Opportunities In Africa Research Articles

Some Engineering Properties of Foamed Concrete for Sustainable Technological Development

A study of the technology of foamed concrete production is carried out. The engineering properties and applications of this type of concrete are presented for varying densities so as to effectively tap the advantages of its use for specific purposes. The properties considered are the 7-day compressive strength, thermal conductivity, modulus of elasticity and drying shrinkage. A study of the behaviours of foamed concrete at varying dry densities for the different characteristics was undertaken. Results indicate that as the dry density increases, the engineering properties increase though at different rates for the 7-day Compressive strength, Thermal conductivity, and Modulus of elasticity. The drying shrinkage decreases as the dry density increases. A comparative study of the 7-day Compressive strength and Modulus of elasticity show that they both follow the same trend over the varying dry density except at a dry density of 1200 kg/m3. A comparative study of the thermal conductivity and the percent drying shrinkage indicate that the thermal conductivity is inversely proportional to the percent drying shrinkage. Economics and other considerations together with its multipurpose applications of foamed concrete can open up business opportunities in Africa and sustainability. This can also help in providing needed funds for infrastructural development.

Do benefits of expanded midstream activities in crop value chains accrue to smallholder farmers? Evidence from Zambia

The rapid expansion of food supply chains across Africa has created huge market opportunities for farmers. In particular, the rise of numerous enterprises engaged in food processing and trading in the ‘midstream’ of value chains is promising. Compared to large enterprises using formal contracts, midstream enterprises not using contracts are considered more accessible to small-scale farmers. However, the extent to which economic benefits of the recent expansion of these non-contract opportunities in Africa is inclusive of smallholder farmers is uncertain and largely unexplored. This is critical for the global debate on poverty and sustainable economic development as the share of agricultural land under smallholder farmers, who constitute a significant proportion of the world’s poor is still rising. This paper contributes to this thin literature with evidence from Zambia, where a growing demand for meat has stimulated growth of the soybean industry. We use nationally-representative panel survey data from Zambia to explore the welfare effects of smallholder engagement with soybean traders and processors in non-contractual arrangements. The analysis uses fixed effects and instrumental variables estimation techniques to address the endogeneity of the smallholder decision to sell to large-scale traders and processors. We find significant positive crop income effects of selling to soybean large-scale traders and processors on all smallholders. However, the observed effects only translate into higher total household incomes and poverty reduction for medium-scale smallholders (operating 5 ha- 20 ha) but not for small-scale smallholders operating less than five hectares. The positive crop income effects are mainly driven by the opportunity to sell more although small-scale smallholders receive a price premium from selling to large buyers. These results suggest that the recent expansion of the soybean industry in Zambia is benefiting smallholder farmers but not necessarily enough to move the smallest of these farmers out of poverty.

Private Equity Investment Opportunities in Africa: Evaluation of the Growth Opportunities and Risks in a Global Context

Private investment in Africa represents access to a different source of growth and investment returns than is typically included in institutional portfolios. Investment risk and returns available in Africa must be considered in the context of differences with global developed markets, including leverage at the portfolio and fund level, prevalence of portfolio company ESG program implementation, access to the full universe of opportunities, and underlying drivers of growth. Investors often overlook this region due to a lack of familiarity with these differences and common concerns, including political risk, currency exposure, corporate governance, and ultimate generation of competitive returns with the required scale. Private investment in Africa can benefit from economic growth opportunities and underlying trends, including population growth, urbanization, and increasing regional trade, specific to the region. An investment strategy appropriate to the region is essential to realize the potential of private investment opportunities in a risk-controlled manner. <b>TOPICS:</b>Private equity, frontier markets, risk management, performance measurement <b>Key Findings</b> ▪ Private investment in Africa can benefit from economic growth opportunities and underlying trends, including population growth, urbanization, and increasing regional trade, specific to the region. ▪ Investment risk and returns available in Africa must be considered in the context of differences with global developed markets, including leverage at the portfolio and fund level, prevalence of portfolio company ESG program implementation, access to the full universe of opportunities, and underlying drivers of growth. An investment strategy appropriate to the region is essential to realize the potential of private investment opportunities in a risk-controlled manner. ▪ Private investment in Africa can be made at attractive absolute and relative (to developed markets) valuations in a risk-controlled manner and is worth serious consideration by institutional investors.

Clean energy: Game-changer for Nigeria?

Nigeria is the biggest and most attractive off-grid opportunity in Africa, and one of the best locations in the world for minigrids and solar home systems. The International Trade Forum talked with Prof. Temilade Sesan about small businesses, women in agriculture and the role multilateral institutions can play in promoting clean energy across the country.

