Poverty In Sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Community engagement in research addressing infectious diseases of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative systematic review.

Though engaging communities in research processes has several advantages and implications, research efforts are poorly embedded in and linked with communities, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is also a need for more empirical evidence on effectively engaging communities in research in LMICs, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Thus, there is an urgent need to synthesize existing evidence on community engagement experiences in research in SSA. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize the existing community engagement experiences and related barriers to engaging communities in health research focusing on infectious diseases of poverty in SSA. The systematic review was conducted following the JBI methodology for qualitative systematic reviews. The review included both published and unpublished studies. A thematic analysis approach was used for data synthesis. A total of 40 studies were included in the review. Community engagement in the conceptualization of the research project, analysis, dissemination, and interpretation of the result was rare. On top of this, almost all the research projects engaged the community at a lower level of engagement (i.e., informing or consulting the community at some point in the research process), suggesting the importance of integrating communities in the entire research cycle. The lack of shared control over the research by the community was one of the significant challenges mentioned. This review uncovered that community engagement in the research process is minimal. Nevertheless, the review generated valuable evidence that can inform researchers and research stakeholders to promote effective community engagement in the research process addressing infectious diseases of poverty. Despite these, it requires rigorous primary studies to examine the applicability and usefulness of community engagement, including developing valid metrics of engagement, standardizations of reporting community engagements, and views and understandings of communities and stakeholders on the values, expectations, and concepts of community engagement in research.

Empirical Analysis of Financial Inclusion's Role in Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research aims to investigate the correlation between financial inclusion (FI), economic growth (EG), and poverty reduction in several Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries throughout the period of 2014-2021. The research used the generalized method of moments (GMM) econometric methodologies. A financial inclusion (FI) composite index was constructed using principal component analysis (PCA) to include the many attributes of FI indicators. The findings indicate a positive and significant impact of financial inclusion on economic development and a reduction in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. These results emphasize the crucial significance of legislators and governments giving priority to policies that enhance the availability, utility, and accessibility of financial goods and services. The outcome will include a reduction in poverty and an increase in equitable economic progress throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Are cash transfer programmes effective at targeting people experiencing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Are cash transfer programmes effective at targeting people experiencing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Can technological innovations contribute to more overcome the issue of poverty reduction in africa?

Although recent years have shown that innovation can also thrive in economies where the challenges of absolute poverty and inequality remain long-standing problems, the effects of innovation on poverty reduction has remained a largely unexplored field of investigation. . So this study assesses the effect of technological innovations on poverty reduction using a panel of 36 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2008 to 2019. More specifically, the study examines the influence of technological innovation on poverty reduction. Using the principal component analysis (PCA) we constructed an indicator of the use, adoption and adaptation of technological innovations and that of multidimensional poverty. After applying several estimation techniques for panel data such as fixed effects, Driscoll and Kraay, kiviet (2020), Lewbel two stage least square (Lewbel 2SLS), mediating effects, the results shows that technological innovations significantly reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Our results survive several robustness checks. Taking into account the level of urbanization, it appears that technological innovations reduce poverty in countries with low urbanisation rates and increase it in countries with high urbanization rates. Finally, the analysis of mediation effects suggests that almost 30 % of the total effect of the use, adoption and adaptation of technological innovations on multidimensional poverty reduction is through the improvement of productivity in the industrial sector while 62.5 % is through the productivity of the agricultural sector. These results imply that poverty reduction policies in sub-Saharan Africa need to refocus on capacity building in the use, adoption and adaptation of technological innovations, particularly in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

The Impact of Financial Inclusion on Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Empirical Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines the impact of financial inclusion (FI) on economic growth (EG) and poverty reduction in 18 sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the period from 2014 to 2021. The study employs fixed effects, random effects, panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE), Driscoll Kraay standard errors, the generalized method of moments (GMM), and quantile regression. A FI composite index was created using principal component analysis (PCA). According to the findings from all the models, FI has a significant positive effect on EG, and it also reduces poverty in SSA. The findings from the quantile regression indicate that countries with a higher Human Development Index (HDI) have a more significant decline in poverty. Therefore, governments and policymakers must prioritize the implementation of policies that facilitate the accessibility, availability, and usability of financial products and services. Such measures will contribute to fostering inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in SSA.

