Saharan African Countries Research Articles

Human capital development and industrial sector growth in Sub Saharan African countries. An augmented pooled mean group estimator

Human capital development and industrial sector growth in Sub Saharan African countries. An augmented pooled mean group estimator

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.

Trends and Patterns of Human Capital Development and Economic Growth in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

The study analyses the trends and patterns of human capital development in the selected Sub- Saharan African countries during the period 1981-2020. The study variables were economic growth rate; human capital development - proxied by Human Development Index (HDI), physical infrastructure – proxied by Physical Infrastructure Index (PII), technology – proxied by Research and Development (R&D), growth of labour force, share of private investment in GDP, trade openness, financial openness and share of total government expenditure. The result indicates that the trends and patterns over the year for human capital development in SSA countries proxied

Problematization of the Sudanese Engineering Education

The purpose of engineering education is to prepare engineering graduates for employment as professional engineers in various industries. However, a small portion of the engineering graduates may seek other options, like research and/or graduate studies. Well-trained engineering graduates is essential for development of any country. Nevertheless, Sudan, like most of Sub Saharan African countries, has been facing profound engineering education issues; of them are: poor funding, outdated curricula, ineffective teaching and learning methods, inadequate human capacity, poor research/publishing condition, inappropriate facilities, inadequate educational technology and ICT environment, weak university/industry relationship, lack of academic freedom, imbalance between diploma and bachelor graduates from engineering college, and missing of quality control and accreditation measures. All of these issues led to low number of well-trained engineering graduates; hence, the country’s development has been exceedingly suppressed. Any efforts to improve engineering education in Sudan should start with addressing those inadequate elements of engineering education. This paper discussed the current engineering education issues and concluded with recommendations that might help resolve them.

Corruption and growth in Sub Saharan African countries: Do differences in government effectiveness matter?

Corruption remains a significant global concern and affects economic growth ( ). Despite extensive research on the relationship between corruption and economic growth in developed countries, the effects of corruption and governance on economic growth in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain unclear. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by examining the impacts of corruption, government effectiveness ( ), and their joint interactive effects on economic growth in a panel of 37 countries in SSA from 2012 to 2022. The data were from multiple sources (the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and Transparency International) and analyzed using a two‑step generalized method of moments (SGMM) technique. The results of the SGMM demonstrate that corruption has a detrimental effect on the economic growth of countries in the SSA. Furthermore, the findings of the analysis reveal that government effectiveness significantly lowers the economic growth of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most importantly, the results of regression analysis indicate that the joint interactive effect of corruption and government effectiveness ( ) depresses economies in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is a novel finding. Therefore, this study recommends that in order to support the long-term economic growth of Sub-Saharan African nations, governments should create policies and strategies to combat corruption and improve institutional quality.

Safety of Tiger Nuts (Cyperus Esculentus L.) and Derived Products Sold in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) is a tuber crop that is consumed as snack in sub Saharan African. It is known for its sweetness and numerous benefits. Despite the nutritional quality and health benefit of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) tuber crop, increased consumption integrated with the associated risk of disease to consumers is a matter of great concern because of the health practice of the harvester, consumers and vendors. Thus, if tiger nut is exposed to microbial contamination, it can impose public health treat. Contamination of tiger nut tubers could either be physical, chemical, microbial or a combination of any of them, through post-harvest processes, handling, packaging, storage and retailing. Consumption of contaminated tiger nut tubers and utilisation of the tubers to produce edible products will invariably result in contaminated tiger nut-derived products if no further treatment to reduce or completely eliminate the contaminants is applied. In order to boost the prospect of tiger nut tubers and assure safe tiger nut derived products in sub Saharan African countries, it is important to prevent tiger nut tubers and tiger nut-derived products from any form of contamination. Therefore, it is paramount to review recent research findings on contamination of tiger nut tubers and tiger nut-derived products in order to effectively implement prevention strategies. This will help to promote food safety and food security in sub Saharan African countries.