Effective strategies followed by multinational enterprises expanding into Africa

Orientation: Retail sector multinational enterprises (MNEs) face challenges and follow diverse strategies when they expand into foreign markets.Research purpose: The major aim of this article is to determine how three well-established retail sector MNEs, namely, Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite, addressed the challenges they faced and structured their market entry strategies in the African continent.Motivation for the study: While the opportunities in Africa are perpetual, breaking into the African market is not so straightforward. It is in this regard that the importance of determining the challenges faced by established retail MNEs in Africa and the valuable lessons that can be drawn by small and upcoming MNEs, from the experiences of these prominent MNEs studied, is exposed.Research approach/design and method: This article employs a mixed-method approach (i.e. case study and semi-structured interviews) to determine the challenges faced by Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite when they expanded into Africa, and how they overcame those challenges.Main findings: The findings reveal that Walmart and Shoprite possess a substantial footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, while Carrefour enjoys a substantial footprint in North Africa and Francophone Countries of west Africa. Furthermore, Walmart follows a risk-averse approach when expanding into the African continent and only expands into new foreign markets based on the market potential and the ability to succeed. Carrefour’s main strategy is to achieve international expansion into Africa through the acquisition of international partnerships with local and regional firms. Shoprite, on the other hand, maintains that no written strategy was followed when the retail MNE expanded into Africa. It is also evident that external factors are significant for MNEs seeking to invest in Africa.Practical/managerial implications: Not all MNEs expanding into Africa have been successful. Accordingly, the practical value of this article rests upon the lessons that small and upcoming MNEs can learn from the experiences of MNEs that are now well established in African markets.Contribution/value-add: This article contributes to existing foreign direct investment (FDI) literature by identifying challenges that Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite faced when they expanded into Africa. In addition, lessons that aspiring and small MNEs, specifically in the retail sector, can learn from these three retail MNEs that are now well established in African markets are drawn.

The Narrative on Rural Youth and Economic Opportunities in Africa: Facts, Myths and Gaps

A narrative on rural youth in Africa has continued to evolve in policy circles around the world. Much of it is driven by population statistics that point to an imminent youth bulge in Africa and concerns about economic stagnation for the continent. This paper reviews the narrative on rural youth and economic opportunities in Africa, using a set of policy documents from various African countries and regional and international organizations. Since large numbers of African rural youth are predicted to enter the agrifood system in the coming decades, there is a growing need for more investments in African agriculture to enhance the prospects of rural youth. While the evidence does show that African youth are indeed more educated than their parents and previous generations, several constraints on the level and quality of learning in rural Africa are raised.

The 4th Industrial Revolution : an opportunity for Africa’s “Decolonization” and Development or Recolonization?

The 4th Industrial Revolution : an opportunity for Africa’s “Decolonization” and Development or Recolonization?

Preface

Conference proceedings on papers presented at the conference on 3rd International Conference on ‘Nanotechnology Applications in Africa: Opportunities and Constraints’ held on 22-24 October, 2019 at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. It gives me a great pleasure to write the preface for this conference proceeding. It is more gratifying to have the conference proceeding published in partnership with the Institute of Physics Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering; a reputable and prestigious platform renowned for the publication of conference proceedings worldwide.The organizers of the conference, the LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO +) (www.lautechnanotech.com) is a multidisciplinary research group with the focus of conducting cutting-edge research in nanotechnology and dissemination of information about the discipline in Nigeria and beyond. The group was formed on September 4, 2014 with the track record of publications and organization of workshop and conferences. In 2017, the group organized a workshop on ‘Synthesis, characterization and applications of nanoparticles’, while a workshop cum conference tagged ‘Nanotechnology for sustainable development: opportunities for Africa’ was organized in 2018. Among the papers presented at the conference, fourteen of them were published in Volume 23 issue 2 of Science Focus, the flagship journal of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria (https://sciencefocuslautech.org/).

Diaspora entrepreneurs’ push and pull institutional factors for investing in Africa: Insights from African returnees from the United Kingdom

Applying the institution-based views, this article conceptualises how diaspora entrepreneurs take stimuli from the push and pull institutional factors to develop business enterprises in their countries of origin. Using cases of African diaspora entrepreneurs in the UK and the grounded theory methodological approach, our conceptualised model demonstrates that the diasporas use the new knowledge, skills and wealth they have gained in the UK in tandem with support from trusted family, kinship and business ties at home to develop enterprises. It further demonstrates that diaspora entrepreneurs foster resilience to withstand weak formal institutions in their countries of origin and the discriminatory obstacles in the UK. We also found that institutional barriers which served as push factors that encouraged or forced migrants to leave their home countries to seek greener pastures abroad may later become pull factors that enable them to engage in diaspora entrepreneurship which is often characterised by paradoxes. Particularly, the informal institutions that constrain foreign investors can become assets for African diaspora entrepreneurs and help them set up new businesses and exploit market opportunities in Africa. The implications of the study for diaspora entrepreneurship literature are outlined.

