Governments In Sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Institutional systems and quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examined the impact of institutional systems drawn from economic and political institutions on the quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa. A panel data of thirty-seven Sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2007 to 2021 sourced from the World Bank database and Heritage Foundation. A two-step system-Generalised Method of Movement (GMM) technique was employed to estimate the model. The Sargan test for over-identification restriction and the Arellano-Bond test for second-order serial correlation were conducted. The study reveals that there is a positive relationship between the institutional systems and the quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study concluded that, for the quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve, the government in Sub-Saharan Africa should implement laws and policies that will strengthen the existing institutions to improve the quality of life of the people.

Transport and Electricity Infrastructures and Economic Growth and Development in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

Economic postulations suggest that the interrelationship between changes in incomes, capital and labour which can be substituted into macroeconomic neoclassical and steady-state growth theories drives economic development. Arising from the above economic axiom, this study investigated the impact of transport and electricity infrastructures on economic development and growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The study used panel data from fifteen (15) sub-Saharan African countries. Panel data were obtained from statistical bulletins of the various countries and World Bank Indicators (WBI) from 2000-2022. Data obtained were analyzed via descriptive, diagnostic and inferential statistics. Specifically, the fixed and random effects regression revealed that while there is a significant relationship between transportation and electricity infrastructures and economic growth, an insignificant relationship was found between transportation and electricity infrastructures and economic development in the selected sub-Saharan African countries. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that governments in sub-Saharan Africa needs to increase their contributions and support for electricity and transportation infrastructures; this can be done by increasing budgetary allocation for critical infrastructures in countries of sub-Saharan Africa

Dwindling funds and increased responsibilities: Decentralization, unfunded mandates, and Harare's infrastructure crisis

Zimbabwe's capital city, Harare, faces severe infrastructural challenges. The city is presented with major constraints in its ability to adequately provide services for its growing population while losing essential streams of revenue required for infrastructural maintenance and development. This occurs in the context of the decentralization from the Zimbabwean national government to its cities. Cities like Harare are tasked with mandates to govern but are not provided the adequate financial means nor support to sustain their population or aging infrastructure. In this paper, we study this issue by conducting a broad literature review on decentralization and unfunded urban mandates, before narrowing our focus to decentralization and urban governance in sub-Saharan Africa. We then interrogate Harare as a case study, drawing on two rounds of interviews in 2015 and 2022 to identify key aspects of Harare's infrastructure crisis, which we tie to its unfunded mandates. We conducted 51 semi-structured expert interviews, and 4 extensive focus groups with a total of 32 people in order to revisit key themes that were prevalent during the first round of interviews. This was complemented by a review and analysis of national and city budgets and other relevant reports to demonstrate trends on revenue generation, capital expenditure and dynamics around intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFTs). We offer novel insights into Harare's infrastructure crisis, while also raising several urban financing and decentralization themes that are applicable from a global perspective.

Does trade openness improve or worsen public governance in sub-Saharan Africa?

The literature on the effect of trade openness on public governance shows contrasting results. Using a renewed empirical strategy, we contribute to the understanding of this indeterminacy by studying the influence of trade openness on public governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. We also examine how this effect varies with structural characteristics that may be subject to reforms. In this respect, we use an original measure of trade openness. We consider public governance and its three dimensions, namely economic governance, political governance, and institutional governance. Overall, we find that trade openness improves public governance, political governance, and economic governance. On the other hand, it worsens institutional governance. Moreover, these effects of trade openness on the dimensions of public governance depend on the defined levels of technology transfer, foreign direct investment, and natural resources. Our results are robust to different openness and governance indicators, alternative specifications, study periods, endogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence. Above all, they highlight the interest of dissociating public governance to understand the contrast observed in the empirical literature.