Heterogeneous determinants of environmental sustainability: Assessing the roles of energy consumption, economic growth, and financial development

This study offers unique insights into the heterogeneous influence of energy consumption, economic growth, and financial development on environmental sustainability in Sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries. Basically, the scarcity of evidence on this issue, especially in the context of SSA, motivates this new assessment. Thus, on the basis of the annual panel series for 22 SSA countries over the period 1999-2019, the novel quantile-based method of moments (MM-QR), and system-generalisation method of moments (sysGMM) provide the following results. First, financial development significantly degrades the region?s environmental quality. Second, energy utilisation provides varying significant increasing effects. Whereas it largely increases carbon emissions at the upper quantiles, the influence at the middle and low quantiles is inconsequential. This highlights the fact that high levels of energy use in the region significantly increase carbon emissions, which in turn reduces the region?s environmental sustainability. Third, the empirical result confirms the inverted Uform hypothesis in the region. Policy options to enhance and maintain sustainable growth in the region without compromising environmental quality have been highlighted.

Institutions, Investment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub Saharan African countries experience low private investment compared to other developing countries in world. For instance, private investment in the region averaged 15% of GDP from 2010 to 2016, as compared to 22%, 18% and 17% for developing countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America respectively. This low investment level constrained the region’s ability to grow and improve social outcomes such as; increase in the real wages and poverty reduction. Low quality institutions could explain this phenomenon. Therefore, this study examined the effect of institutions on investment and economic growth of 37 SSA countries from 1996 to 2017 using dynamic panel data model. The data were retrieved from Worldwide Governance Indicators, World Development Indicators and the Chinn-Ito index. System Generalised Method of Moments was used to estimate the result. The key findings generated by the study confirmed that these measures of institutional variables and there interaction with investment yield a positive and statistically significant result. Indicating that strengthening the quality of these institutions could positively affect investment and economic growth of the region. For instance, unit increase in controlling corruption increases investment by 1.4%. Furthermore, there is evidence showing financial development slows investment growth, which can be attributed to the weak institutional arrangements, as the coefficient of financial development is negative and statistically significant. The study recommends that SSA countries should pay greater attention on institutional reforms particularly; control of corruption and political stability to drive a meaningful growth and development in the region.

Dietary patterns and associations with metabolic risk factors for non-communicable disease

Unhealthy dietary habit is a major contributor to the burden of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension, especially the increased burden in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence of the association between specific dietary patterns and health outcomes is scarce in sub–Saharan African countries. This study aimed to identify principal dietary patterns and evaluate associations with metabolic risk factors including hypertension, overweight/obesity, and abdominal obesity in Northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia, from 10 May 2021 to 20 June 2021. Dietary intake was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric (weight, height, hip/waist circumference) and blood pressure measurements were performed using standardized tools. Principal component analysis was conducted to derive dietary patterns. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between dietary patterns and metabolic risk factors and with sociodemographic and individual risk factors. This study derives two types of dietary patterns: ‘westernized’ dietary pattern, which is positively correlated with consumption of meat, dairy, fast foods, alcohol, fish, sweet/sugary foods, and fruits, and ‘traditional’ dietary pattern, which is positively correlated with intake of cereals, vegetables, legumes, roots/tubers, coffee, and oils. The prevalence of hypertension was significantly lower in adults with higher quantiles of westernized dietary pattern (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.60; p < 0.01; quantile three); and (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.17, 0.75; p < 0.01; quantile four). Younger, married, and middle-income adults were associated with the highest quantile of the westernized pattern. Being females and having middle income associated with the highest quantile of traditional dietary patterns (p < 0.05). This study suggested two types of dietary patterns, westernized and traditional, among adults in Northwest Ethiopia and revealed a significant association with metabolic risk factors like hypertension. Identifying the main dietary patterns in the population could be informative to consider local-based dietary recommendations and interventions to reduce metabolic risk factors.