Fintech, human development and energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

Studies have highlighted the important role of financial technology (fintech) in enhancing socio-economic conditions of nations. However, despite the efforts of governments to improve the latter, the rating of African countries still remains manifestly inadequate. Given that access to electricity is imperative for fintech, and fundamental to improving socioeconomic conditions, we provide novel evidence by investigating the degree to which the prevailing energy poverty in Africa mediates the relationship between the duo. Our baseline results confirm that fintech has a significant positive impact on socioeconomic conditions, proxied by human development, and the impact becomes increasingly significant in the face of constant energy supply. However, when we split our sample based on regions and income classification proposed by the World Bank, our results show that the impact of fintech on human development, in the absence of access to electricity, is notably limited to some African regions. Considering the current state of human development in Africa, our study advocates for more investment in energy infrastructure for the rapid realization of the gains of fintech.

Do countries’ interdependence, asymmetry, and policy variances matter in the remittance-poverty causal nexus?

This study departs from earlier studies by incorporating nonlinearities, asymmetric structures, cross-sectional dependence, and policy variations across countries into the remittance-poverty causal nexus. Due to the high incidence of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite the persistent remittance inflows to the region, data on SSA for the periods 1981–2020 are analyzed using the Hatemi-J data decomposition procedure, a battery of second-generation estimators, and Dumitrescu-Hurlin heterogeneous panel Granger non-causality test. The findings, unlike prior studies, confirm the existence of cross-sectional dependence, as well as the need for policy diversity among SSA countries. The research outcomes also differ from previous research in that they reveal multiple features of asymmetries in the causality between remittances and poverty reduction which vary across SSA countries. Policy differences among SSA nations to address country-specific peculiarities are attested by symmetric causality. In certain countries, remittance inflows are stimulating factors that induce poverty reduction, whereas, in others, the high incidence of extreme poverty is a causal agent that pushes Africans in the diaspora to send money home to help alleviate poverty. Only a few instances of bidirectional causality have been established. Evidence of no causality is found to exist in some countries. The outcomes of nonlinear and asymmetric causalities are more diverse. All of the pairs of positive and negative components show strong evidence of asymmetric causality, which varies across SSA countries with more informative and robust policy dimensions. The imperative policy implications of the research outputs for poverty reduction are drawn and discussed.

Katherine Lucey and Solar Sister: empowering women in sub-Saharan Africa to create clean energy businesses

Research methodology This case study was developed using data from secondary sources. The data was collected from the organization’s website, annual reports, press releases, published reports and documents available on the internet. Case overview/synopsis According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook (WEO), 775 million people worldwide would not have access to electricity even by 2022, with the majority of them living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Cozzi et al., 2022). In SSA, energy poverty had been a serious issue over the years. According to the IEA, 600 million people lacked access to electricity in 2019, while 900 million people cooked with traditional fuels (Cozzi et al., 2022). A World Bank report from 2018 said many SSA countries had energy access levels of less than 25% (Cozzi et al., 2022). Energy poverty in SSA hampered sustainable development and economic growth. Despite significant efforts to address this poverty, Africa remained the continent with the lowest energy density in the world. Although solar and other energy-saving products were appealing, their adoption rates were modest, and their distribution strategies were not particularly effective. The lack of electricity exacerbated a number of socioeconomic problems, as it increased the demand for and use of wood fuel, which caused serious health problems and environmental harm. While working in Uganda, Katherine Lucey (Lucey) saw that having no electricity had negatively affected women’s health in particular because it was women who were responsible for taking care of the home. These effects were both direct and indirect. The women’s reliance on potentially harmful fuels for cooking, such as firewood and charcoal, resulted in their suffering from respiratory and eye problems, in addition to other health issues. Furthermore, the distribution of energy-saving and renewable energy items was seen as the domain of men, and there was an inherent gender bias in energy decisions. Women were not encouraged to participate in energy decisions, despite the fact that they were the ones managing the home and would gain from doing so. In addition, because there was no light after dusk, people worked less efficiently. Lucey saw the economic and social difficulties that electricity poverty caused for women in rural Africa. She also witnessed how the lives of a few families and organizations changed after they started using solar products. This motivated her to start Solar Sister with the mission of achieving a sustainable, scalable impact model for expanding access to clean energy and creating economic opportunities for women. Solar Sister collaborated with local women and women-centric organizations to leverage the existing network. Women were trained, provided all the necessary support and encouraged to become Solar Sister Entrepreneurs and sell solar products in their communities and earn a commission on each sale. To provide clean energy at their customers’ doorstep, the Solar Sister Entrepreneurs received a “business in a bag” – a start-up kit containing inventory, training and marketing assistance. Solar Sister’s business model empowered the women in SSA by providing them with an entrepreneurship opportunity and financial independence. Also, the use of solar products helped them shift from using hazardous conventional cooking fuels and lead a healthy life. The children in their households were able to study after sunset, and people in the community became more productive with access to clean energy. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, however, had a serious impact on Solar Sister. It found it challenging to mentor and encourage new business owners due to restrictions on travel and on group gatherings. The Solar Sisters were unable to do business outside the house either. Their source of income, which they relied on to support their families, was therefore impacted. The COVID-19 outbreak also slowed down the progress achieved by the community over the years and made household energy purchasing power worse. Furthermore, the organization was also grappling with other issues like limited access to capital, lack of awareness and infrastructural challenges. Another challenge lay in monitoring and evaluating the organization’s impact on the last mile. In the absence of standardized measurement tools and issues in determining the social impact of Solar Sister, it would be interesting to see what approach Lucey will take to measure the impact of Solar Sister on the society. What measurement tool/s will Lucey implement to gauge the social impact of Solar Sister? Complexity academic level This case is intended for use in PG/Executive-level programs as part of a course on Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability.

