Southern Africa Development Community Research Articles

Is Face-to-Face Scrambled Teaching Practice Supervision Effective Amidst Natural Disasters and Pandemics? The Teaching Practice Students’ Perspectives

With the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in place, the quality of teacher education is a global concern. With so much talent mobility and brain circulation, any migration of low-quality educators from one region will affect the quality of education in the destination part of the global village. The study examined how the interplay in the aftermath of the cyclones, COVID-19, supervisors’ quality, and student characteristics impacted student-teachers' experiences during the scrambled teaching practice supervision model. Thematic and content analyses of data from document analysis and semi-structured interviews from purposefully sampled Southern Africa Development Community countries revealed that relying on physical teaching practice supervision negatively impacts assessment, especially when even non-specialists are involved in the supervision. Educators’ inadequate pedagogical content knowledge, space effect, and multiple exposures to assessment compromise teacher education amidst pandemics and natural disasters. The study recommends migration to computer-based online supervision strategies as a mitigation strategy. Recommendations for an educational policy, practicum, and architectural adaption are discussed.

Harmonization of Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Southern Africa Development Community Experiences

The world-over, higher education remains a key determinant for scientific and technological development. Hence, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)’s higher education institutions are considered crucial social organizations in spreading knowledge, and innovation for sustainable development. This study called for inclusion of the qualitative content analysis in an attempt to explore higher education collaboration or partnerships within SADC. Using the AJOL, Scopus, DHTE, DOAJ, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, 60 articles were purposively selected for this review. These available literature sources are accessible on issues around higher education harmonization for sustainable development in SADC for scrutiny. From the content analysis, harmonization was conceptualized as the collaboration, integration or partnership within regional higher education institutions. The rationale for these collaborations or partnerships was to enhance adherence to the agreed-upon higher education conditions and instruments. These created the framework of standards, to facilitate credit transfer and evaluation within SADC’s higher education institutions. From this content analysis, it can be concluded that the harmonization of higher education systems for sustainable development is seen as a spontaneous process subtle to various intricacies, as it permits individual institutions to enjoy the fruits of regional integration. It is in this context, that the researchers recommend the enunciation of SADC’s higher education harmonization for sustainable development guiding procedures vis-a-vis internationalisation. Therefore, this discussion adds voice to the existing argument on the need for higher education institutions in SADC member states to move towards an integrated higher education system. Keywords: Experiences, Harmonization, Higher Education, Southern Africa Development Community, Sustainable Development

Malaria elimination and the need for intensive inter-country cooperation: a critical evaluation of regional technical co-operation in Southern Africa

BackgroundMalaria elimination requires closely co-ordinated action between neighbouring countries. In Southern Africa several countries have reduced malaria to low levels, but the goal of elimination has eluded them thus far. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Malaria Elimination Eight (E8) initiative was established in 2009 between Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to coordinate malaria interventions aiming to eliminate malaria by 2030. Cross-border coordination is important in malaria elimination settings as it strengthens surveillance, joint planning and implementation, knowledge exchange and optimal use of resources. This paper describes how this collaboration is realized in practice, its achievements and challenges, and its significance for malaria elimination prospects.MethodsThe ministers of health of the E8 countries oversee an intergovernmental technical committee supported by specialist working groups consisting of technical personnel from member countries and partner institutions. These technical working groups are responsible for malaria elimination initiatives in key focus areas such as surveillance, vector control, diagnosis, case management, behaviour change and applied research. The technical working groups have initiated and guided several collaborative projects which lay essential groundwork for malaria elimination.ResultsThe E8 collaboration has yielded achievements in the following key areas. (1) Establishment and evaluation of malaria border health posts to improve malaria services in border areas and reduce malaria among resident and, mobile and migrant populations. (2) The development of a regional malaria microscopy slide bank providing materials for diagnostic training and proficiency testing. (3) A facility for regional external competency assessment and training of malaria microscopy trainers in collaboration with the World Health Organization. (4) Entomology fellowships that improved capacity in entomological surveillance; an indoor residual spraying (IRS) training of trainers’ scheme to enhance the quality of this core intervention in the region. (5) Capacity development for regional malaria parasite genomic surveillance. (6) A mechanism for early detection of malaria outbreak through near real time reporting and a quarterly bulletins of malaria incidence in border districts.ConclusionsThe E8 technical working groups system embodies inter-country collaboration of malaria control and elimination activities. It facilitates sustained interaction between countries through a regional approach. The groundwork for elimination has been laid, but the challenge will be to maintain funding for collaboration at this level whilst reducing reliance on international donors and to build capacities necessary to prepare for malaria elimination.