Commercial bank credits and industrial development in Nigeria

The aim of this study is to determine how credit from commercial banks affects Industrial Growth in Nigeria. The study spans the years 1983 through 2020. For this reason, Commercial Bank Credits was divided into Commercial Banks Credit to the Manufacturing Sector (CBMF), Commercial Banks Credit to the Mining Sector (CBMN), and Commercial Banks Credit to the Real Estate and Construction Sector (CBRC), and their various effects on Industrial Development (Industrial Gross domestic product - IGDP) were taken into account. It was discovered that all the variables attained stationarity at the first and second difference and then freed themselves from the unit root tangle. The Johansen co-integration test results demonstrated that there is no co-integration equation between the variables listed in the model. The Granger Causality test, which was conducted, showed that there was only one causal relationship between Commercial Banks' contribution to the mining sector (CBMN) and Industrial Development (IGDP). According to the regression analysis's findings, there is a positive and significant relationship between commercial banks' lending to the manufacturing sector (CBMF) and industrial development (IGDP), as well as a negative and significant relationship between commercial banks' lending to the real estate and construction sector (CBRC) and industrial development. This suggests that there is a significant connection between Industrial Development and the credit offered by commercial banks. This research on the effect of Commercial Bank Credits on Industrial Development studied only the Nigerian case. So, the research recommends that this study be extended to other Sub Saharan African Countries. In order to enhance industrial growth and development in the long run, it is recommended that, the commercial banks should grant medium and long term loans to the major players in the industrial sector and avoid under-lending or over-lending. There is disagreement regarding whether there is a long-term or short-term relationship between commercial bank credits and industrial development, as well as the direction of causality. The majority of researchers on this subject did not examine the nature and direction of the relationship between Commercial Bank Credits and Industrial Development in Nigeria using the Cointegration Test and Granger Causality Test. This study closes the knowledge gap.

HIV Focused Sexual Risk-Reduction Interventions Targeting Adolescent Boys and Young Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review

Adolescent girls and young women’s exceptionalism with HIV interventions has left adolescent boys and young men (ABYM) trailing behind, thus becoming a marginalized and underserved population. The scoping review aimed to provide an overview of interventions that have targeted sexual risk behaviors in ABYM in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the previous 21 years with critical insights on ‘what works’ in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. A scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s (in Int J Soc Res Methodol 8(1):19–32, 16) framework and the 2015 Johanna Briggs Institute’s guidelines was conducted. A search of literature published between 2000 and 2020 was reviewed and twenty nine interventions from nine Sub Saharan African countries that met the eligibility criteria were reviewed. The review provides evidence on the successes and the limitations of sexual risk behavior interventions for ABYM in SSA. There is clear and consistent evidence that interventions reduce sexual risk behaviors in adolescent boys and young men. Their efficiency seems to grow with the length and intensity of the intervention. Positive effects were generally observed in condom use and on measures of HIV knowledge, attitudes and sexual behaviors as well as uptake of HIV tests and voluntary male circumcision. This review shows that sexual-risk interventions engaging men and boys in SSA are promising and warrant further rigorous development in terms of conceptualization, design and evaluation.

Financial Development, Human Capital Development and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan African Countries

Abstract&#x0D; Over the years, there has been a pressing need to improve the state of human capital development and financial development, to pay more attention to it and the benefits it holds in the economy. However, this has not been the case in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, as there has been a major decline in comparison to the other regions of the world. The study examined the relationship between financial developments, human capital development on economic growth in Sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries. The data collected for this research work was obtained from the World Bank, for the 45 Sub-Saharan countries for twenty-four years (1997 to 2020). Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data set; while panel regression analysis and unit root, testing was also carried out. The results of the study indicates that financial stability and human capital development (education) has significant relationship on the economic growth in Sub-Saharan African countries. The study therefore recommends that the government should attach a higher level of importance to human capital development as well as financial access to ensure economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.&#x0D; Keywords: Financial Development, Human Capital Development, Economic Growth, Nigeria&#x0D; JEL classification &#x0D; C33; G10; O47

Feed Thy Neighbour: How Social Ties Shape Spillover Effects of Cash Transfers on Food Security and Nutrition

Abstract Economic development in Sub Saharan African countries is strongly tied to households' ability to cope with exogenous events affecting their well-being. Using data from the Lesotho Child Grant Program (CGP) we provide evidence on the presence of any spillover effect of the program on non-eligible households living in treated villages and whether households' food security and nutrition are influenced by the presence of a particular network structure. We take advantage of information on each household's received and disbursed monetary transfers to build a set of indicators representing quantitatively and qualitatively the network architecture of each household. We find relevant spillover effects of the CGP on the food security and nutrition of non-eligible households living in treated villages and embedded in a social network. Geographical proximity seems to be strongly tied to positive spillover effects for food security and access to food.

Public debt and economic growth nexus in sub-saharan Africa: does institutional qualitymatter?

