Sector In sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Rural/Urban Population Age and Sex Composition in sub‐Saharan Africa 1980–2015

This study describes the shifting age and sex patterns of populations across urban and rural sectors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1980 to 2015. We calculate sector-specific population compositions and estimate net rural-to-urban age- and sex-specific migration rates across 45 SSA countries. We focus both on the general patterns of change in population com- position and on the specific role of rural-to-urban migration in this process. Much of our attention is concerned with understanding how differences in rural and urban age structures or the urban/rural gap evolve over time. The gap may be measured using a variety of metrics such as the difference in mean ages or the ratio of median ages in the two sectors. (excerpt)

Screening Non-Improved Zimbabwean Sorghum Land Races for Resistance to Witch Weed

Sorghum is an important cereal for food security in semi-arid regions of the world (Mukarumbwa and Mushunje 2010). Semi-arid regions are characterized by frequent droughts leading to crop failure. In addition to drought, sorghum production in the smallholder farming sector in Sub-Saharan Africa can be undermined by the parasitic witch weed Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze (Stroud, 1993). S. asiatica parasitism can cause cereal yields to drop by as much as 60% hence it poses a threat to food security (Mabasa, 1993). The aim of this study is to screen sorghum landraces for S. asiatica resistance and test the escape hypothesis through a controlled in a pot experiment. A pot experiment was established on 1 March 2013 at the Henderson Research Station in Zimbabwe. It is situated in agro-ecological region II of Zimbabwe. The annual average rainfall is 864 mm. Mean annual temperature is 21 oC (Mujere and Mazvimavi, 2012). The dominant soil type is red clay loam belonging to the fersiallitic group (Wulff et al. 2002). Four sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) landraces consisting of two early maturing and two late maturing varieties were obtained from the National Genebank in Harare for this experiment. The early maturing landraces were Tsveta and Nhongoro while the late maturing landraces were Musoswe and Khaki. The biological characteristics of these landraces including days to 50% flowering is shown in Table 1.Bangladesh Agron. J. 2017, 20(1): 106-108

Use of insects for fish and poultry compound feed in sub-Saharan Africa – a systematic review

The cost of compound feed is a constraint in intensive fish and poultry farming, contributing 60-80% of the total production costs, 70% of which is due to fish and soy meal used as protein source. This review presents the extent to which insects have been utilised as an alternative protein source in feed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A key word search of agricultural, biological and multi-disciplinary databases and academic search engines was conducted for literature on the extent of research and utilisation of insects in poultry and fish feed in SSA. There is limited published information on the practice as well as technical and economic feasibility of the use of insects as alternative protein ingredients in compound feed. This is likely because research on the subject is fairly recently initiated and yet to be published. Excluding South Africa, rearing, processing and use of insects is still at experimentation level at laboratory scale. Insects (grasshoppers, house fly maggots, Westwood larvae, termites and garden snail) meal replaced conventional protein sources by 10-100% without affecting the growth performance of fish and poultry. In some cases, insect based feed performed better than conventional feed. Nutritional composition data of insects published for SSA majorly focused on proximate composition and not characterisation of the nutritional quality. Several research and development projects on the technical and economic feasibility, social acceptability and potential social-economic impact are ongoing and expected to increase available data when completed. Published research confirms the potential of insects for use in poultry and fish production systems and mass production and processing of target insects is the next necessary step. Based on available and ongoing research, piloting and up-scaling the use of insects as alternative protein sources in animal feed in partnership with private sector in SSA is necessary. This will confirm and enhance the technical and economic feasibility of using of insects as an alternative protein source on a commercial scale.

Policies for a Sustainable Biomass Energy Sector in Malawi: Enhancing Energy and Food Security Simultaneously

Summary Biomass energy still dominates the energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular as the main cooking energy source in rural and urban areas. The strong linkages to food security and the environment place biomass energy at the heart of sustainable development, a fact that is largely ignored by policy makers in favor of modern energy. At the same time, population and GDP growth are exacerbating already existing supply–demand imbalances in highly populated countries such as Malawi. These trends make it imperative to identify policy interventions that promote sustainable biomass energy while simultaneously considering linkages with other sectors. We use new data on demand and supply for biomass energy in Malawi and develop a model that estimates fuelwood demand based on actual diets and project demand in future years. We simulate how demand side interventions in the form of improved cookstoves affect biomass demand and built a behavioral model to analyze the potential of agroforestry for promoting a sustainable biomass energy sector in Malawi. Our findings show that policy measures aimed at increasing cooking efficiency are not enough to decrease demand for cooking energy due to high population growth. Supply side interventions like agroforestry on the other hand will not only increase sustainable supply, but can also enhance food security and protect the environment. We find that biomass energy can be inherently sustainable and should be an integral part of every energy sector strategy in developing countries as well as of the Sustainable Development Goals.