NUA 45, a dry bean cultivar, builds a subtle brand in Zimbabwe against all odds

Global business today is driven by brands, each with a unique story, but rarely of a product that is a public good. Building a brand requires careful planning, creativity, and an understanding of the target market. Borrowing from various brand concepts and frameworks, this paper explores how a government-bred common bean cultivar., NUA 45, defied the odds to create a new identity and association in Zimbabwe. Firstly, the cultivar overcame the general lack of promotion investment in government-bred (public) common bean cultivars. Secondly, being a red mottle-colored cultivar in a red-speckled (sugar type) bean-predominated country, NUA 45 had to break the preference typecasts. Thirdly, NUA 45 was among the first generation of biofortified bean cultivars enriched with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), some of the most sought-after micronutrients in a world ridden with hidden hunger. Overcoming these market barriers required a systematic approach to awareness creation, collaboration, and commercialization, avoiding the tragedy of the commons, and instead, achieving a win-win situation for all stakeholders. This entailed understanding the needs and preferences of different value chain actors, developing messages, and engaging local farmers, retailers, aggregators, and private and public sector partners to promote NUA 45. Lastly, developing compelling stories and leveraging digital channels to reach new customers that sought personal experiences, moved the cultivar name from a mere label to a spontaneously endorsed lifestyle and a brand that ‘spread like wildfire’ across the country and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region. The NUA 45 brand broke new ground for other biofortified bean cultivars and non-sugar bean cultivars. Following its release in seven other countries, NUA 45 pioneered listing on the SADC regional variety catalog.

Do Bilateral Trade Co-Operations and Agreements on Exports Have an Influence on Regional Economic Integration in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)? A Case Study of Namibia.

Do Bilateral Trade Co-Operations and Agreements on Exports Have an Influence on Regional Economic Integration in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)? A Case Study of Namibia.

Do Bilateral Trade Co-operations and Agreements on Exports Have an Influence on Regional Economic Integration in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)? A Case Study of Namibia.

Do Bilateral Trade Co-operations and Agreements on Exports Have an Influence on Regional Economic Integration in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)? A Case Study of Namibia.

Exploring the nexus between migration and urbanisation in the Southern Africa region

Africa is experiencing rapid urbanization, making it one of the most urbanized continents in the world. This trend is particularly evident in the Southern African regional block. With the ongoing push for enhanced regional integration, it is anticipated that there would be a rise in the migration of individuals within the region. The escalating pace of urbanization calls for a reassessment of future cities and the implications of the rural-urban split on the establishment of sustainable human settlements. This article initially analyzes the patterns of migration within the Southern Africa Development Community. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the factors that contribute to the significant internal migration inside member states. Furthermore, the article examines the connection between migration and urbanization in the region once again. The article employs qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine the consequences of migration and urbanization on both the locations from which people migrate and the areas where they settle. The primary factors contributing to migration include the pursuit of economic opportunity, political instability, access to education, and climate-induced disasters. Migration and urbanization have both gotten worse in the SADC region at the same time, as shown by empirical literature, official migration documents, and quantitative time series data from the World Development Indicators. This suggests that migration causes more people to move to cities. The rise in population has led to inadequate housing, resulting in an increase in slums that surpasses the projected capacity of cities. This article suggests promoting infrastructure development that facilitates employment creation in the nations or districts of origin in order to prevent a one-way movement of migrants. Consequently, a rise in job prospects, salaries, and health conditions will result in a reduction in migration rates and alleviate the strain on numerous cities in the area.