Linking foreign direct investment to financial deepening: Evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractIn this study, the nexus between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and financial deepening is critically examined. The study employed a robust dynamic panel cross‐sectionally augmented distributed lag method for 31 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). The results reveal that: (1) a strong significantly positive long run impact of FDI on financial deepening exists; (2) real gross domestic product (GDP), trade openness and government effectiveness stimulate the positive FDI–financial deepening nexus; (3) the strength of the FDI–financial deepening nexus also depends on the percentile position in the income distribution of SSA countries (countries in the upper strata of the income distribution evidently had stronger FDI–financial deepening relations than those in the lower strata and (4) real GDP, trade openness and government effectiveness also enhance financial deepening in SSA. The study recommends that governments in SSA should foster fiscal, financial and regulatory incentives for attracting FDI for improved financial depth in SSA by: strengthening the regulatory frameworks and institutions of governance through the removal of unwarranted governmental interferences in the administration of justice and electoral processes; removing multiple tax regimes; and stabilizing prices and exchange rate volatility via stimulating local productivity and guaranteeing the rule of law, political stability and security of life and property in the region.

Creating sustainable public private partnerships through corporate governance in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

Governments of Sub Saharan African (SSA) countries have struggled to successfully invest in capital intensive projects. As such, public private partnerships play a key role in redefining the role of Government in the context of infrastructure projects, by focusing on supervision and regulation and moving away from direct ownership and management. Sub Saharan African countries have seen such inclusive partnerships yielding some numerous benefits in different sectors. However, despite the salubrious benefits that PPPs have brought in different projects, PPPs in SSA countries are still dogged by a myriad of administrative, technical, financial and legal challenges. These corporate governance related challenges have made it difficult for these SSA governments to glean the full benefits of PPPs. The study is informed by the qualitative methodology with an extensive review of literature. Data was gathered from purposively selected written documents and these documents were analysed using thematic and content analysis techniques. The study established that there are some corporate governance deficiencies in most PPP projects in the SSA countries. Additionally, most of these public projects in the SSA lack adequate good corporate governance attention that is given to the PPP procedures and processes involved. The study therefore recommends that there is need for the full adoption of good corporate governance systems, practices, processes and procedures in the PPPs designing, financing, implementation and operationalisation in SSA.

The role of trust as an informal social mechanism for contract enforcement among young women microenterprises in financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to establish whether trust plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The main focus of this paper is to specifically test whether relational social capital built by young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups can be more effective in promoting economic exchange in under-developed financial markets since interpersonal trust has recently been found to harbor group collusion, especially among kins. Overall, the paper distinguishes trust among individuals based on their age, gender and ethnic diversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study used structural equation model to test whether trust significantly mediates the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises using Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS) based on recommendations by Hair et al. (2022) and Baron and Kenny (1986).FindingsThe findings from this study revealed that trust significantly and positively mediate the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Trust developed from relational social capital among young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups create a stronger basis for economic exchange in under-developed financial markets.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study generates a positive evidence on the impact of access to microcredit on survival of young women microenterprises, the results cannot be over emphasized and generalized because the data were collected from only a single developing country. Future research may extend the current study to include other developing countries to make a more justified comprehensive analysis.Practical implicationsThe findings from this study highlights the importance of using a blend of social policy guided by norms combined with formal regulations as an informal contract enforcement mechanism to achieve efficient economic exchange in under-developed financial markets. Relational social capital formed on the basis of informal norms among groups from diverse population can supplement formal laws to enforce contractual obligations in microcredit access, especially among youthful microentrepreneurs, who seems to have stronger relational behaviors than adults. Financial institutions such as banks should use informal contract enforcement system to increase the scope of financial inclusion of young microentrepreneurs, especially in unbanked rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive where formal laws are weak and sometimes not functional. The findings also show that younger people have a stronger relationship behavior than adults. Therefore, policy should create structures that can promote social activities among youth. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive through their respective Ministry of Gender, Labour and Youth Affairs should create youth clubs that can increase interaction and relational social capital among the younger population to derive economic empowerment. sub-Saharan African governments, Uganda inclusive should rely more on social policy based on relational social capital as a missing link to promote and achieve economic development.Originality/valueThis paper provides an evidence on the unique role of age, gender and ethnicity in information sharing and exchange based on social policy in the financial market to limit group collusion. The authors indicate that diversity in relational social capital among young women microentrepreneurs prohibit strategic defaults, which promotes access to microcredit for survival of women micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through socialization. High level of interaction among younger women microentrepreneurs from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups allow them to close the information gap to timely meet borrowing contractual obligations to derive economic benefits. The paper shows that younger women have more trust than older women while searching for economic value through socialization. In fact, social policy can wholly supplement formal policy to promote growth and survival of young women microenterprises, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive.