An assessment of energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of financial inclusion and education

An assessment of energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of financial inclusion and education

Prevalence, Trends in and Determinants of Teenage Pregnancies in Rwanda: Analysis of Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (2010 to 2020)

Background: According to the World Health Organization, roughly 16 million teen mothers aged 15 to 19 give birth annually resulting a 44,000 births per day worldwide. Moreover, the vicious cycle of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is exacerbated by adolescent pregnancy, this also increases maternal, perinatal, and infant mortality hindering SDG goal 5 and target 3 of ending the child marriage of 2030 to be achieved. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, trends, and determinants of teenage pregnancies in Rwanda between 2010 and 2020. Methods: This study used Rwanda's demographic and health survey data from 2010, 2015, and 2020, and a cross-sectional study design. All data were cleaned and appended to get the final data set for analysis, all analyses were performed using R software package 4.3.1. Moreover, statistical significance was determined at a 5% p-value and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) while not crossing one. Results: The total number of teenagers between 2010 and 2020 was 9,050 and among them, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy was 6.11% (n = 553/9050). By trend, teenage pregnancy in 2010 was 6.22%, in 2015, 7.30%, and in 2015 5.41% in prevalence. After adjusting the variables in a multivariate logistic regression model, the following were found to be potential predictors of teenage pregnancy in Rwanda: Region by Eastern province (AOR: 1.55:95% CI: 1.078,2.24), lack of education and primary school teens (AOR: 2.9:95% CI: 1.22,6.89) and AOR: 1.67:95% CI: 1.25,2.24)respectively, Poorest households AOR: 2.02:95% CI: 1.27,3.12), those with knowledge of contraceptive methods (AOR: 8.70:95% CI: 3.34,23.01), sexually active unmarried women (AOR: 3.50:95% CI: 1.58,7.78), teens who did not access social media (AOR: 2.03:95% CI: 1.41,2.91), and it was protective against family size. Conclusion: These results imply that a combination of social, sociodemographic, and knowledge-related factors, as well as awareness of contraceptive techniques, may impact teenage pregnancy in Rwanda. The provision of contraception education and awareness should be the primary goal of efforts to minimize adolescent pregnancies in Rwanda, particularly in areas where the prevalence is higher. In addition, encouraging family planning and tackling economic inequalities can be effective tactics to lower adolescent pregnancy rates.

Mitigating the effects of a pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa: are fiscal and monetary policy complementary or contradictory?