Trends in the burden of most common obesity-related cancers in 16 Southern Africa development community countries, 1990-2019. Findings from the global burden of disease study.

Obesity-related cancers in the 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries is quite prominent. The changes and time trends of the burden of obesity-related cancers in developing countries like SADC remain largely unknown. A descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted to assess the burden of obesity-related cancers, (liver, esophageal, breast, prostate, colon/rectal, leukemia, ovarian, uterine, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder/biliary tract, and thyroid cancers) in SADC countries. Data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases Study was used. Deaths extracted from vital registration, verbal autopsies and ICD codes. Cancer-type, mortality and prevalence per 100,000 population and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and Spatio-Temporal Gaussian process with mixed effects regression models. Annual rates of change (AROCs) between 1990 and 2019 and the corresponding UIs were calculated. The top age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 in 2019 for males were leukemia, 20.1(14.4-26.4), esophageal cancer, 15.1 (11.2-19.1), and colon and rectal cancer, 10.3 (8.6-12.6). For females, breast cancer, 20.6 (16.6-25.0), leukemia, 17.1 (11.4-23.7), and esophageal cancer, 8.3 (5.5-10.7), had the leading mortality rates. For males, AROC substantial (p<0.05) increase for kidney cancer for 11 of the countries (AROC from 0.41% to 1.24%), colon cancer for eight of the countries (from 0.39% to 0.92%), and pancreatic cancer for seven countries (from 0.26% to 1.01%). In females, AROC showed substantial increase for pancreatic cancer for 13 of the countries from (0.34%-1.67%), nine countries for kidney cancer (from 0.27% to 1.02%), seven countries each for breast cancer (0.35%-1.13%), and ovarian cancer (from 0.33% to 1.21%). There is need for location-specific and culturally appropriate strategies for better nutrition and weight control, and improved screening for all cancers. Health promotion messaging should target kidney, colon, pancreatic, and breast cancers and encourage clinically tested methods of reducing BMI such as increasing personal physical activity and adoption of effective dietary regimes.

Effect of the Southern Africa Development Community (excluding Southern African Customs Union) agreement on South African exports and imports of wood and wood products

Effect of the Southern Africa Development Community (excluding Southern African Customs Union) agreement on South African exports and imports of wood and wood products

Towards realization of nexus-doing at the grassroots level: Water-energy-food governance assessment in the Songwe River Basin (Tanzania and Malawi)

The intricate connections between water, land, food, energy, and climate change require a multicentric approach to evaluating the trade-offs and synergies needed to achieve sustainable development. For example, the amount of water required in irrigated agriculture, consumptive water uses, and hydro-power production can potentially lead to water pollution, and negatively affect hydrological regimes. However, Operationalizing Water Energy Food (WEF)-nexus thinking has evolved such that a division between researchers (e.g., academia), political actors (e.g., policymakers), and development partners (e.g., promoters) has formed. This lack of connection can lead to a situation where there is incoherent governance of WEF resources management. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) context, the WEF nexus approach is at the core of regional sustainable development plans and strategies. This paper analyses the ambitions and the expected outcomes of the Songwe River Basin Development Programme (SRBDP) and reflects on how governance coherence of WEF resources rooted at the grassroots level contributes toward achieving “nexus-doing”. The SRBDP exhibits a multi-stakeholder connection of interests geared towards a common target (i.e. stabilisation of the River Songwe flow). The SRBDP creates a multi-centric action system within the water, energy, food, and climate change adaptation role-players to achieve this overarching goal. The connections espoused in this system form the basis for nexus-doing in the Songwe River Basin. The major findings are: (i) there is a significant infrastructural demand in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), anchored in the development of water, land, food, and energy resources; (ii) governance coherence in the SADC context can be identified at both vertical and horizontal levels; (iii) the nature of trade-offs and synergies exhibited in SRBDP is valuable for making progress towards the operationalization of integrated WEF-nexus resource management; (iv) governance inconsistencies/ambiguities are better diagnosed and addressed in implementing nexus-doing initiatives such as SRBDP. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are proposed: (i) build upon small wins and support snow-balling successes to upscale promising initiatives-for instance the joint agreement by Tanzanian and Malawian governments to stabilize Songwe River flow by inaugurating the joint cooperation and equitable sharing of the Songwe watercourses (AFDB, 2019); (ii) invest in capacity building and human resources for the Songwe River Basin Commission and associated stakeholders to become more effective;-for posterity of sustainable developments in the Songwe River Basin; both the Tanzanian and Malawian governments in partnership with development partners need to upscale the investment in human capacity development and resource capacity development of the Songwe River Basin Commission (SRBC) as the joint development vehicle for the basin. and (iii) enrich policy assessment tools tailor-made for SADC. This tool will help in policy accounting to help minimize duplication, and ambiguities by fostering cooperation and policy mapping across the WEF-nexus sectors in the SADC region. This work can guide approaches to close the gap between nexus-thinking, and nexus-doing, something that is increasingly called for.