DIVERSITY IN SMALLHOLDER CITRUS ORCHARDS AND CULTIVATION BOTTLENECKS: RESEARCH AVENUES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTION IN BENIN, WEST AFRICA

SUMMARYDespite tremendous efforts made in agricultural sectors in sub-Saharan Africa in the last two decades, fruits production and consumption to reduce malnutrition and chronic diseases remain low and have received less attention. Moreover, our knowledge of the current production situation and options for improvement are still limited. In this study, we investigated citrus farming systems and production bottlenecks to identify leverage points for intensification of smallholder citrus farming systems in Benin. We provided a typology of citrus orchards based on 17 quantitative and qualitative variables using Factor Analysis of Mixed Data combined with Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. The typology revealed four categories of citrus farms based on biophysical resources, socioeconomic resources and system management practices. Categories 1 and 2 included farms characterised by less diversified cropping systems with non-recommended management practices. Orchard categories 3 and 4 included farms with high varietal diversity and improved management practices. However, farmers of category 4 neglected staking and digging practices. The inadequate farming practices explained some of the production bottlenecks, which were orchard-type dependent. We discussed the implications of our findings and suggested a number of policy and strategic decisions as well as research and development actions for improving citrus production in Benin.

Charcoal income as a means to a valuable end: Scope and limitations of income from rural charcoal production to alleviate acute multidimensional poverty in Mabalane district, southern Mozambique

The charcoal industry is among the most important semiformal economic sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa and a key cash income source for local households who produce it. This has intensified the debate as to the role of income from charcoal production in the alleviation of rural poverty. While in a number of cases charcoal production has been identified as a potential alleviator of monetary poverty, this paper takes as its departure point a lack of analysis on the effect of charcoal income on acute multidimensional poverty (AMP). This is understood as the inability of household members to meet minimum national and international standards and core functionings. This study used primary data from an important charcoal supplying region in southern Mozambique (N = 312). The Alkire-Foster method was used to aggregate AMP in nine composite indicators. Generalised linear models were used to assess the marginal effect of charcoal income on AMP, controlling for other determinants. Our findings show a high intensity (67.7%) and prevalence of AMP (0.429) in the study area (n = 261). 59% of the identified non-monetary poor from charcoal making are identified as acute multidimensionally poor. Charcoal income is found to be positively correlated with valuable household assets, and charcoal production increases the resistance to impoverishment in certain circumstances. However, charcoal income was not found to be a statistically significant determinant of AMP, even for the most productive charcoal makers. This highlights the enormous barriers both producers and non-producers of charcoal alike face in this region in order to overcome AMP. Our findings thus challenge the perception that charcoal income can sufficiently alleviate poverty, particularly when a multidimensional perspective is adopted. Reductions and eventual eliminations of AMP require a concentrated cross-sectional whole-of-government approach to tackle poverty in its multidimensional breadth and complexity, while attempts at making the charcoal industry more inclusive and equitable should be accelerated.

Models of engagement between the state and the faith sector in sub-Saharan Africa – a systematic review

ABSTRACTIn sub-Saharan Africa many individuals rely on non-state health providers, and engagement between state and non-state providers is increasingly common. Little analytic work has been done on the varied models of engagement, resulting in a lack of clarity about the promises and challenges of public–private engagement (PPE) for health. Despite their prevalence, PPEs often fail. Faith-based health providers (FBHPs) form a significant proportion of the non-state health sector in sub-Saharan Africa, and the number of partnerships with FBHPs is increasing. Building on a prior systematic review project that developed a typology of organisational models for PPE for health, this article reports on a secondary analysis, highlighting PPE initiatives with FBHPs.

The percentage of HIV treatment and prevention services in Kenya provided by faith-based health providers

ABSTRACTAlthough the percentage of health services provided by the faith-based sector in sub-Saharan Africa is often cited along a range from 30% to 70%, depending on the country, such citations tend to be anecdotal and without reference to actual analysis of health service data. This article reports on a secondary analysis of health service data in Kenya to determine the percentage of HIV services provided by faith-based health providers. It then discusses the contributions of faith-based providers in light of these data, identifying opportunities and challenges involved in efforts to ensure that the resources of the faith-based sector are maximised.