PurposeThe study examined the roles of fiscal and monetary policy in reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), while accounting for macroeconomic disruptions. In particular, the study examined the complementarity of fiscal and monetary policy to mitigate shocks and reduce poverty in SSA.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts the fixed effect (within regression) model to account for country-specific characteristics, and a cross-sectional dependence – consistent model to control for the potential cross-sectional in panel data modelling. The study used the dummy variable approach to account for the macroeconomic shocks. The authors assigned 1 to the following years – 2008, 2014 and 2020; and 0 otherwise to take care of the global financial crisis, commodity terms of trade shocks and the COVID-19 pandemic respectively.FindingsThe study found that fiscal policy (particularly, government spending on health and education) has the greater capacity to reduce the level of poverty in SSA. The results also indicate that fiscal policy and monetary policy can work in tandem to reduce the negative effects of a pandemic. However, the study found an optimal threshold level of monetary policy beyond which monetary policy reduces the effectiveness of fiscal policy to reduce poverty in SSA. The research and policy implications are discussed.Originality/valueThe study, unlike previous studies, accounts for the impact of macroeconomic shocks in the monetary/fiscal policy and poverty literature.

The Role of Mobile Money Innovations in the Effect of Inequality on Poverty and Severity of Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

AbstractThis study investigates the role of mobile money innovations in the incidence of income inequality on poverty and severity of poverty in 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1980 to 2019. Mobile money innovations are understood as the mobile used to send money and the mobile used to pay bills online while income inequality is measured with the Gini index. Poverty is measured as the poverty headcount ratio while the severity of poverty is generated as the squared of the poverty gap index. The empirical evidence is based on interactive Quantile regressions. The following main findings are established. (i) Income inequality unconditionally reduces poverty and the severity of poverty though the significance is not throughout the conditional distributions of poverty and the severity of poverty. (ii) Mobile money innovations significantly moderate the positive incidence of income inequality on poverty and the severity of poverty in some quantiles. (iii) Positive net effects are apparent exclusively in the poverty regressions. (iv) Given the negative conditional effects, policy thresholds or minimum mobile money innovation levels needed to completely nullify the positive incidence of income inequality on poverty are provided: 27.666 (% age 15 +) and 24.000 (% age 15 +) of the mobile used to send money in the 50th and 75th quantiles, respectively and 16.272 (% age 15 +) and 13.666 (% age 15 +) of the mobile used to pay bills online in the 10th and 50th quantiles, respectively. Policy implications are discussed with respect of SDG1 on poverty reduction and SDG10 on inequality mitigation.

Turning the tide on energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: Does public debt matter?

A popular theme in the literature is the examination of a variety of factors that contribute to energy poverty, but little is known about the connection between public debt and energy poverty, particularly for developing regions of the world. This study clearly illustrates the nexus between public debt and energy poverty, focusing on thirty SSA nations from the years 2007–2018. In conjunction with disaggregated energy poverty variables such as urban electrification, national electricity access, rural electrification, access to clean cooking fuels, renewable energy utilization and output, a composite energy poverty index was developed using the principal component analysis and estimated in relation to public debt via the Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments approach. Additionally, the effects of a debt threshold are taken into account and their implications for the region's energy poverty are assessed. The main finding of the study reveals that public debt has a positive and significant linear effect on the energy poverty index, national electricity access, urban electrification, rural electrification and access to clean cooking fuels while it reduces renewable energy production and utilization. Thus, our research contributes to the body of knowledge and offers policy recommendations for SSA's targeted reduction in energy poverty through sustainable public debt management.

Women’s Political Participation and Energy Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects and Transmission Channels