Does bilateral trade in cereals within SADC reflect virtual trade in water between countries with different water endowments?

ABSTRACT This paper examines intraregional bilateral trade in virtual water embedded in cereal flows between the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) states. A gravity model is employed to examine whether annual bilateral trade depends on differences in water endowments, but also includes socio-economic and political determinants that affect trade. There is evidence that the abundance of water resources in a country influences trade for a product that is water dependent. Thus, the adverse effect of water scarcity in a country may be ameliorated by encouraging exports of water-intensive cereal crops where water is in abundance and imported where water is scarce.

The African Union and the Destiny of Africahood: The Southern Africa Development Community and Neo-colonial Challenges to Pan-Africanism

Only a united Africa can redeem its past glory, renew and reinforce its strength for the realization of its destiny. We are today the richest and yet the poorest of continents, but in unity our continent could smile in a new era of prosperity and power”, Kwame Nkrumah, President of the first independent Sub-Saharan African State of Ghana 1957. Abraham Knife, Challenges and prospects of Pan-African Economic Integration. (http//:eiipd.org/publications/occasional%20papers/pan_african_eco_integration.htm). 23 October 2003.“To dominate a people is, above all, to take up arms to destroy, or at least to neutralize, to paralyze, its cultural life. For, with a strong indigenous cultural life, foreign domination cannot be sure of its perpetuation. The value of culture as an element of resistance to foreign domination lies in the fact that culture is the vigorous manifestation on the ideological or idealist plane of the physical and historical reality of the society that is dominated or to be dominated. Culture is simultaneously the fruit of a people`s history and a determinant of history, by the positive and negative influence which it exerts on the evolution of relationships between man and his environment, among men or groups of men within a society, as well as among different societies”, Amilcar Cabral, the late President of the Republic of Guinnea-Bissau.Centre of Pan African Culture. (http//:hierographics.org/cpacdefined.htm). 14 October 2003.

Causes and consequences of critical healthcare skills shortage in the Southern Africa Development Community

ABSTRACT Background The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has a shortage of critical healthcare skills. Aims To identify the causes and consequences of shortages and make policy recommendations. Methods A literature search was conducted using eight electronic databases and the World Health Organization and SADC Websites. Results From the studies reviewed the causes included mismatch between demand and supply, and loss of personnel to developed countries. Underlying factors included poorly functioning education systems and poor working conditions. Of the 16 SADC countries only five met the minimum requirements for nurses and midwives, and four for physicians. These factors exacerbate the population’s poor health, and clinical outcomes. Conclusion Internal reforms to the health and education sectors are necessary to progress towards geographic and demographic equity in health provision. The SADC should set regional targets and monitor the size and composition of the workforce to enable evaluation of progress towards targets.