Land tenure, information sources and climate variability adaptation strategies: evidence from southern Ghana

ABSTRACT This article makes two central arguments to advance inconclusive literature in relevant extant research related to agriculture adaptation and climate change in the global south. First, it argues a relationship exists between land tenure and climate variability adaptation strategies. Second, it argues climate information sources influence climate variability adaptation strategies. Drawing on 150 smallholder farmers in southern Ghana, using a mixed methods paradigm, we answer two research questions: What is the relationship between land ownership and climate variability adaptation strategies? What are the sources of climate variability information that inform adaptation strategies? The findings show that land ownership positively correlates with mixed cropping, use of organic manure, and irrigation. Radio, agricultural extension agents, peer farmers, and families constitute major sources of climate information that influence climate variability adaptation strategies. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can implement land administration initiatives that ensures secured land tenure and engender long-term capital-intensive agricultural investments.

Effect of governance on investment: Evidence from Sub-Sahara Africa

<abstract> <p>In this study, we investigated the impact of institutional quality on private and public investments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using a sample of forty-one (41) countries between 2002–2021 using a system GMM. Using seven proxies of institutional variables, the results showed that all the institutional proxies had a positive and significant effect on private investment and a negative effect on public investment. We argued that higher institutional quality reduced the costs of doing business, increased investor confidence in the economy, and that property rights enforcement and the legal system increased the attractiveness of private investment in the region. Conversely, for public investment, we argued that better institutional quality exposed the inefficiency of the sector as they were mostly used for rent-seeking and perpetrate corruption, and as such reduced public investment. The results were also robust to different measures of institutions and governance indicators. We recommended that SSA governments improve project oversight and accountability, reduce corruption, promote transparency and citizen participation, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and invest in infrastructure through public-private partnerships in order to improve efficiency in the public sector. Also, governments must ensure lower lending rates, improve the efficiency of credit markets, and ensure better institutional indicators in order to increase private investment.</p> </abstract>

Electricity Fluctuations and Tax Revenue in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from a Bias-Corrected Linear Dynamic Panel Model

Inadequate electricity and its frequent fluctuations adversely affect the productivity and profits of small and medium enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These fluctuations also affect economic growth, narrowing further the region's low tax base. However, studies examining the effects of electricity on the tax base in SSA at the macro level are limited. This study bridges this gap by examining electricity fluctuations' effects on SSA countries' tax revenue. A bias-corrected linear dynamic estimator using a panel dataset for forty-one (41) SSA countries from 2000-2022 is employed for analysis. The study noted that electricity consumption is positively related to the tax base while electricity fluctuation creates critical fiscal losses regarding what the tax base would become in ordinary situations. The results indicate that the African governments in SSA need to increase investments in electricity infrastructures and diversify energy sources. Furthermore, SSA governments must renovate and strengthen the existing electricity infrastructures while upgrading the Internet of Things (IoTs) at the same time. Inclusively, mitigating power outages that are hindering the growth of the tax revenue base in SSA countries is important for achieving sustainable economic growth.

Is Climate Finance Helping Stabilise Food Prices in Sub-Saharan Africa?

This study explores the potential impact of climate finance (cf) on foodprices in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as climate change continues to createfood scarcity and increase food prices. The study analyses data from43 SSA countries between 2006 and 2018 using a panel fixed effect modelwith Driscoll-Kraay standard errors and methods of moments quantile regressions(MMQR). The findings indicate that countries in SSA that receivemore cf, improve their fight against corruption, have good rainfall patterns,experience reduced extreme temperatures, have depreciated currencies,larger populations and higher GDP growth, reduce food imports, increasedomestic food supply, and demonstrate high governance and socialreadiness are likely to experience stable or reduced food prices. Based onthese results, the study recommends that SSA governments prioritise anticorruptionefforts to earn donor trust and increase CF, ultimately leadingto lower food prices in the sub-region. Further, the findings indicatethat good rainfall patterns reduce food prices: this shows the need for SSAcountries to invest in policies that lead to reliablewater supply as irrigation.

