Governments In Sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

The Role of Recruitment Practises in Enabling Workforce Diversity in County Governments in Kenya

Workforce diversity in public sector organizations in sub-Saharan Africa is supported by legal statutes and mandates as opposed to organizational policy initiatives. HR audits indicate a skewed distribution of specific ethnic groups and an aged workforce with redundant skills due to recruitment practices. Due to the dearth of studies on workforce diversity in sub-national governments in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study examined the role of recruitment practices in enabling workforce diversity in the County Government of Trans- Nzoia. The study was guided by the social identity theory and adopted a descriptive design that was cross-sectional in the time dimension. The study censused senior employees of the County Government and employed a questionnaire as the main research instrument The study carried out data analysis through descriptive analysis and used regression analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0 and the output presented in the form of graphs, Charts, and tables. The descriptive statistics indicated the county government values employee qualifications and uses both internal and external job advertisements, with a skewed but consistent selection process. Use of interviews with little application of the psychometric test of candidates as a screening criteria. Workforce diversity significantly correlated with the recruitment practices; with job advertisements (r = 0.781, p< 0.05), and screening process (r = 0.679, p< 0.05), The study concluded that the recruitment practices have a positive effect on workforce diversity. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the county government support competitive recruitment procedures to improve workforce diversity. The study implications are that sector organizations can promote workforce diversity through efficient practices. The study calls for the HR professional to critically examine the different aspects of HRM in public sector organizations. The study findings are beneficial to sub-national governments, policymakers/legislators, and other scholars in Kenya

Evaluating Effect of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices Adoption on Productivity of Drought-Tolerant Pulses: Insights from Dryland Areas of Makueni County, Kenya

Increased productivity of drought-tolerant pulses could potentially reduce household food insecurity, particularly in developing countries. This paper examines the effect of socioeconomic and institutional factors and the adoption of climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices on productivity of green gram, pigeon pea and cowpea in Makueni County, Kenya. We consider six common CSA practices namely: benches, soil conservation practices, minimum tillage, agroforestry, irrigation practices, and crop diversification. Using data from 384 randomly selected farmers, we use Sseemingly Unrelated Regression (SUREG) model to estimate factors influencing productivity of drought-tolerant pulses. The results showed that soil conservation practices were the most adopted (72%), while irrigation practices were the least adopted (9.6%). Among the CSA practices, crop diversification and benches were key to significantly affect the productivity of the three pulses, while agroforestry did not affect productivity of any of the selected pulses. Farming experience, number of extension contacts, and years of schooling were key socioeconomic and institutional factors that significantly affected the productivity of drought-tolerant pulses considered. Results showed that the impact of CSA practices on productivity differed among the pulses, since the soil conservation practices affected the productivity of both green gram and pigeon pea, while other practices including minimum tillage soil and irrigation practices affected the productivity of cowpea and green gram, respectively. Consequently, policies should consider promoting the adoption CSA practices among smallholder famers in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve farm level crop productivity and ensure household food security. Furthermore, Sub-Saharan Africa governments and agricultural sector policy makers should promote sustainable financial incentives such as establishment of farmer-friendly credit financing schemes to enhance CSA adoption and in-turn boost smallholder farmers farm net returns.

A Review of the Effect of Cleaner Energy Transition on Food Prices and Climate Change Mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Access to clean energy is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals, but investment in renewable energy has been unevenly distributed between developed and developing countries. Developed nations have seen significant growth in renewable energy investment since the Paris Agreement, while developing countries struggle to secure the necessary funds. This study focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa and explores the relationship between the transition to cleaner energy and its impact on food prices. Methods: By conducting a systematic literature review, the study highlights the challenges posed by investment disparities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where financial constraints and infrastructural deficits hinder progress in clean energy infrastructure. Results: The findings suggest that, without appropriate policy reforms and consistent implementation, the transition to cleaner energy in the region may contribute to rising food prices and exacerbate food insecurity. Effective integration of agricultural and energy policies is essential to ensure that the energy transition supports food security objectives. Conclusion: Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa should prioritize policy reforms that promote renewable energy adoption while considering food security. Additionally, reintroducing transparent subsidy programs can help mitigate the impact of high energy costs during the transition to cleaner energy. This review emphasizes the importance of equitable investment and comprehensive policy strategies to balance renewable energy adoption with food security and economic equity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Information and Communications Technology, Water and Sanitation Infrastructures and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study investigated the effect of information and communication technology and water sanitation infrastructures on economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa using panel data involving fifteen (15) sub-Saharan Africa nations. Secondary data were obtained from the statistical bulletins of the various countries and World Bank Indicators from 2000-2022. Data obtained were analyzed via descriptive, diagnostic and inferential statistics. The fixed and random effects regression results revealed that information communication technology and water and sanitation infrastructures jointly influence the level of economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the findings, it is recommended that there is the need for governments in sub-Saharan Africa to increase their contributions and supports to ICT infrastructure by way of improving the current state of ICT in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, governments of sub-Saharan African countries should strive towards improving the water and sanitation infrastructure by periodically updating their public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Keywords: Information Communication Technology Infrastructure, Water and Sanitation Infrastructure, Economic Growth, Critical Infrastructure, Sub-Saharan Africa