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the effect of institutional quality and public debt on economic growth among sub-Saharan African countries. The study employs the System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) and the Fixed Effect techniques on data from 35 Sub Saharan African countries (sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and the World Governance Index (WGI) databases from 2010 to 2020). The results reveal that institutional quality has a significantly negative effect on public debt; public debt has a significantly negative effect on economic growth; and institutional quality has a significantly positive effect on economic growth. This suggests that countries with weak institutions may have debt overhang deleterious to economic growth.

The Dynamics of Economic Globalization and Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan African Countries: An Empirical Insight from Two Stage Least Square and Fixed Effect Approach

Many empirical studies have examined the nexus between economic globalization and income inequality. However, findings are controversial, especially for developing countries, which require further investigation. This study, therefore, aims to examine the effect of economic globalization on income inequality using unbalance panel data in 19 Sub Saharan African countries (SSA) from 2000 – 2015. Due to endogeneity problem and cross sectional dependence, the model was analyzed using a two-stage least square (2SLS) regression and the fixed effect model with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors regression respectively. The findings reveal that FDI, Trade openness, and ICT development are positive and significantly link to income inequality while remittances have a negative and significant effect. This is an indication that economic globalization indicators (FDI, Trade openness, ICT) have failed to bring a fairer income distribution in these countries while remittances have contributed to income distribution. On basis of this conclusion, policymakers should pursue policies, which will enhance a balanced development and improvement in the socioeconomic welfare of the population by improving measures of income distribution.

Ownership Structure and Information Disclosure in Sub- Saharan African Countries

Purpose: This study examines the association between ownership structure and information disclosure using a sample of the listed non-financial firms in Sub-Saharan African countries.&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employed quantitative methods to examine the relationship between ownership structure and information disclosure. The population was non-financial firms listed in eleven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Data were sourced from the listed firms’ annual reports available online. The regression analysis was done using the fractional probit model. The dependent variable is the disclosure index which was developed using scores of various attributes of information disclosure through analysis of annual reports to identify whether the attributes were included in the annual reports. The firm scored 1 if the attribute was included in the annual report and zero otherwise. Thereafter, the scores were aggregated to obtain actual scores for each individual firm. Finally, the average score was computed by dividing aggregated actual score value by the expected score value.&#x0D; Findings: Findings indicate that concentrated ownership is significantly negatively associated with disclosure. Furthermore, the findings show government and foreign ownerships are positively and significantly associated with information disclosure. This study shows the effects of ownership structure on disclosure. Overall, the findings indicate that ownership structure is related to information disclosure.&#x0D; Research Limitation/Implication: This study focused on non-financial listed firms which their annual reports were available online. The interpretation of the results of these studies needs to consider this bias as may affect the generalizability of the results to all firms including those which do provide annual reports online.&#x0D; Practical Implications: The finding implies reforms should consider the presence of different characteristics of firms, in particular ownership structure, and their impacts on the firm propensity to disclose information.&#x0D; Social Implications: More specifically, the finding suggests that applying simple policies to specify types and levels of disclosure requirements to all firms may not be realistic because the concept of one size fits all may not be applicable.&#x0D; Originality/Value/Novelty: The study provides highlights on determinants of information disclosure which is one of the mechanisms for monitoring agency problems resulting from the conflict of interests between internal and external stakeholders of the firm. In this regard, this study extends research on the nexus of ownership structure and information disclosure to developing countries’ context and therefore contributes to understanding corporate governance around the globe.

Evaluating the Perennial Flooding on the White Volta River and the Bagre Dam Spillage on Agricultural Activities in the Sudan Savanna in the Upper East Region, Ghana

Ensuring food security and the reduction of poverty has become a major challenge for sub Saharan African countries especially among subsistent farmers. Subsistent households depend on the yield obtained from the farm for their survival and economic development. However, the nature and impact of the floods have increased in frequency and intensity especially in recent years which have affected food production. It is against this background that this study was undertaken to evaluate the perennial flooding the White Volta River and the Bagre Dam spillage on agricultural activities in the Sudan Savanna in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The mixed method design was employed for the study which obtained information on both qualitative and quantitative data about the issue under investigation. A total of 200 subsistent farmers households were randomly sampled for the data collections. The primary data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, field observation and photography. The secondary data was obtained from NADMO and MOFA directorates on the destruction of farms and crops yields respectively. The findings show that the study areas experience floods every year. The floods usually occur around August and September when rainfall is in torrential coupled with the spillage of the Bagre dam. The flooding has resulted in the declined in food production among subsistent farmers. As a result of this, households in Galaka, Salipiga, Yarigu, Binduri and Sapkare were food insecure. This situation (food insecurity) has led to households engaging in others activities in ensuring food security. The study recommend that there should be close engagement between authorities in Ghana and that of Burkina Faso so that the latter country can provide exact time for the spillage of the dam. Information on the dam spillage beforehand will help farmers in the affected communities to adequately prepare, including early harvesting to reduce the amount of farm produce lost to floods.