Pollution, governance, and women's work: Examining African female labour force participation in the face of environmental pollution and governance quality puzzles

In a rapidly changing world marked by environmental degradation and governance disparities, understanding their impact on African women's participation in the labour force remains a critical puzzle. This research seeks to unveil the intricate connections between pollution, governance quality, and women's economic engagement in Africa, shedding light on vital pathways to empower women, mitigate pollution's impact, and drive sustainable development in the region. Specifically, this study evaluates the impacts of governance quality and environmental pollution on gender economic outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using data from 28 nations spanning 1996 to 2020. The study employs the dynamic panel threshold model. The key results reveal a negative and significant influence of ecological footprint on female economic participation. Furthermore, the dynamic threshold analysis reveals that environmental degradation undermines female labour engagement irrespective of the threshold level. The study also showed that below the threshold level, the interaction between governance quality variables and the ecological footprint exacerbates the negative impact of the ecological footprint on women's economic participation. Above the threshold level, the interaction between governance quality variables and the ecological footprint mitigates the negative impact. Overall, key recommendations like improved pollution control measures, inclusive governance, and effecting targeted policies and programs to empower women economically, among others, are proffered to contribute to the improvement in governance, environmental sustainability, and gender economic outcomes in SSA.

Response to Brand et al. (2022) ‘Data sharing governance in sub-Saharan Africa during public health emergencies’

Response to Brand et al. (2022) ‘Data sharing governance in sub-Saharan Africa during public health emergencies’

A response to Thaldar et al. (2023): Data sharing governance in sub-Saharan Africa during public health emergencies

A response to Thaldar et al. (2023): Data sharing governance in sub-Saharan Africa during public health emergencies

Board Meeting Effectiveness and Bank Performance: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

The main objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of board meetings at banks in sub-Saharan Africa. The study adopted a quantitative research design and collected secondary data from the annual reports of 33 banks in sub-Saharan Africa to cover the period 2011–2020. To achieve its research objective, the study employed the two-step GMM regression model to examine the relationship between board meeting effectiveness and bank performance. A positive and statistically significant correlation between the effectiveness of board meetings and the financial success of banks was discovered in this research. Our results suggest that improving the efficiency of board meetings can be a viable strategy for boosting bank performance, which has significant ramifications for bank governance in sub-Saharan Africa.

Perceptions of Solar Photovoltaic System Adopters in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case of Adopters in Ntchisi, Malawi

The study reported in this article aimed to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms driving the adoption and usage of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in rural Malawian households, particularly among communities that have not received prior solar energy interventions. It used a qualitative approach to investigate the experiences of solar PV system adopters in Ntchisi, Malawi. The study included fourteen participants, and data were collected through observations and interviews, which were then analysed using thematic analysis procedures. The study’s findings indicate that many individuals in rural areas have installed solar PV systems that lack adequate training, resulting in potentially hazardous installations. The installation of solar PV systems in villages is motivated by several factors, including the lack of electricity, convenience, benefits, and personal interest in learning more about solar systems. The participants have highlighted numerous benefits of using solar energy, such as reduced costs, increased convenience, improved productivity, reliable energy access, and telecommunication services. However, solar PV systems are primarily limited to household lighting, phone charging, and powering televisions and radios; however, not for cooking purposes. The findings imply that governments in sub-Saharan Africa should provide training and guidance on the safe and effective use of solar PV systems, invest more in solar PV infrastructure to enable larger solar systems for cooking, refrigeration, and irrigation, and promote the use of solar energy through education and awareness campaigns to encourage greater adoption of solar energy.

