sub-Saharan Africa Experience Research Articles

Mitigating impacts of HIV/AIDS on rural livelihoods: NGO experiences in sub-Saharan Africa

HIV/AIDS is having profound impacts on livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. These include the deaths of working-age adults, the diversion of resources to caring, and the rupture of traditional chains of knowledge transmission. NGOs are responding by providing assistance to communities affected by the epidemic in the fields of agriculture, skills training, and microfinance, as well as by offering home care and support. A key feature of such initiatives is the focus on previously neglected groups such as women, school dropouts, and orphans. Factors of success include the use of participatory processes to identify target groups, and the involvement of local political leaders and adults trusted by young people in project activities. Challenges include improving monitoring systems, effectively disseminating lessons learned, and persuading donors, whose responses to the epidemic are currently focused on preventive and curative health services, to support livelihoods interventions as a matter of urgency.

Making the best of climatic variability: options for upgrading rainfed farming in water scarce regions

Coping with climatic variability for livelihood security is part of everyday life for rural communities in semi-arid and dry sub-humid savannas. Water scarcity caused by rainfall fluctuations is common, causing meteorological droughts and dry spells. However, this paper indicates, based on experiences in sub-Saharan Africa and India, that the social impact on rural societies of climatically induced droughts is exaggerated. Instead, water scarcity causing food deficits is more often caused by management induced droughts and dry spells. A conceptual framework to distinguish between manageable and unmanageable droughts is presented. It is suggested that climatic droughts require focus on social resilience building instead of land and water resource management. Focus is then set on the manageable part of climatic variability, namely the almost annual occurrence of dry spells, short 2-4 week periods of no rainfall, affecting farmer yields. On-farm experiences in savannas of sub-Saharan Africa of water harvesting systems for dry spell mitigation are presented. It is shown that bridging dry spells combined with soil fertility management can double and even triple on-farm yield levels. Combined with innovative systems to ensure maximum plant water availability and water uptake capacity, through adoption of soil fertility improvement and conservation tillage systems, there is a clear opportunity to upgrade rainfed farming systems in vulnerable savanna environments, through appropriate local management of climatic variability.

Year One of a new Partnership:UNESCO and UWI building the role of the Caribbean's education sector to respond to HIV/AIDS

On January 17, 2003, Helene-Marie Gosselin, Director of the UNESCO Office of the Caribbean, and Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for UNESCO and UWI to cooperate in the field of HIV/AIDS and Education, particularly in the areas of research, advocacy, training and publications. The MOU is one of the first of its kind for UNESCO globally. UNESCO was given specific responsibility by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 to support Member States - including those in the Caribbean - in the fight against the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS through its areas of competence: education, culture, communication and science. Regional organisations in the Caribbean, including UWI, equally have a role to play in fighting the epidemic. The new partnership between UNESCO and UWI was established to accelerate the response of one sector - Education - that has not been sufficiently active. While UNESCO is also working on several other fronts in this field, it views its cooperation with UWI as a particularly important strategy. This report, summarising accomplishment of the first year of cooperation, is appropriately carried in this special issue of Caribbean Quarterly, one of the instances of UNESCO-UWI collaboration. Enhancing UWI's capacity through international exchange. UNESCO enabled Michael Kelly, Professor of Education of the University of Zambia, to continue his work with UWI professors in development of a strategic framework for the response of the Caribbean's education sector to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, marrying two decades of experience of sub-Saharan Africa and the realities of this region. UNESCO also facilitated publication of the book that resulted: Education & HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean by Michael Kelly and Brendan Bain (reviewed by Alfred Sangster on page XX of this journal). UNESCO facilitated the presence of presidents of universities of Haiti and Guyana to interact with senior UWI administrators on HIV/AIDS at the UWI/UNESCO/UNICA-sponsored conference of October 2003 and also created an opportunity for dialogue between international HIV/AIDS Education specialist, Inon Schenker, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and UWI. Supporting UWI research. Two lines of preliminary research were initiated at the Mona Campus of UWI with UNESCO support, presumably among the first instances of research that assess the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on education in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Child Development Centre, in collaboration with the UWI HIV/AIDS Response Programme, HARP (in turn supported by the European Union), undertook a case study in the parish of St. James, Jamaica, of the epidemic's effect on early childhood education. The result is reported in this issue of CQ. The second research, still ongoing, is led by Professor Wilma Bailey (Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences) and Dr Affette McCaw-Binns (Faculty of Medicine) and assesses the impact of the epidemic on demand and supply for primary and secondary education in Jamaica. …

