveals the aspects of the British foreign policy which have to be investigated in the Ukrainian historiography: the cooperation with the Latin American countries (economic and political motives and interests, for instance, his visit to the states of the region, he was the first British Prime Minister who visited Argentina since the Falklands War), Blair`s interest in the time of his premiership towards the African countries (the creation of the Commission for Africa in 2004) and, especially, his lobbying of the initiatives during his heading in the G8. The article emphasizes the active use of a number of tools of public diplomacy, mass media by T. Blair, his understanding of the world’s globalization trends, and active support of these trends through economic, political and other levers. Moreover, the aspects for the further investigation are mentioned and characterized.

9 - Digital Technologies and Election Management in Zimbabwe: Pseudo-democratic Transition and Contorted Delirium?


 
 
 This article examines the extent to which the adoption of biometric voter registration in election management in Zimbabwe has appeared a phantom on the horizon regarding democratisation. While the emergence of digitalised election management brought with it expectations of credible electoral processes and outcomes in a country with a history of rampant electoral malpractices in manually managed processes, the phenomenon is yet to yield positive results regarding democratisation in Zimbabwe. Despite the shift from manually managed electoral process to a digitalised approach, the quagmire of irregularities has persisted in Zimbabwean elections. This is largely attributable to the trajectory of governance in Zimbabwe which appears to militate against the exploitation of the opportunities presented by digital technologies in democratising elections in the county. This said, the conclusion drawn from this article is that the configuration of political power, particularly issues of the breach of the democratic principles of separation of power and separation of personnel, are disingenuous to technology-induced democratic transition to credible elections. Secondary research was used to obtain data for this article as data were gathered from books, journal articles, newspaper articles and institutional reports.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Torque Mude, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and Public Management, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. Research Fellow, Regional Integration and AfCFTA Cluster, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Kigali, Rwanda. Email: mudetorque@gmail.com; mudeta@staff.msu.ac.zw; torque.mude@un.org
 
 

Agenda 2063

Agenda 2063 was adopted on January 15, 2013, at the 24th Heads of State and Government Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). This was to reaffirm Africa's commitment to embracing Africa's diverse cultures and socio-political ethos, through political and economic collaboration.

Strengthening the competencies of policy makers for better use of data in public policy design1

Statistical literacy is one of the main areas of work of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST) established in 2017. While the scope of statistical literacy initiatives will range greatly from those intended for school children and teachers to those aimed at media representatives or general public, one of the areas where a dedicated Task Team of the GIST set out to undertake a more detailed analysis was related to the core data competencies for policy makers. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by UN member States has led to a growing awareness around the importance of timely, robust, quality and disaggregated data for informing public policies and decisions and providing a solid evidence to address a number of complex policy issues related to ensuring more equitable policy outcomes and more coherence decision-making across different dimensions of sustainable development and different levels of governance from global to national and local. This article presents the results of a survey conducted by the GIST Task Team on Statistical Literacy back in 2018 with the participation of policy makers from various UN Member States, reviews core data competencies for policy makers, presents the free, self-paced e-learning course developed by UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), UN Statistics Division and UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) with support from the Swiss Government and using UNITAR’s Quality Assurance Framework, and discusses the ongoing work of the GIST on the inventory of statistical literacy initiatives as a new product developed by the dedicated Task Team.

Violence, Insecurity and Marginality in Pastoralist Spaces: The Horn of Africa and the Sahel Regions

The pastoral world is defined by the prevalence of war, various forms of insecurity and lack of development, which constitutes violence in all its forms: direct war violence, structural violence (emanating from economic alienation and marginalisation, political repression, poverty, destitution and climatic vulnerability) and cultural violence (bias towards and the securitisation of pastoralist economic and social system). In effect, in human security parlance, the violation of freedom from fear and freedom from want is prevalent that it appears inherent to the nature of the pastoral way of being. The pastoral way of life is considered as an ephemeral state of encroachment of modern nation-state institutions. Therefore, pastoralist-state relations have always been strained. Their precarious existence on the fringe of every state they form part of is consequently considered as normalcy for pastoralists until their livelihood, socio-economic and political system is transformed into the dominant socio-economic and political systems the states are built on. The pastorialist conception of their livelihood and the entirety of their view of 'good life' is denigrated and their voice silenced. By reflecting on the book entitledS in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, this review article examines violence in pastoral society.