Social-Cultural Impacts of Development Projects: Expansion of Morogoro Highway in Tanzania

Abstract Land is one of the contentious development and political issue facing Tanzania and many Sub Saharan African countries. Most of these issues focus on the privatization of land as a result of neo-liberal economic reforms, evictions and conflicts generated. To understand development as a concept and its outcome, arguments in this paper are drawn from the study that explored socio-cultural impacts of the construction of Morogoro highway in Tanzania. Further, the paper makes an analysis of the land patterns and the meanings people attach to the land. Finally, we make an analysis of the social movements established by people in response to evictions along the highway. The study was conducted along Morogoro highway in Dar es Salaam and Pwani regions. It employed mainly qualitative approach, where archival information from NBS, Our World Data, indepth interviews, focus group discussions and observations were used. Key findings indicate that there is a gap between the meanings assigned to development projects and the socio-cultural configurations attached to land. This has resulted into myriad conflicts and evictions. A central argument in this paper is that for the land development program to be meaningful, there is a need to involve all land actors in the process.

Short birth interval and its predictors among reproductive age women in high fertility countries in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys

BackgroundIn developing countries, short birth interval is one of the major public health issues. It is one of the leading cause’s adverse birth outcomes in the worldwide. Despite the fact that ending maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the burden of the problem continues to be a huge concern in developing countries, including high fertility countries. Thus, this study aimed to determine the short birth interval and its predictors in ten high fertile sub-Saharan African countries.MethodsData for this study was obtained from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). A total of weighted sample of 303,979 women of childbearing age group (15– 49) who had at least two alive consecutive children was included. A multilevel mixed-effect binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify the associated factors of short birth interval. As a final step, the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) was used with a confidence interval of 95% in determining statistical significance.ResultsOverall prevalence of short birth interval in high fertile sub Saharan Africa was 58.74% (52.32%, 65.17%).The factors significantly associated with the short birth interval were women's educational status; primary education (AOR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.86,0 .91), secondary and higher (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.11), working (AOR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.88, 0 .93), classified as rich wealth index level (AOR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.93),having six and above ideal number of children (AOR = 2.25; 95% CI: 2.22, 2.30), preferred waiting time two years and above to give birth (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.89), contraceptive non users (AOR = 3.01; 95% CI: 2.93, 3.07), community level education (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.54, 2.08), rural residency (AOR = 2.17; 95% CI: 2.13, 2.22), and country Chad (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.54).ConclusionThe prevalence of short birth interval in the top ten high fertile sub Saharan African countries is still optimally high. Therefore, the government of each country should work on the access to family planning and education in rural parts of the countries.

Energy Consumption and Environmental Quality in Africa: Does Energy Efficiency Make Any Difference?

In line with the quest by policymakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions towards Agenda 2050 and environmental sustainability, this study examines whether in the remit of Sustainable Development Goal 7, energy efficiency plays a significant role in mitigating environmental concerns associated with energy consumption. We do this by drawing macro-data on 20 sub−Saharan African countries for the period 2000–2020. Evidence based on the dynamic Generalize Method of Moments estimator shows that although overall, energy consumption triggers remarkable environmental setbacks, renewable energy consumption shows a favourable environmental effect. The results further show that energy efficiency is both directly and indirectly effective for reducing environmental pollution. Notably, the study finds that energy efficiency interacts with energy consumption to yield marked greenhouse gas emission reductions measured against carbon and nitrous emissions. In particular, we find that while renewable energy is significant for propelling Africa towards environmental sustainability, non-renewable energy shows a harmful effect. We provide policy recommendations based on the finding that investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy provide solutions to maintaining environmental sustainability. African countries should strive to include renewable energy in their energy mix and improve investments in line with SDG7 and Aspiration 1.7 of Africa’s Agenda 2063.