La pauvreté énergétique reste un défi majeur pour la croissance économique durable et inclusive, la bonne gouvernance, la paix et la stabilité dans les pays développés et en particulier dans les régions en développement comme l’Afrique. Outre ce défi énergétique, la participation des femmes à la prise de décision politique reste un autre grand défi pour les pays africains. A ce jour, peu d’études ont examiné les effets de la participation politique des femmes sur la pauvreté énergétique. Par conséquent, l’objectif de cette étude est d’examiner les effets de la participation politique des femmes sur la pauvreté énergétique (mesurée principalement par l’accès à l’électricité) dans un panel de 45 pays d’Afrique subsaharienne sur la période 1997-2018. En outre, cet article examine les canaux de transmission par lesquels la participation politique des femmes affecte la pauvreté énergétique. Les preuves empiriques sont basées sur la technique d’estimation par les effets fixes et la méthode des moments généralisés (GMM), et les résultats suivants sont établis : Premièrement, les femmes parlementaires améliorent l’accès à l’électricité à la fois pour la population totale et pour les populations urbaines et rurales. En d’autres termes, les résultats montrent que les femmes parlementaires réduisent la pauvreté énergétique en Afrique subsaharienne. Ces résultats sont robustes à une série de contrôles de sensibilité. Deuxièmement, nous identifions le contrôle de la corruption et la démocratie comme les principaux canaux de transmission par lesquels les femmes parlementaires promeuvent l’accès à l’électricité. Ces résultats mettent en évidence le rôle important des femmes politiques dans la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable, notamment l’accès à l’électricité en Afrique.

Road Fatalities and Extreme Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Fatal Is It for the Breadwinners?

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the relationship between extreme poverty and road fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa using a panel of 42 countries over the period 1990–2014. We adopt the two-step system GMM method and a two-stage estimation framework to check for robustness of the relationship between road fatalities and extreme poverty. Our study finds a positive and significant relationship between deaths from road accidents and extreme poverty for overall road fatalities and only the age group between 15 and 49 years when considering the different age groups. Extreme-poverty-road fatality elasticity post higher values when we adopt the two-stage estimation framework.

Alleviating Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Inclusive Business Models

Abstract The study aimed to analyze the ability of inclusive business (IB) models to sustainably contribute to efforts made in alleviating poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on the cases of Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya. Data collected on these two countries revealed a clear opposite stream in the integration pattern of the populations at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) in IB models. In Côte d'Ivoire individuals at BoPs integrate IBs mainly through the agricultural sector, getting busy with the supply of raw material, and with the distribution and/or sale of products in the value chain; thus, supporting an upstream integration. In Kenya, individual at BoPs rather are concentrated in manufacturing, with a first choice on non-permanent employees as activity in the value chain, followed by permanent employees; hence, downstreaming the integration ladder. In both countries, IB contributes positively and significantly to welfare at BoPs, especially when the IB model is implemented as part of a specific program.

Poverty eradication in sub-Saharan Africa: a government-led or private sector-driven approach?

PurposeThe paper contributes to the literature on investment and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Specifically, the study examined the separate role of private and public investment in poverty reduction in a panel of 40 sub-Saharan African countries.Design/methodology/approachFor robustness, the study adopts a variety of estimation techniques. These include the fixed effect (within) regression model, the two-step system generalised method of moments (GMM) and the pooled OLS with Driscoll-Kraay robust standard errors to account for the well-known problems of endogeneity, heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence inherent in panel data.FindingsThe empirical results show that the reducing impact of public investment on poverty is marginal, while private investment has a significant reducing impact on poverty. The study also found that access to social services, such as water and sanitation, and credit are important determinants of investment in SSA. The research and policy implications are discussed.Originality/valueThe study investigated the separate effect of private and public investments on poverty in SSA, unlike the existing studies that adopted total investment.

Trends in fertility intentions and contraceptive practices in the context of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: insights from four national and regional population-based cohorts

ObjectivesStudies in several sub-Saharan geographies conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic suggested little impact on contraceptive behaviours. Initial results may mask widening disparities with rising poverty, and changes to women’s...

The Role of Mobile Money Innovations in the Effect of Inequality on Poverty and Severity of Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Role of Mobile Money Innovations in the Effect of Inequality on Poverty and Severity of Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Rich in the dark: Natural resources and energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite the abundant resources with which Africa is endowed, this region of the world is also, paradoxically, the least enlightened, with a low rate of access to electricity and a high propensity to use fuels for cooking. Based on this paradoxical observation, this study proposes to analyse the effect of natural resources on energy poverty in a panel of 45 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1997–2018. Energy poverty is measured mainly by access to electricity and the following results are established. First, natural resource-dependent countries in sub-Saharan Africa are associated with greater energy poverty. Second, point resources (oil, gas and mineral rents) accentuate energy poverty, unlike diffuse resources (forest rents). However, we show that this situation is not irreversible, as democracy, especially liberal, participatory and egalitarian democracies, mitigate the effect of natural resources on energy poverty.