The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process

IntroductionExternal conditionalities have shaped public policy development in borrowing nations. This has been through top-down policy support programs, an example being the policy reforms under the structural adjustment program. Under the seed sector reforms Malawi committed to the Southern Africa Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.MethodsTo contribute to the debate, we analyzed the Malawi seed sector policy process by investigating three questions: What were the leading events? Who were the stakeholders involved, and their roles? Which factors influenced the policy process? Qualitative tools were employed based on policy process theory using the Kaleidoscope Model. We used stakeholder inception, planning, feedback workshops, and key informant interviews (N = 17). This data was complemented by grey literature as secondary information. Snowball sampling was used to identify key informant interview participants based on the saturation principle. Narrative analysis focusing on content, structure, and dialogic context was used.ResultsOur results show a strong external influence on the seed sector policy process. This began after independence when development partners supported the establishment of the public agricultural research system to improve production for food security and export. Failure to achieve the earlier objectives resulted in economic reforms aimed at private sector-led seed sector development based on market-oriented policies. The increase in the private sector's role called for adopting and enacting regulatory policies and legislation that used policy transfer theory. International financial institutions, multinational companies, and regional economic communities led this process. Our evidence suggests that the civil society community in Malawi contested the policies for not recognizing farmers' rights. This affected the domestication process of the harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.DiscussionTherefore, we recommend critical consideration and embracing of existing domestic social, political, and technical conditions to support economic policy reforms. This would help reduce unintended consequences and improve inclusivity. Governments may need to play an interlocutory role for the various actors in the policy domain during the domestication process.

Organizational readiness for policy implementation: An assessment of the harmonized seed regulations in Malawi

ContextEconomic policy reforms have been implemented in African countries where studies have reported an implementation deficit resulting in poor service provision. The seed industry is one of the sectors that has undergone reforms in Malawi. This has happened through Malawi's ratification of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Southern Africa Development Community technical agreements on harmonized seed regulations. Whose objective is to streamline member states' laws in variety release and registration, certification and quality assurance, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Malawi launched the National Seed Policy in 2018 after domesticating the technical agreements in readiness for implementation. ObjectiveBased on this, we evaluated the organizational readiness to implement the harmonized seed regulation in Malawi using an Analysis of Determinants of Policy Impact (ADEPT). ADEPT analyses policy implementation using four determinants: goals, obligations, opportunities, and resources through a provision of a detailed policy operationalization for both quantitative and qualitative usage. MethodsQuantitative and qualitative tools were used for organizational key informant interviews (N = 18) to collect data. This was followed by six focus group discussions with seed multiplication farmer groups. Snowball sampling was used for KII organizations, and farmer groups were purposively identified. Descriptive analysis was done for quantitative data in SPSS, and interpretive analysis in NVIVO 11 was done for qualitative data. Results and conclusionThe organizations reported that goals and increased private sector participation and interest positively influenced the policy process. However, they felt that obligations, opportunities, and resources negatively affected implementation. Seventy percent of the organizations said lack of infrastructure and human resources affected implementation, and 85% linked this to a lack of both political will and media support. All farmer groups reported being peripheral to the process despite being affected by poor service provision and limited participation in the value chain. The results show that the expanding private sector role in the seed value chain required equal institutional development and investment for adequate service provision and enforcement of the new policies. SignificanceWe propose a bridged transition under policy reforms to reduce unintended consequences and achieve inclusivity. In the seed sector, this may be achieved through the support for quality declared seed, a less stringent class, to accommodate existing farmer seed systems.

Learning Lessons from COVID -19 Pandemic Crisis: An Opportunity for Strategic Leadership to Transform Economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa through Innovation.

COVID -19 has bought untold suffering to various communities around the globe without any solution in the near future. It is these moments of crisis that great champions and economies emerge from. Strategic leadership should focus on how to turn moments of economic depression to come up with economic solution. It is through innovation from simple to complex, from individuals to organizations, and global culture of innovation that Strategic leadership will develop solution to change the world. This paper focuses on simple innovative solution to address some of the complex challenges economies are going in the Sub- Saharan Africa specifically in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). This paper challenges that the absence of a solution to the COVID- 19 is a sign that the world has done little in terms of dealing with complex challenges, innovation and change. The paper suggests that no problem should be dealt with in a similar way but through creative thinking and innovation leadership should look at every challenge differently from the other. The paper gives a historical details on the discovery of the COVID -19 in China and spreading to almost every country of the world. It then focuses on a handful countries in the region and how leadership responded the pandemic and how it has affected the continent’s economy . It then suggests how the challenges can be dealt with.