The Evolution of School Health and Nutrition in the Education Sector 2000-2015 in sub-Saharan Africa.

To document the progression of school health and nutrition and its integration within the education sector in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2015. School health and nutrition programs have contributed to "Education for All" objectives by helping ensure that children benefit from quality education and reach their educational potential. Analysis of education sector plans (ESPs) in terms of the Focusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH) framework and the World Bank Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) School Health survey from a set of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Between 2000 and 2015, the presence and scope of school health and nutrition as reflected in the four FRESH pillars grew substantially in ESPs. Three of these pillars have large, upfront costs. The fourth pillar requires recurring annual budgetary allotments. Governments clearly recognize that evidence-based, contextually designed school health and nutrition programs can contribute to education sector goals. Moving into the post-2015 era, these programs can also help draw the last 10% of children into school and enhance their readiness to learn.

Targeting, out-scaling and prioritising climate-smart interventions in agricultural systems: Lessons from applying a generic framework to the livestock sector in sub-Saharan Africa

As a result of population growth, urbanization and climate change, agricultural systems around the world face enormous pressure on the use of resources. There is a pressing need for wide-scale innovation leading to development that improves the livelihoods and food security of the world's population while at the same time addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation. A variety of promising climate-smart interventions have been identified. However, what remains is the prioritization of interventions for investment and broad dissemination.The suitability and adoption of interventions depends on a variety of bio-physical and socio-economic factors. Also their impacts, when adopted and out-scaled, are likely to be highly heterogeneous. This heterogeneity expresses itself not only spatially and temporally but also in terms of the stakeholders affected, some might win and some might lose. A mechanism that can facilitate a systematic, holistic assessment of the likely spread and consequential impact of potential interventions is one way of improving the selection and targeting of such options.In this paper we provide climate smart agriculture (CSA) planners and implementers at all levels with a generic framework for evaluating and prioritising potential interventions. This entails an iterative process of mapping out recommendation domains, assessing adoption potential and estimating impacts. Through examples, related to livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa, we demonstrate each of the steps and how they are interlinked. The framework is applicable in many different forms, scales and settings. It has a wide applicability beyond the examples presented and we hope to stimulate readers to integrate the concepts in the planning process for climate-smart agriculture, which invariably involves multi-stakeholder, multi-scale and multi-objective decision-making.

Budgetary allocation to agriculture in South Africa: an empirical review from 1994 to 2014

The agricultural sector is no doubt one of the most important sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, considering its prime place as a livelihood source and employer of the vast majority of residents, especially those in rural areas. In South Africa, for instance, agriculture plays a very significant role despite its declining contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for some years now. This dwindling share of agriculture in the country’s GDP could be attributed to a number of factors ranging from changing government policies, declining budgetary allocation to the sector, and aging infrastructure and population growth. It is against this backdrop that a review of the effect of this downward slide in budgetary allocation on the development of the country is considered to be important

International firms in Africa’s food retail business-emerging issues and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, to point out the lack of information on some critical issues and to raise some questions about relevant topics for researchers and practitioners in the retail area for the African market. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is comprised of a comprehensive review of the literature and integrates the fragmented body of knowledge on the area of retail internationalisation and food marketing. The gaps in the literature identified here may help to understand the sector better and develop academic research agendas on both the growth of the modern food retail sector and the agribusiness sector in Africa. Findings – Four major topics were identified in the urban agri-food retail business in the African continent: large global retailers in Africa’s food sector; the internationalisation of African food retailers; the procurement practices of international retailers; and, the food-buying behaviour of Africa’s middle class. Originality/value – This research paper relied heavily on grey literature such as newspapers and unpublished masters’ dissertations and PhD theses. With this material as a context, this paper provides guidance as to how scholars can advance the study of retail internationalisation in Africa, not only through further empirical and conceptual research but also by developing usable prescriptions for agribusiness value-chain actors on the continent.