Digital marketing and tourism: opportunities for Africa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore digital marketing and tourism with a focus on opportunities with a case study of Africa, motivated by developments in tourism particularly the increase in tourist arrivals and the growth of digital statistics in the digital era. Design/methodology/approach Literature review as a research methodology was adopted in this study, and the integrative literature review was the method used as well as content analysis to review studies in digital marketing and tourism relating to Africa. Findings This paper reveals that digital media, content and mobile advertising are among the trends in digital marketing and, thus, affords Africa the opportunity to market its attractions to tourists in this digital era. Research limitations/implications Future studies can explore quantitative and qualitative methods to understand the phenomenon of digital marketing in relation to tourism. Practical implications Other countries within Africa to adopt similar digital marketing such as digital media and creative content in order to manage the digitization of marketing activities in the tourism sector. Originality/value This study explores digital marketing and tourism with a focus on opportunities for Africa as a case study by specifically examining social media marketing in relation to tourist arrivals using integrative literature review and content analysis methods.

Structured Elective Placements in Graduate Medical Education: A Novel Approach to Increasing Posttraining Opportunities in Africa.

Structured Elective Placements in Graduate Medical Education: A Novel Approach to Increasing Posttraining Opportunities in Africa.

Cultural Sensitivity and Global Pharmacy Engagement in Africa

Global engagement between schools and colleges of pharmacy in the United States and Africa is increasing. For a balanced and fruitful engagement, sensitivity towards the cultural and clinical needs of the people and professionals of the African region is critical. In this paper, we have divided the discussion into Southern, East, Central, and West Africa. General information about Africa, with unique aspects for individual subregions and countries, will be introduced. Stereotypes and misconceptions about the region and the people will also be discussed, along with recommendations for culturally sensitive engagement for pharmacy and other health care practitioners when hosting members from, or visiting this region. The paper is a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy who are currently engaged or considering future outreach opportunities in Africa.

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY WITH AFRICA

The Initiation of Trade and Commerce with African Countries, by India is moving into a new phase in this period Visa vis the past. India’s tryst with African Nations was the support to their sentiments against colonolisation and Racism. The globalized approaches have opened out new Areas of trade and commerce in the African Continent. The compulsions on the part of India to expand its frontiers of commerce obliged the country to focus on Techno economic base in African countries. India’s Cultural relationship with African States seamlessly helped thro the non aligned movement when the countries looked up on India’s leadership and political will namely democratic values to expand into business value and ethics. The Indian Diaspora in East, West and South Africa has established trade over the past 5 decades in traditional commodities, raw materials. The growth in software, health care and education in India motivated the African countries to seek Indian participation in energy, housing and mining Industries. The Exports from India in the past decade grew in west, South and East Africa as also techno co-operation in energy in North Africa. Thus the role of India in Indo pacific, Asean and west Asia motivated the experts from India not to miss out the opportunities in Africa. If Asia is a focus, at the end of 20th Century, then the 21st Century belongs to Africa. The trends in commerce will also make India’s role in strategic defense areas with Africa.

Understanding technology diffusion in emerging markets

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use the consumer-based discrepancy theory to examine consumers’ behavioral motivations for using mobile devices and the factors that influence the rapid diffusion of Chinese mobile devices in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using focus group interviews with samples cutting across users, technicians and experts from Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s industrial capital. This study conducted a thematic analysis of the data with NVivo Pro 11 for deductive coding.FindingsThe authors found that weak regulatory environment opened the Nigerian mobile market to the influx of mobile devices from Chinese local manufacturers. Though largely absent in developed markets, Chinese mobile devices are household names in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Having studied the Nigerian market, Chinese mobile device manufacturers have incorporated features and specifications in their mobile devices that are adapted specifically to this market. Our findings also show that these “China phones and tablets” are significantly inferior to those manufactured by global brands. However, consumer complaints have led to significant improvements in their quality. Consequently, due to their successful diffusion, Nigeria is being used as a launching pad to other African countries.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the study could not look at the economic, environmental and health implications of the high death rate of the mobile devices, it however provides useful insights on the application of the consumer-based discrepancy theory: expectation vs performance, in the Nigerian mobile market context.Originality/valueThe study is the first to empirically examine the diffusion of Chinese mobile devices in one of the key emerging markets in Africa. The study provides blueprint for the local regulatory authorities on how to strengthen their regulatory oversight and also advances critical understanding on how Chinese mobile device manufacturers can improve their technologies and optimize market opportunity in Africa.