Does Regional Integration within Developing Countries Really Diverge? The Southern Africa Development Community Experience on the Period 1995-2019

This paper tests the real convergence within Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Given that economic theory suggests that economic integration within developing countries gives rise to regional divergence, the main aim of this study is, thus, to verify whether this theory is valid for the SADC. To test this premise, we analyse real per capita income dispersion within the region and proceed to the estimation of a β-convergence model on a sample of eleven countries of the region on the period 1995-2019. Our results are irrevocable: there is no proof of catch-up within this zone during this period. This shows that the gains and costs of the integration are unequally shared among members states.

ARIMA MODEL IN PREDICTING OF COVID-19 EPIDEMIC FOR THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION.

Coronavirus pandemic, a serious global public health threat, affects the Southern African countries more than any other country on the continent. The region has become the epicenter of the coronavirus with South Africa accounting for the most cases. To cap the deadly effect caused by the pandemic, we apply a statistical modelling approach to investigate and predict COVID-19 incidence. Using secondary data on the daily confirmed COVID-19 cases per million for Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states from March 5, 2020, to July 15, 2021, we model and forecast the spread of coronavirus in the region. We select the best ARIMA model based on the log-likelihood, AIC, and BIC of the fitted models. The ARIMA (11,1,11) model for the complete data set was finally selected among ARIMA models based upon the parameter test and the Box-Ljung test. The ARIMA(11,1,9) was the best candidate for the training set. A 15-day forecast was also made from the model, which shows a perfect fit with the testing set. The number of new COVID-19 cases per million for the SADC shows a downward trend, but the trend is characterized by peaks from time to time. Tightening up of the preventive measures continuously needs to be adapted in order to eradicate the coronavirus epidemic from the population.

Regional integration and non‐tariff barriers to Intra‐Sub‐Saharan Africa trade

AbstractThe paper assesses the ex‐post trade effect of sub‐regional trade agreements (RTAs), financial integration and other non‐tariff barriers on intra‐regional trade involving 43 Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. The objective is to find out if RTAs within SSA had increased trade flows to inform current efforts of establishing a successful continental free trade area in SSA. Estimating a gravity model augmented with measures of trade agreements and financial integration, the paper made use of bilateral trade flows and key gravity covariates from CEPII database over the period 1960–2015. After controlling for the endogeneity of the trade agreement dummy, multilateral price resistance and zero‐valued trade flows, we find RTAs within SSA and especially among Economic Community of West African States and Southern Africa Development Community members to have had a positive and significant impact on bilateral trade. Financially integrated trading partners also traded more, while we also found distance, landlockedness, common currency and colonial link to have an impact on trade costs and bilateral trade flows within SSA. The results indicate the need to focus on policies to expand and integrate regional markets in SSA by removing impediments to trade and improving on trade facilitation measures to significantly improve trade performance under the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area.

A differentiated courtship: A regime-type analysis of Russia’s Southern African (arms) trade, 2012–2019

ABSTRACT This article presents on general Russian exports to the 16 states in the Southern Africa Development Community, considered by regime type, as well as trade in arms with these states, to determine whether Russia’s commercial ties have been proportionally greater with authoritarian, democratic, or hybrid regimes. The findings indicate a potential ‘differentiated courtship’ between Russia and Southern Africa’s different regime types. Respectively, Russia’s overall trade was concentrated among democracies ahead of authoritarian regimes and hybrid regimes, in line with each regime type’s proportion of regional GDP. On the other hand, Russian arms exports followed a different pattern, in that authoritarian regimes purchased arms at a magnitude slightly beyond that regime type’s proportion of the Southern African regional GDP. The research also found that 60% of all hybrid regimes purchased Russian arms, evincing the highest frequency of importing Russian arms (albeit at small dollar amounts) among all three regime types.