Effects of Flexible Working Arrangement on Job Satisfaction

The rapid trend of changes and social issues in managing the global workforce has forced organizations to look for innovative ways of enhancing the job satisfaction of employees. Among these innovative approaches is the provision of Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs). The purpose of this exploratory research was to identify the effects of FWAs, i.e., flextime schedule, compressed workweek, and telecommuting on job satisfaction from the perspective of the Ethiopian national employees of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa. To achieve this objective both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted. The total population of the study was 250; out of which, 71% of responses were collected. A primary data collection method was implemented using a structured questionnaire. The analysis showed that there is significant positive effect of flextime schedule (R = .39, R2 = .264, p = .001) and compressed workweek (R = .39, R2 = .159, p = .039). This means that increase in the use of flextime schedules and compressed workweek enhances job satisfaction for employees of the ECA in Addis Ababa. The independent variables reported R = .39 and R2 = .15 which means that 15% of corresponding variations in employee job satisfaction can be explained by flexible working arrangements. Nevertheless, this study found out that there are no significant relationship of telecommuting (R = .39, R2 = .065, p = .398) on job satisfaction. Therefore, since the provision of FWAs is at the nascent stage, further studies on the effect of telecommuting on job satisfaction from Ethiopian employees context are highly recommended.

Togo

A technical assistance (TA) mission led by Mr. Fahd Ndiaye, Resident Adviser in Real Sector Statistics for AFRITAC West, visited Lomé from January 27 to 31, 2020, to assess the national accounts for the new base year 2016 with the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies. (INSEED). These accounts were prepared in accordance with the System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA). The proceedings took the form of a workshop with representatives of the World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB),the Statistical and Economic Observatory of Sub-Saharan Africa (AFRISTAT), the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). This report is largely based on the aide-memoire signed with the country and partners.

COVID-19 across Africa: Colonial Hangovers, Racial Hierarchies, and Medical Histories

Abstract In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, few journalists or scholars in Europe and North America paid much attention to how people or governments were responding to SARS-coV-2 anywhere in Africa. As the pandemic progressed, in fact, key agencies—from the World Economic Forum to the Economic Commission for Africa to the Global Health Security Index—all predicted or implied that there would be catastrophic fatality rates in African countries. Two French scientists shared these assumptions, going on live television on April 1 to discuss whether the BCG tuberculosis vaccine might protect people from the worst effects of COVID-19 and proposing new BCG vaccine trials in “Africa” because, they alleged, protections would be minimal and infection rates high, offering ideal conditions to test their theories. This article takes the controversy that stemmed from the French scientists’ comments as a point of departure, connecting it to African medical and imperial histories, on the one hand, and more recent histories of randomized controlled trials and global (health) governance on the other. Between January and November 2020, African nations, peoples, and pan-African organizations did better with COVID-19 than any other region of the world. Yet, there are understandable—if insidious—reasons why the continent’s success stories have not reached wider audiences: they run so contrary to (outside) expectations and belie the implicit predictions of different country rankings in global health. This kind of strategic erasure gets reproduced time and again within global institutions, creating semipermanent obstacles to African nations’ (therapeutic) sovereignty and (medical) self-determination.

Addressing the challenges of implementing a Health Technology Assessment Policy Framework in South Africa.

South Africa's commitment to progressively achieve universal health coverage can lead to the effective and appropriate use of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to strengthen the healthcare system. The study aimed to analyze the challenges faced in the formal implementation and utilization of HTA in the public health sector. Review and analysis of health technology policies and legislation introduced in South Africa since 1965 serves as the backbone of this study. Walt and Gilson's health policy triangle framework and Kingdon's model were used for data analysis. In addition, a semi-structured survey was conducted among key stakeholders, including those attending HTA workshops that were held in 2016 and 2017. The document review identified appropriate legislative and policy framework for informing healthcare decisions. Survey participants (n = 55) reported limited political support, local capacity, and awareness of HTA as barriers to implementing HTA. They noted that adequate financial resources and availability and sharing of quality data are primary drivers for HTA development. Effective governance, collaboration, and cooperation between key stakeholders of the healthcare system were suggested as possible ways forward for the institutionalization of HTA. The South African government's goal to introduce the national health insurance program provides an excellent opportunity to formally introduce the use of HTA in decision making. Individual capacity development supported by institutional and organizational environments is urgently needed to achieve its full potential.