The road half traveled: agricultural market reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article reviews the extensive evidence on agricultural market reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa and summarises the impact reforms have had on market performance, agricultural production, use of modern inputs, and poverty. It offers eight recommendations for completing the reform process and developing a new agenda for agricultural markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. The reform experience in Sub-Saharan Africa has varied widely across countries and crop subsectors. The available evidence shows clear progress in some areas and mixed results in others. Most reforms were only partially implemented and policy reversal was common. Once implemented, however, reforms have increased competition and reduced marketing margins, benefiting both producers and consumers. Reforms have also boosted export crop production. On the other hand, food crop production has stagnated and yields have not improved. Further expansion of private trade is constrained by lack of access to credit, uncertainty about the government’s commitment to reform, and high transaction costs.

Sterility in Zambia

Background : Several regions such as Zambia in sub-Saharan Africa experience very high levels of sterility. Current explanations for high levels of sterility in Zambia have focused on biological determinants and have paid little attention to the plausible effects of social determinants of sterility. Aim : This study has two objectives. The first objective is to examine the extent of sterility in Zambia during 1980 and 1990. The second objective is to assess the contribution of selected social determinants to the current levels of sterility in Zambia. Subjects and methods : Sterility among women in Zambia is calculated for two periods in 1980 and 1990 using census data. The study used parity progression ratios for the calculation of sterility rates. Selected social determinants of Zambian sterility were obtained from the Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). Net effects of selected social determinants were examined using logistic regression. Results : High sterility levels were found in a few Zambian Provinces. During 1980 and 1990, the rates for North Western, Eastern and Western provinces remained considerably higher than for other Zambian provinces. It was found that social level variables remained strong and significant even after controlling for the effects of incidence of biological factors such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Conclusions : The findings of the study support the importance of developing social policies for eradicating sterility. The argument that sterility is biological and that it is not amenable to social interventions perhaps needs revision in the light of the findings of this study.

THROWING LIGHT ON CATS IN THE DARK: AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS

SUMMARY This paper explores some of the policy and institutional choices to which the agricultural economics profession has most to contribute over the coming few years. The starting point of the paper is that policy needs to address aims of both efficiency and greater diversity within the sector, diversity being seen broadly as involving a wider range of participants in terms of ethnicity, gender, and aims and resources, as well as large, medium and small producing and service enterprises. The policy agenda is defined (section II) in terms of three linked elements: the analysis and choice of policy and defining a strategic vision; the reform of institutions and organisations; and public expenditure management. In all of these, the paper suggests there is an active role for economists. Policy analysis is discussed in section III. No single definition is found which adequately captures the complex of activities involved. The relationship between political and technical dimensions of policy analysis is disc...

Current controversies in the perinatal transmission of HIV in developing countries

The HIV pandemic has posed unique scientific challenges to develop new technologies and therapeutic interventions. However, the profound societal impact and global urgency for a response have added an exceptional dimension to the crisis. The result has been a melting pot of opinions and approaches. Laboratory scientists contend with issues of behaviour and global economies, while politicians grapple with the effectiveness of drug regimes. Inevitably, controversy has arisen on issues of scientific rigour, the ethics of international disparities, and the application of technology in widely differing contexts and cultures. This article reviews some of these sensitive issues based on experience in sub-Saharan Africa. The HIV pandemic has posed unique scientific challenges to develop new technologies and therapeutic interventions. However, the profound societal impact and global urgency for a response have added an exceptional dimension to the crisis. The result has been a melting pot of opinions and approaches. Laboratory scientists contend with issues of behaviour and global economies, while politicians grapple with the effectiveness of drug regimes. Inevitably, controversy has arisen on issues of scientific rigour, the ethics of international disparities, and the application of technology in widely differing contexts and cultures. This article reviews some of these sensitive issues based on experience in sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa

This paper examines the experience of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to answer the question of whether the region is at a turning point in its economic fortunes. The improvement in growth reflects in part a rise in the utilization of existing capacity. To be sustained, however, a high rate of growth will require an increase in investment rates and/or an increase in total factor productivity—i.e., an improvement in the technological, political, administrative and economic factors that raise the rate of return on both capital and labor. The close link between investment and growth in developing countries over the long term is evident in the empirical growth literature. For developing countries in general, the elasticity of growth with respect to the investment/GDP ratio has been found to lie within the range of 0.3–0.5. Although increasing investment is crucial, action is also needed in many complementary areas in order to raise productivity and growth.