Decolonizing global AI governance: assessment of the state of decolonized AI governance in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Global artificial intelligence (AI) governance must prioritize equity, embrace a decolonial mindset, and provide the Global South countries the authority to spearhead solution creation. Decolonization is crucial for dismantling Western-centric cognitive frameworks and mitigating biases. Integrating a decolonial approach to AI governance involves recognizing persistent colonial repercussions, leading to biases in AI solutions and disparities in AI access based on gender, race, geography, income and societal factors. This paradigm shift necessitates deliberate efforts to deconstruct imperial structures governing knowledge production, perpetuating global unequal resource access and biases. This research evaluates Sub-Saharan African progress in AI governance decolonization, focusing on indicators like AI governance institutions, national strategies, sovereignty prioritization, data protection regulations, and adherence to local data usage requirements. Results show limited progress, with only Rwanda notably responsive to decolonization among the ten countries evaluated; 80% are 'decolonization-aware', and one is 'decolonization-blind'. The paper provides a detailed analysis of each nation, offering recommendations for fostering decolonization, including stakeholder involvement, addressing inequalities, promoting ethical AI, supporting local innovation, building regional partnerships, capacity building, public awareness, and inclusive governance. This paper contributes to elucidating the challenges and opportunities associated with decolonization in SSA countries, thereby enriching the ongoing discourse on global AI governance.

Economic Complexity and Good Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross Country Analysis

The underlying problems of Sub-Saharan African development are a result of a crisis in governance. Over the years, issues of governance and economic development have been the focus of debate in academia. However, the existing literature has not adequately explored the association between good governance and economic complexity. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the short-run and long-run relationships between economic complexity and good governance in 27 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1996–2019 using the PMG-ARDL model. The findings reveal that economic complexity, foreign aid, and the Gini coefficient have a positive and statistically significant long-run impact on good governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the null hypothesis that economic complexity has a significantly positive impact on good governance is accepted by these findings. The short-run dynamics results reveal that economic complexity and foreign aid have a negative and insignificant impact on good governance, while foreign direct investment, the Gini coefficient, and unemployment have a positive and insignificant impact on good governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the findings, it is recommended that policymakers in the region place more emphasis on structural transformations to transform their productive structures, which will ultimately lead to higher economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Policies geared towards the diversification of exports (i.e., economic complexity) in the region for economic growth and development are also recommended.

Women’s Participation in Governance: A Quick Fix to Development Constraints in Sub-Saharan Africa?

The inhuman socioeconomic repercussions of corruption and bad governance inherent in successive male-dominated governments have generated agitation for increased women’s participation in governance. Primarily, this agitation is based on the premise that women are less inclined to corruption, which is a major impediment to good governance. Given the notoriety of these two impediments to development, this study aims to investigate the relationship between women’s participation in governance, corruption, and quality of governance in sub-Saharan Africa from 1996 to 2021. This study analyzed annual panel data of four sub-Saharan African countries using the autoregressive distributed lag model and the Granger causality test. Governance quality was proxied by government effectiveness, while women’s participation in governance and corruption were proxied by the number of women in government positions and control of corruption, respectively. Economic development and institutional quality were used as control variables. The findings revealed negative main and interaction effects of women’s participation in governance and corruption on governance quality, unidirectional causality from corruption to women’s participation in governance and from governance quality to women’s participation in governance, and bidirectional causality between corruption and governance quality. Quantitative increases in women’s participation in governance and corruption exacerbates governance quality. Women’s ability to participate in governance is determined by the prevalence of corruption in previous years. Anticorruption campaigns that focused on women’s participation in governance often result in reductions in corruption insufficient for improvement of governance quality. Corruption and bad governance are mutually reinforcing. Governance quality determines women’s participation in governance. To minimize corruption and bad governance, sub-Saharan African countries should shift their focus away from merely increasing the number of women in government positions to building strong institutions capable of creating a meritocratic political and socioeconomic environment in which selfless women and men have equal chances of being elected or appointed to public offices.

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’