Economic evaluations of non-communicable diseases conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa: a critical review of data sources

BackgroundPolicymakers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face challenging decisions regarding the allocation of health resources. Economic evaluations can help decision makers to determine which health interventions should be funded and or included in their benefits package. A major problem is whether the evaluations incorporated data from sources that are reliable and relevant to the country of interest. We aimed to review the quality of the data sources used in all published economic evaluations for cardiovascular disease and diabetes in SSA.MethodsWe systematically searched selected databases for all published economic evaluations for CVD and diabetes in SSA. We modified a hierarchy of data sources and used a reference case to measure the adherence to reporting and methodological characteristics, and descriptively analysed author statements.ResultsFrom 7,297 articles retrieved from the search, we selected 35 for study inclusion. Most were modelled evaluations and almost all focused on pharmacological interventions. The studies adhered to the reporting standards but were less adherent to the methodological standards. The quality of data sources varied. The quality level of evidence in the data domains of resource use and costs were generally considered of high quality, with studies often sourcing information from reliable databases within the same jurisdiction. The authors of most studies referred to data sources in the discussion section of the publications highlighting the challenges of obtaining good quality and locally relevant data.ConclusionsThe data sources in some domains are considered high quality but there remains a need to make substantial improvements in the methodological adherence and overall quality of data sources to provide evidence that is sufficiently robust to support decision making in SSA within the context of UHC and health benefits plans. Many SSA governments will need to strengthen and build their capacity to conduct economic evaluations of interventions and health technology assessment for improved priority setting. This capacity building includes enhancing local infrastructures for routine data production and management. If many of the policy makers are using economic evaluations to guide resource allocation, it is imperative that the evidence used is of the feasibly highest quality.

The Politics of Social Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Configurational Approach to Fee-Free Policies at the High School Level

Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are expanding access to high school education, which is a perpetuation of the previous focus on basic education. This study applies qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) using data from seven countries from 2010 to 2020 to examine the potential conditions of fee-free policies at the high school level. Five potential conditions are analyzed. They include the regime type, electoral competition, ideological lineage, economic conditions, and social context. The findings indicate the significant influence of electoral competition and a high level of lower secondary school enrolment for the adoption of fee-free policies. The absence of electoral competition leads to a lack of fee-free policy. The paper explains how elections, one indicator of representative democracy, motivate political leaders to initiate social policies. Additionally, the study challenges the relevance of two important explanations for expansionary social policy in the literature—the partisan theory of policy outcomes, and the economy.

Financial stability gap and private investment nexus: Evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractThe illiquidity status of financial institutions widens up the financial stability gap, hence affecting other economic agents that depend on the financial sector. The objective of the study is to determine how the financial stability gap affects private investment in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Annual time series secondary data from 33 SSA countries for the period 2007–2018 was used. Using the general methods of moments (GMM) estimation technique, we found that the financial stability gap beyond 109.9% becomes detrimental to private sector investment while government effectiveness and investment by the government improve private investment. The study recommends that financial institutions undertake liquidity protection measures as a means of protecting the stability status, while SSA governments invest in the economy and provide the needed business environment for private sector investment.

Exploring perspectives of research ethics committee members on the governance of big data in sub-Saharan Africa

Interest in the governance of big data is growing exponentially. However, finding the right balance between making large volumes of data accessible, and safeguarding privacy, preventing data misuse, determining authorship and protecting intellectual property remain challenging. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), research ethics committees (RECs) play an important role in reviewing data-intense research protocols. However, this regulatory role must be embedded in a context of robust governance. There is currently a paucity of published literature on how big data are regulated in SSA and if the capacity to review protocols is sufficient. The aim of this study was to provide a broad overview of REC members’ awareness and perceptions of big data governance in SSA. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2022. We invited 300 REC members to participate in our online survey via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). A total of 140 REC members, representing 34 SSA countries, completed the online survey. Awareness of data governance laws, policies and guidelines was variable across the subcontinent. A quarter of respondents (25%) indicated that national regulations on the transborder flow of research data are inadequate. Institutional policies on research data protection were also regarded as being inadequate. Most respondents (64%) believed that they lacked experience in reviewing data-intense protocols. Data governance and regulation in SSA need to be strengthened at both national and institutional levels. There is a strong need for capacity development in the review of data-intense research protocols on the subcontinent. Significance: This is the first empirical survey in SSA in which awareness and perspectives of REC members have been explored specifically relating to the review of data-intense research protocols. Big data have raised new ethics and legal challenges, and this survey provides a broad overview of these challenges in SSA. Our study confirms that knowledge and awareness of legislative frameworks and ethics guidance in SSA vary considerably where big data are concerned. The research results could be useful for a range of stakeholders, including RECs, data scientists, researchers, research and academic institutions, government decisionmakers and artificial intelligence (AI) coders.