Rates and risk factors for mortality during the first two years of life in rural Malawi

Developing nations in sub-Saharan Africa experience childhood mortality rates that are much higher than any other region of the world. In a rural Malawian community we investigated risk factors for deaths occurring during the neonatal (birth-28 days), postneonatal (29-365 days), infant (birth-365 days), and second-year (366-730 days) periods among a cohort of 3,724 infants monitored from birth. The neonatal mortality rate in this cohort was 48.6 per 1,000 live births (LB); the postneonatal mortality rate was 108.7/1,000 LB. The overall infant mortality rate was 157.3 deaths/1,000 LB and the mortality rate for the first two years of life was 223.7 deaths/1,000 LB. The predominate risk factors for neonatal deaths identified in multivariate analysis were low (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.3) and very low birth weight (HR = 12.7), first pregnancy (HR = 1.8) and maternal syphilis infection (HR = 2.4). Maternal infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HR = 1.5) predominated for postneonatal deaths. Low (HR = 1.4) and very low (HR = 5.0) birth weight, first pregnancy (HR = 1.6), maternal HIV infection (HR = 2.4), and the combination of low education and low socioeconomic status (SES) of the mother (HR = 2.0) were the most important factors during the infant period. Maternal HIV infection (HR = 3.3) and the combination of low education and low SES of the mother (HR = 2.6) were the predominate risk factors for mortality occurring during the second year. Factors that were significant in univariate analysis but not significant in the final multivariate models included prematurity, previous adverse reproductive outcome, dying during high malaria transmission season, and being born at home. Interventions to prevent maternal HIV infection and low birth weight and treatment of syphilis infection would have a great impact on reducing early childhood deaths. Improving the delivery of health care and education to women during their first pregnancy and to the most socially disadvantaged women may also help reduce the burden of early childhood mortality in communities such as the one studied in Malawi.

Planning law in Sub-Saharan Africa — A focus on the experiences in Southern and Eastern Africa

This paper is a review of planning law experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a specific focus on Southern and Eastern Africa. It reviews the colonial inheritance and how it has been transformed in the post-colonial period. It highlights the need for planning laws to be relevant to current community needs and the need to empower those who use it. Law should not be seen as a hindrance but as a guide to social action.

Devaluation and monetary policy with import compression

The consequences of exchange rate and monetary policies are investigated under two foreign exchange regimes. The analysis is motivated by the experiences in sub-Saharan Africa. The supply side of the open economy model developed by Buffle (1986) is modified to take into account the import dependency of the region. In the first regime, with endogenous foreign savings, overvalued exchange rate and expansionary monetary policy tend to increase the current account deficit. In the second regime, when intermediate imports are rationed to handle the foreign exchange shortage, overvaluation and monetary expansion are shown to be likely sources of output contraction. The cost of policy reorientation is reduced investment.

The imperial experience in sub-Saharan Africa since 1870. By Henry S. Wilson. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press1977. xv, 415p., bibl., maps. £14.00

The imperial experience in sub-Saharan Africa since 1870. By Henry S. Wilson. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press1977. xv, 415p., bibl., maps. £14.00

The Imperial Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870

The Imperial Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870

European Empires in Africa - The Imperial Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870. By Henry S. Wilson. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press and Oxford University Press, 1977. Pp. xv + 415. £14.00.

European Empires in Africa - The Imperial Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870. By Henry S. Wilson. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press and Oxford University Press, 1977. Pp. xv + 415. £14.00.

The Imperial Experience of Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870

The Imperial Experience of Sub-Saharan Africa since 1870

Collaboration in open and distance learning: The realities of policy implementation in the Africa region

In this article the Sub-Saharan Africa region's attempt to implement open and distance learning collaboration programmes, in line with the ideals of the World Declaration on Education for All (WDEFA), are discussed. The discussion is based on an analysis of the WDEFA policy; participation in, minutes and reports of the Multi-Channel Learning Base (MCLB) initiative; and a brief review of the literature on policy and ODL collaboration. The conclusions drawn from this analysis are that: the WDEFA was a useful policy on international collaboration for meeting basic learning needs; the MCLB initiative, though laudable in having shared in three regional activities of ODL experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and having developed a regional ODL programme of action, was unsuccessful in implementing collaborative programmes in the region. The reasons for the MCLB's failure relate to unrealistic timeframes, lack of resources, preference for national rather than international programmes, and the proposed location of the MCLB.