AFRICAN ECONOMIC PARADOX: INDUSTRIALIZATION CREATING JOBS AND ADDED VALUE OR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS: WHAT SOLUTIONS TO DEVELOP FOR THE LESS ADVANCED AND LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES LIKE BURKINA FASO?

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (2016) calls for resources for the implementation of the Action Plan for Accelerated Industrial Development in Africa, and states that: “Industrialization is essential for African countries as a means of increasing income, creating jobs, developing value-added activities and diversifying economies”. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the African Development Bank (AFDB), and the Organization for Cooperation and Economics Development (OCED, 2014, p. 16) explain the benefits to African countries’ participation in Global Value Chains (GVC) to industrialize without having to implement all stages of the chain. They add that the acquisition of new production capacities can allow countries and companies to move upmarket, which is to say to increase their share of value added in a GVC. But the opposite is the case, at least in some countries like Burkina Faso. We are witnessing a “specialization of primary products (cotton and non-monetary gold), to the detriment of manufacturing industry with high potential for multiplier effects on local economies” National Plan for Economic and Social Development of Burkina Faso (PNDES, 2017, p.12). Cusolito and al. (2016) mention that overcoming a series of obstacles (such as bad policies and governance, insufficient technology and skills) is the way to actively participate in GVCs. Yet OPEN it is these same obstacles that have always prevented the industrialization of Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa). The results show that the Global Value Chains (GVC) contribute to the creation of added value in developing countries what has an effect on industrialization

Will Africa be Devastated by Covid-19 as Many Predicted? Perspective and Prospective.

Viewpont on COVID-19.

An Index of African Monetary Integration (IAMI)

This study improves the African Regional Integration Index (ARII) proposed by the African Union, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa by providing a theoretical framework and addressing shortcomings related to weighting and aggregation of the indicator. This paper measures monetary integration in the eight African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) by constructing an Index of African Monetary Integration (IAMI). It proposes an Optimal Currency Area as theoretical framework and uses a panel approach to appreciate the dynamics of the index over different periods of time. The findings show that: (i) inflation and finance (trade and mobility) present the highest (lowest) score while ECOWAS is (EAC and IGAD are) the highest (least) performing. (ii) Surprisingly, in most RECs, the highest contributors to wealth creation are not the top performers in regional monetary integration. (iii) The RECs in Africa are characterized by a stable monetary integration which is different from the gradual process usually observed in monetary integration because with the exception of the EAC and UMA, the dynamics of IAMI show a steady trend in the overall index across time. Policy implications are discussed.

Africa’s Free Trade Area: An Assessment of the Readiness of Regional Economic Communities in Continental Integration

The recently launched (July 2019) African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose setup begun in 2015, is widely seen as the crucial driver for economic growth, industrialization and sustainable development in Africa. The concluded agreement establishing the AfCFTA provides rules that will govern the movement of merchandise and services across the continent. It sets up the institutional framework that will guide and regulate the CFTA implementation processes. There is a recognition that the current path of economic regionalism in Africa is encouraging but has serious fractures on the continent and the global trading system. In the attempt to achieve an overarching continental strategy for continuous development, there are vestiges of regional economic integration schemes, in the areas of multiple economic alliances, overlapping schemes, the non-implementation of protocols and many other fractures. In an attempt to alleviate these vestiges, the latest wave of continental innovation – AfCFTA – raises a long-standing conundrum for continental order: when are regional organizations useful, and even essential complements to the ends of continental governance for benefit, and when do they threaten or undermine the achievement of these goals? This paper’s contention is that regionalism within Africa is anchored on many theories of integration, among them are functionalism, neo-functionalism, and intergovernmentalism, and based on the European integration experience. But drawing lessons from the enormous, political and economic as well as, security challenges confronting the African Union (AU) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), how viable and ready can the RECs be used as ‘vehicles’ in support of the achievement of continental integration in Africa, when they are so ‘gullible’ themselves?