African Rural Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: Achievements, Limitations, and Lessons

Engaging rural youth in agribusiness has become an important strategy to create employment opportunities in Africa. To this end, governments and development partners have implemented various interventions that facilitate youth engagement in agribusiness for several years. However, there is a dearth of evidence on what worked and what did not work well, making it difficult to inform evidence-based policy making. In an effort to fill this knowledge gap, a comprehensive literature review of the outcomes of interventions related to youth engagement in agribusiness was conducted using a deductive coding approach. Results showed that the interventions implemented by governments and development partners across Africa have succeeded in producing favorable outcomes despite some limitations. Interventions that integrate capacity development, financial support for startups, and continuous mentorship on the technical and financial aspects of youth-run agribusiness projects proved successful in enhancing youth engagement in agribusiness. This suggests that the design and implementation of future interventions should be based on an integrated approach that considers diversity of youths’ aspirations and shared capabilities, interests, expectations, as well as challenges associated with access to resources and participation in collective action. The design of future interventions should also be built on strong partnerships among rural communities, academia, research, and private sector for increased impact on livelihood improvements.

Highlights on the Application of Genomics and Bioinformatics in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa.

Genomics and bioinformatics are increasingly contributing to our understanding of infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum. This ranges from investigations of disease outbreaks and pathogenesis, host and pathogen genomic variation, and host immune evasion mechanisms to identification of potential diagnostic markers and vaccine targets. High throughput genomics data generated from pathogens and animal models can be combined with host genomics and patients’ health records to give advice on treatment options as well as potential drug and vaccine interactions. However, despite accounting for the highest burden of infectious diseases, Africa has the lowest research output on infectious disease genomics. Here we review the contributions of genomics and bioinformatics to the management of infectious diseases of serious public health concern in Africa including tuberculosis (TB), dengue fever, malaria and filariasis. Furthermore, we discuss how genomics and bioinformatics can be applied to identify drug and vaccine targets. We conclude by identifying challenges to genomics research in Africa and highlighting how these can be overcome where possible.

The Role of Renewable Energy in Bridging the Electricity Gap in Africa

This paper explores the role renewable energy can play in supporting sustainable electricity access in Africa, with a particular focus on the challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. The studies in this review highlight various power system analyses across multiple regions in Africa. These studies provide high-resolution multi-criteria data for geographic siting of renewable energy, assess the scale of generation expansion needed to achieve universal access, and demonstrate innovative modeling techniques that plan for on-grid and off-grid systems concurrently. This review also highlights the challenges of power sector finance in Africa and discusses the emerging literature on broadening energy planning beyond techno-economic approaches. Altogether, these studies enable a deeper understanding of the benefits of renewable energy adoption and integration in the region. Africa is experiencing a persistent, complex, and multi-faceted electricity gap. Renewable energy presents opportunities for Africa to achieve full electricity access in an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable manner.

Using invertebrate model organisms for neuroscience research and training: an opportunity for Africa.

Africa is faced with an increasing underrepresentation of her research progress in many fields of science including neuroscience. This underrepresentation stems from the very low investments directed towards research by African governments as these are thought to be high-priced. Scientists and researchers within the continent are left to compete highly for the very limited research grants or choose to fund research from their personal purse. Therefore, presenting a need for all possible strategies to make science and research approaches more affordable in Africa. This paper presents one of such strategy, which advocates the use of invertebrate animal models for neuroscience research in place of the commonly used vertebrate models. Invertebrates are cheaper, more available and easy to handle options and their use is on the rise, even in the developed societies of the world. Here, we investigate the current state of invertebrate neuroscience research in Africa looking at countries and institutions conducting neuroscience research with invertebrates and their publication output. We discuss the factors which impede invertebrate neuroscience research in Africa like lack of research infrastructure and adequate expert scientists and conclude by suggesting solutions to these challenges.

Africa’s industrialization and China’s OFDI in the manufacturing sector: rationales and practices

ABSTRACTThe article examines the rationales and practices for three types of manufacturing outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) into Africa in the context of the cooperation between Africa’s industrialization and China’s OFDI on manufacturing. African economies have achieved impressive growth in the new century, but sustainable economic growth in this vast continent is still constrained by lagging industrialization and weak manufacturing sector. While China’s economy has made great achievements in Gross Domestic Product growth and poverty reduction, it witnessed hikes of factor price such as wage, land and exchange rate at varying degrees in the recent decade, imposing pressure on economic restructuring. Against the background, the new trend of Chinese manufacturing OFDI provides new opportunities for Africa to solve structural problems of weak manufacturing. Policy implications of this study on China–Africa industrial capacity cooperation are briefly discussed.

Obstacles and Opportunities in Africa for the Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Obstacles and Opportunities in Africa for the Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families