Out-of-pocket expenditure and its determinants in the context of private healthcare sector expansion in sub-Saharan Africa urban cities: evidence from household survey in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

BackgroundConventional wisdom suggests that out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure reduces healthcare utilization. However, little is known about the expenditure borne in urban settings with the current development of the private health sector in sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to update knowledge on medical expenditure, this study investigated the level and determinants of OOP among individuals reporting illness or injury in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and who either self-treated or received healthcare in either a private or public facility.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 1017 households (5638 individuals) between August and November 2011. Descriptive statistics and multivariate techniques including generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data.ResultsAmong the surveyed sample, 29.6 % (n = 1666) persons reported a sickness or injury. Public providers were the single most important providers of care (36.3 %), whereas private and informal providers (i.e.: self-treatment, traditional healers) accounted for 29.8 and 34.0 %, respectively. Almost universally (96 %), households paid directly for care OOP. The average expenditure per episode of illness was 8404XOF (17.4USD) (median 3750XOF (7.8USD). The total expenditure was higher for those receiving care in private facilities compared to public ones [14,613.3XOF (30.3USD) vs. 8544.1XOF (17.7USD); p < 0.001], and the insured patients’ bill almost tripled uninsured (p < 0.001). Finally, medication was the most expensive component of expenditure in both public and private facilities with a mean of 8022.1XOF (16.7USD) and 12,270.5 (25.5USD), respectively.ConclusionOOP was the principal payment mechanism of households. A significant difference in OOP was found between public and private provider users. Considering the importance of private healthcare in Burkina Faso, regulatory oversight is necessary. Furthermore, an extensive protection policy to shield households from catastrophic health expenditure is required.

Work–Family Balance Choices of Women Working in Kenyan Universities

The proportion of women working in the formal sector in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased in recent years. The kinship networks are weakening, leading to a decline in the traditional forms of support for child care and housework. This study examined the work–family balance options of women working in Kenyan universities within the context of changing national domestic workers’ legislation. Data were collected by use of surveys in two universities. Results showed that as the cost of hiring domestic workers increased, women became indifferent in their choice between employing domestic workers and using daycare centers. Women with older children who employed day domestic workers were more likely to use daycare centers than women with younger children who employed live-in domestic workers. Women with young children in preschool and primary school found their universities less accommodating in helping them balance work and family demands. Employers perceived that the domestic workers’ legislation led to a drop in morale among domestic workers, and demands of pay raises as they became choosier and more inclined to search for better paying employers. It also resulted in a shift of work–family balance strategy for women who opted to hire domestic workers on an “as-needed” or “weekend basis.” Some women stopped hiring them altogether and instead started taking their young children to daycare centers. Cost and affordability determined the use of domestic workers. These women suggested that their employers should increase their job flexibility and put up subsidized daycare centers.

The adoption of energy efficiency measures by firms in Africa: case studies of cassava processing in Nigeria and maize milling in Kenya

This study investigates the uptake of energy efficiency (EE) measures in two important agro-industrial sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa, the cassava- and maize-processing industries in Nigeria and Kenya. These two countries represent regions with a weak environmental policy regime and rather weak innovation systems. An empirical investigation of problems associated with the adoption of energy efficiency measures and the responses of African actors and foreign suppliers to such problems is presented. The overall conclusions are that such measures are mainly undertaken for economic reasons of cost-efficiency, that few firms in the agro-industries studied have adopted sophisticated measures of energy saving, that many encountered problems, that there is a great reliance on foreign suppliers of EE technologies in the case of maize millers but less so in the case of cassava processing, that informal mechanisms of learning are an important source of learning, and that universities and public research institutes come out as relatively unimportant sources of knowledge. In the cassava sector, complex technological equipment is commonly supplied as part of package involving training and financial advice, with an important role being played by consultants and external advisors.

The role of state and non-state actors in the sustenance of Expanded Programme On Immunization (EPI) In Lesotho, Southern Africa

This study takes a cognizance of the lingering crisis and politics in governing health sector in sub-Saharan Africa. It articulates the role of the state and civil society groups in primary health provisioning and investigates the issues of 'how' 'what' 'why' questions and 'who' that matters in Lesotho, where 83 percent of the population lives in rural areas. The stuy utilized secondary clinical data at the national level as the basis for analysis, which involved a lengthy desktop analysis of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) clinic data and records. Data sources indicate that Lesotho primary health care system is grassroot oriented in implementation, with very functional community health and voluntary health worker system. Close collaboration was also found to exist between the state organs and the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL) in the entire health care delivery. The study found some peculiar socio-environmntal factors that impede the progress of the EPI, in spite of cordial relationshipbetween the state and other stakeholders/role players.

Availability and price of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in the public and private health sectors in 2011: results from 10 nationally representative cross-sectional retail surveys.

To describe the state of the public and private malaria diagnostics market shortly after WHO updated its guidelines for testing all suspected malaria cases prior to treatment. Ten nationally representative cross-sectional cluster surveys were conducted in 2011 among public and private health facilities, community health workers and retail outlets (pharmacies and drug shops) in nine countries (Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar surveyed separately). Eligible outlets had antimalarials in stock on the day of interview or had stocked antimalarials in the past 3 months. Three thousand four hundred and thirty-nine rapid diagnostic test (RDT) products from 39 manufacturers were audited among 12,197 outlets interviewed. Availability was typically highest in public health facilities, although availability in these facilities varied greatly across countries, from 15% in Nigeria to >90% in Madagascar and Cambodia. Private for-profit sector availability was 46% in Cambodia, 20% in Zambia, but low in other countries. Median retail prices for RDTs in the private for-profit sector ranged from $0.00 in Madagascar to $3.13 in Zambia. The reported number of RDTs used in the 7 days before the survey in public health facilities ranged from 3 (Benin) to 50 (Zambia). Eighteen months after WHO updated its case management guidelines, RDT availability remained poor in the private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the ongoing importance of the private sector as a source of fever treatment, the goal of universal diagnosis will not be achievable under current circumstances. These results constitute national baselines against which progress in scaling-up diagnostic tests can be assessed.

Mathematical modelling of the transmission dynamics of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia reveals minimal target profiles for improved vaccines and diagnostic assays.

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a cattle disease that has hampered the development of the livestock sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, vaccination with a live vaccine strain is its recommended control measure although unofficial antimicrobial use is widely practiced. Here, modelling techniques are used to assess the potential impact of early elimination of infected cattle via accurate diagnosis on CBPP dynamics. A herd-level stochastic epidemiological model explicitly incorporating test sensitivity and specificity is developed. Interventions by annual vaccination, annual testing and elimination and a combination of both are implemented in a stepwise manner and their effectiveness compared by running 1000 simulations per intervention over ten years. The model predicts that among the simulated interventions, the ones likely to eliminate the disease from an isolated herd all involved annual vaccination of more than 75% of the animals with a vaccine that protects for at least 18 months combined with annual testing (and elimination of positive reactors) of 75% of the animals every six months after vaccination. The highest probability of disease elimination was 97.5% and this could occur within a median of 2.3 years. Generally, our model predicts that regular testing and elimination of positive reactors using improved tests will play a significant role in minimizing CBPP burden especially in the current situation where improved vaccines are yet to be developed.

Drivers of Innovation in the Industry and Services Sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa

The paper investigated the drivers of innovation in the manufacturing, industry and services sectors of 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and found that (i) secondary education matters for value-added creation or innovation but the manufacturing and industry sectors need more and more labors with technical skills and high-level training; (ii) the elasticity of access to finance by firms, especially SMEs, on innovation or value-added generation appears to be decreasing with the increase of the development level of the manufacturing and industry sectors, demonstrating that SSA’s countries need to devote efforts in supplying more medium and long-terms credits to industrial firms; (iii) the positive spillover effects of technological transfers expected from the inflow of foreign direct investment did not manifest because those investments were mostly oriented towards natural resource-based industries and have had weak local contents; (iv) value-added creation or innovation in the manufacturing and services sectors were severely affected by weak regulatory quality and government ineffectiveness in many countries, however weak control of corruption had variegated effects on value-added generation in these sectors depending on the specific pattern of industrial progress concerned. Those results are subject to our assumption that globalization imposes high degree of competition between firms in the latter region and those from all over the world so that entrepreneurs in these countries must innovate in order to be able to generate significant value added in the sectors of industry and high-value added services.

Wind energy in sub-Saharan Africa: Financial and political causes for the sector's under-development

In this article, the first comprehensive overview of the region's wind energy sector, we describe how sub-Saharan Africa's wind energy markets have evolved over the years, and the structural characteristics affecting the development of wind energy projects on the continent. We identify in the literature a number of social, political, economic and environmental issues affecting wind energy. Our analysis of the 94 wind projects in Africa, focusing on 38 projects located in sub-Saharan Africa, suggests that wind energy markets in Africa remain small, concentrated and nascent. We estimate that only 43 megawatts (MW) have been installed in sub-Saharan Africa at a cost of $122 million and projects worth $612 million are under construction to add 230MW to the existing capacity. Seven of the eight completed wind energy projects in the region are pilot projects with the only project operating at a commercial scale being the Cabeolica wind farm in Cape Verde. We notice a shift from the use of concessional funding toward non-concessional funding and an increasing participation of the private sector to finance the projects. We also find that the public sector remains a key player in developing the wind energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa.