Stakeholders In Africa Research Articles

Identifying globally relevant learnings from Africa’s challenges and solutions to climate change and air pollution-related health impacts: a data science scoping review protocol

IntroductionLeveraging data science could significantly advance the understanding of the health impacts of climate change and air pollution to meet health systems’ needs and improve public health in Africa. This...

Leveraging Ubuntu-inspired values to promote sustainable digital entrepreneurship in Africa

ABSTRACT Digital entrepreneurship in Africa, while promising, faces significant challenges, such as limited access to technology, nascent supportive and collaborative ecosystems, digital competency gaps, financial constraints, and disparities in developmental stages across national ecosystems in Africa. This study proposes the integration of Ubuntu values as a transformative force to overcome the challenges of digital entrepreneurship in Africa. Utilising a conceptual approach, this study explores how Ubuntu-inspired values can advance equitable and sustainable digital entrepreneurship in Africa. Specifically, it examines the role of these values and related enablers in overcoming institutional hurdles and promoting long-term success in a digital entrepreneurial ecosystem. Emphasising spirituality, collective welfare, humanity, reciprocity, and benevolence, this study suggests that Ubuntu values offer a unique perspective on digital entrepreneurship practices that promote sustainable development in Africa. The study contributes to the discourse on sustainable entrepreneurship by offering practical insights for stakeholders in Africa’s digital economy.

The 3rd Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS) biennial congress: Lessons learnt to advance lung health in Africa

Lung health in Africa is of great public health concern. To exchange knowledge, communicate the latest scientific advances in lung health, build the capacity of young researchers, and provide a platform for networking of lung health stakeholders in Africa, the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), in partnership with the Respiratory Society of Kenya organized and held the 3rd Biennial PATS congress, from June 7–10, 2023 in Mombasa, Kenya. There were a total of 30 conference sessions, which included six skills building workshops, two research dissemination workshops, six plenary sessions, and five each of pediatric, adult, and thoracic surgery symposia. A total of 60 abstracts were presented, including 27 oral abstracts and 33 posters. A wide range of issues for lung health in Africa emerged. These include the emerging role of the environment, especially climate change and global warming, on lung health, the threat posed by the use of tobacco and other nicotine products in Africa, the high burden of lung infections, insecurity of medical oxygen supply systems, and high burden of chronic respiratory disease. In this paper, we summarize the proceedings of this conference and draw lessons that can be used to advance lung health in the African continent.

Rethinking the Resurgence of Military Coups in Africa

The immediate post-colonial Africa was hitherto noted for incessant military incursions into politics, but the waves of democratisation that swept through Africa from the late 1970s to the 1990s led to the acceptance of liberal democracy as the most desirable political system. Over the past decade, stakeholders in Africa’s democratisation have had to ask whether democracy is being consolidated on the continent. Despite the promise of democracy, most African countries have failed to attain political development beyond what has become the ‘ritualistic’ conduct of elections and political transitions. The inability to institutionalise democracy has become more evident with several military coup d’états in the past 2 years on the continent. Through unstructured interviews, the article historicises military coups, examines their root and immediate causes and explores whether military coups constitute a democratic reversal in Africa. Indeed, consolidating democracy and restoring civilian governments to power have become cumbersome due to the complicit roles of external actors and foreign powers.

Socioeconomic shocks, social protection and household food security amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Africa's largest economy.

Africa has been known to experience series of problems among which are poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to energy, lack of infrastructure among others. These problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a severe impact on the socioeconomic status of households in Africa. This paper examines the relationship between socioeconomic shocks, social protection, and household food security during the pandemic in Nigeria, the Africa's largest economy. Using the World Bank's COVID-19 national longitudinal baseline phone survey (2020) for the analysis and applied the multinomial logit regression, the study finds that socioeconomic shocks resulting from the pandemic have led to an increased level of food insecurity. Social protection programmes have played a crucial role in mitigating the impact of these shocks on households. However, the study also highlights the need for more targeted and effective social protection policies to ensure that vulnerable households are adequately protected from the adverse effects of the pandemic. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers and stakeholders in Africa's largest economy, as they seek to address the challenges posed by the pandemic and promote household food security for the actualisation the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of food and nutrition security (SDG2). The study, therefore, recommends that efforts be made to preserve food supply chains by mitigating the pandemic's effect on food systems, increasing food production, and looking forward beyond the pandemic by building resilient food systems with the use of social protection interventions.

Incorporating Elicited Preferences for Equality into Electricity System Planning Modeling

Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the United Nations is to achieve universal access to clean, modern and affordable electricity by 2030. However, 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) currently do not have access to electricity. As a result of this energy inequality, countries in SSA need to plan electricity systems that provide access in an equitable manner. The research question we explore in this paper is how integrating elicited preferences for equality into an electricity system planning model affects investment decisions regarding technology deployment. Our novel contribution is proposing a framework in the form of a discrete choice experiment and a statistical estimation model to determine decision makers’ preferences for equality. In our study, we find that higher preferences for equality result in an increased deployment of solar diesel mini-grids. These hybrid mini-grids, in turn, drive the carbon emissions intensity of the electricity system fourfold. As such, there is a need for stakeholders in Africa’s energy sector to consider the potential divergence between a carbon-minimizing electrification strategy and equitable electrification.

The problem of women's “road unsafety” in Africa

Different studies have indicated that demographic factors (i.e., gender, educational level, age) plays a role in driving style. Gender has been considered in relation to risky driving behaviour in young drivers and in general, it has been found that, in terms of risk behaviour in road traffic, males are more willing to take risks than female. The data from the World Health Organization finds that many more males than females are casualties of road traffic crashes in Africa. In addition, while gender issues have been considered in a number of policy areas, little progress has been made in the transport and road safety sector. In this regard, this paper explores the involvement and perception of crash risk, attitudes and behaviours of African women, involvement in road traffic accidents, and the role of women in improving safety conditions in Africa. Several data sources were considered by the study and analysed: Road traffic crash data from the WHO road safety report; data on risk perceptions and attitudes from the international ESRA survey; and data on women's participation in the SaferAfrica dialogue platform. According to WHO data, 70% of the road traffic crash fatalities were male (202,029) and 30% of the fatalities were female (84,665) in Africa. For the descriptive comparison at the country by country level using data from ESRA survey, the results show that gender differences are evident in most countries, dependent on the question being asked. Women make up just 20% of stakeholders in Africa according to data from the SaferAfrica dialogue platform.

Accessing neurosurgical services in Africa: efforts, challenges, and recommendation

Africa faces a dire need for neurosurgical services. Despite the high burden of neurosurgical conditions, there is disproportionately low access to neurosurgical services. Barriers to seeking neurosurgical services in Africa are mainly due to socioeconomic factors of cost, lack of infrastructure, and human resources, which continue to be at the heart of poor delivery of health care generally in the region. These barriers are more profound because neurosurgery is highly specialized and relies on a web of interrelating processes, including neuroimaging, neuro-anesthesia, operating room peculiarities, specialized nursing care, and rehabilitation services. While most efforts at improving the health needs of Africans have been tailored toward battling infectious diseases, health stakeholders in Africa must look toward improving the current state of access to neurosurgical services. If this burden is not attended to, there is a risk that overwhelmed health care systems would result in erosion in efforts to improve the provision of essential neurosurgical services.

Autonomous ships, port operations, and the challenges of African ports

The introduction of autonomous shipping (AS) into the maritime industry is bringing with it a great shift from conventional shipping to a digitalization mode. Expected benefits, which form the bases for conceiving and developing this innovation, include safety, security, and environmental protection. This innovation is not without some risks, such as non-navigation, cyber-piracy, and other issues which are always associated with new technology. This paper presents recent trends in shipping operations from the 18th century onwards, trends in autonomous system services, and the benefits and challenges of autonomous ships. The paper also navigates three (3) key potential challenges to Africa’s adoption of autonomous shipping in the event of its adoption for commercial shipping. These challenges are Africa’s trade level and trade facilitation, the state of infrastructural development, and piracy and maritime cyber-crimes in Africa. It is suggested that stakeholders in Africa’s maritime industry and government should fashion holistic strategies for trade facilitation, rapid development of key trade infrastructures through investment, and intergovernmental capacities towards curbing piracy activities in the region’s maritime routes. Highlights The study explores the trend of technological innovation in the maritime and shipping industry Benefits and challenges of Autonomous shipping as the current innovation are explored Challenges of adopting this innovation by the African countries and ports are carefully explained Suggestions are made on what to be done by Africa to move in the direction of the world especially with port development and international trade participation

Fruit safety regulations in the transatlantic region: How are Africa’s exports faring with the regulations?

The regulations of fruit trade for safe consumption are taken seriously in the EU and US markets to protect the health of the consumers, animals, plants and environmental safety, and thereby reduce health expenditures. The fruit safety regulations as trade policy measures could be either trade-promoting or -impeding. The extensiveness and intensiveness of fruit safety regulations in these markets often have consequences for exporters from Africa and their desire to attain sustainable economic development. The effects of fruit safety regulations are heterogeneous across economic agents. To this end, many stakeholders in Africa’s food system have perceived compliance with these food regulatory measures as necessary conditions to access the developed countries’ markets, particularly in the EU and US. Besides, the competitiveness of Africa’s fruit exports has been impacted by the preponderance of the measures despite its comparative advantages in the fruits sub-sector. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of the EU and US sanitary and phytosanitary measures on Africa’s fruit exports. The empirical strategy involves the use of an augmented gravity model which explore the disentangling of these impact at the extensive and intensive margins of exports. Given the nature of trade data and specifically for this study, the zero trade flows are considered at both margins of exports for 45 African countries from 1995 to 2017. This study finds that the US market is more trade-impeding to Africa’s fruit exports than the EU market. Thus, Africa needs policies tweaking in the fruit value chain quality infrastructure, fruits’ quality and standards enforcement, capacity development, continuous update and modernisation of the fruits’ safety laws, directives and/or regulations. This will enhance the fruits’ quality to propel their access to the transatlantic markets.

The Market for Green Buildings in Sub-Saharan Africa: Experts Perspective on the Economic Benefits in Ghana

Part of the ideals of promoting sustainability is the green building (GB) concept. Nevertheless, the uptake and use of GBs amongst most stakeholders in Africa are still on the low. Despite the plethora of studies on the economic benefits of green building, there is a dearth in studying the benefits in Africa. Within these economies, the presence of market restrictions, socio-cultural and political factors may mitigate against these benefits. This study seeks to unearth the economic benefits of GBs within the context of a sub-Saharan African country, Ghana. By adopting a quantitative research approach, a comprehensive literature review was first conducted. This was followed by the use of a questionnaire survey. A structured questionnaire was issued to building consultants in Ghana to elicit their perspectives on the economic gains of GBs. Mean scores, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were respectively used to rank and assess the level of agreements amongst the various consultants on the economic benefits. Five economic benefits were identified from the study. This includes savings in energy, lower lifetime cost, lower operational cost, increased work productivity and "transforms the construction industry". The findings show that most of the economic benefits identified from literature cannot be realised in the study region, including "high return on investment" and "increase in building value". Consequently, building energy cost seems to play a crucial role in pushing the demand for the GB within the study milieu. The study provides a contextual understanding of economic benefits, useful to construction clients, property owners, real estate investors, consultants and the research environment. The findings are useful in providing market enablers to enhance a large-scale uptake of green construction. It is recommended that the provision of GBs should not be limited to only its impact on the environment and sustainability but also affordability concerns. This study provides a unique contextual perspective on the economic benefit of GB in a sub-Saharan African country.

Considerations for an integrated population health databank in Africa: lessons from global best practices

Background: The rising digitisation and proliferation of data sources and repositories cannot be ignored. This trend expands opportunities to integrate and share population health data. Such platforms have many benefits, including the potential to efficiently translate information arising from such data to evidence needed to address complex global health challenges. There are pockets of quality data on the continent that may benefit from greater integration. Integration of data sources is however under-explored in Africa. The aim of this article is to identify the requirements and provide practical recommendations for developing a multi-consortia public and population health data-sharing framework for Africa. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of global best practices and policies on data sharing and its optimisation. We searched eight databases for publications and undertook an iterative snowballing search of articles cited in the identified publications. The Leximancer software © enabled content analysis and selection of a sample of the most relevant articles for detailed review. Themes were developed through immersion in the extracts of selected articles using inductive thematic analysis. We also performed interviews with public and population health stakeholders in Africa to gather their experiences, perceptions, and expectations of data sharing. Results: Our findings described global stakeholder experiences on research data sharing. We identified some challenges and measures to harness available resources and incentivise data sharing. We further highlight progress made by the different groups in Africa and identified the infrastructural requirements and considerations when implementing data sharing platforms. Furthermore, the review suggests key reforms required, particularly in the areas of consenting, privacy protection, data ownership, governance, and data access. Conclusions: The findings underscore the critical role of inclusion, social justice, public good, data security, accountability, legislation, reciprocity, and mutual respect in developing a responsive, ethical, durable, and integrated research data sharing ecosystem.

Considerations for an integrated population health databank in Africa: lessons from global best practices.

Background: The rising digitisation and proliferation of data sources and repositories cannot be ignored. This trend expands opportunities to integrate and share population health data. Such platforms have many benefits, including the potential to efficiently translate information arising from such data to evidence needed to address complex global health challenges. There are pockets of quality data on the continent that may benefit from greater integration. Integration of data sources is however under-explored in Africa. The aim of this article is to identify the requirements and provide practical recommendations for developing a multi-consortia public and population health data-sharing framework for Africa. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of global best practices and policies on data sharing and its optimisation. We searched eight databases for publications and undertook an iterative snowballing search of articles cited in the identified publications. The Leximancer software © enabled content analysis and selection of a sample of the most relevant articles for detailed review. Themes were developed through immersion in the extracts of selected articles using inductive thematic analysis. We also performed interviews with public and population health stakeholders in Africa to gather their experiences, perceptions, and expectations of data sharing. Results: Our findings described global stakeholder experiences on research data sharing. We identified some challenges and measures to harness available resources and incentivise data sharing. We further highlight progress made by the different groups in Africa and identified the infrastructural requirements and considerations when implementing data sharing platforms. Furthermore, the review suggests key reforms required, particularly in the areas of consenting, privacy protection, data ownership, governance, and data access. Conclusions: The findings underscore the critical role of inclusion, social justice, public good, data security, accountability, legislation, reciprocity, and mutual respect in developing a responsive, ethical, durable, and integrated research data sharing ecosystem.

Managing stakeholders in engineering procurement construction management projects in Africa by Chinese project managers

Africa is growing very fast in term of population and economy currently. To enable the productivity and sustainable economic growth across the African continent, the infrastructure development projects are needed. Recently Africa has become a destination of Chinese Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) companies. The majority of these large Chinese EPCM companies find it difficult to manage projects in the way that satisfy all stakeholders in Africa due to a number of issues – political, social, historical, personal contexts, and technical. Chinese management approach is regarded as informal by nature generally referred as guanxi management. Literature review and media reports reveal that Chinese model of managing stakeholders in projects is characterized by the informal management approach (guanxi). The informal Chinese management is vital to projects success in China therefore, it is important to explore the informal (guanxi) management approach in EPCM projects in Africa. This paper investigates how Chinese Project Managers manage stakeholders in EPCM in Africa by adopting a mix research method to investigate the Chinese stakeholder management approach in West Africa. The research uses a field observation and survey questionnaires. It is found in practice that the Chinese only use guanxi management approach when certain stakeholders such as project owners and sponsors, in addition, the whole stakeholders’ group in EPCM projects are not all satisfied with the informal (guanxi) management approach of the Chinese PM.

Study protocol: analysis of regional lung health policies and stakeholders in Africa

BackgroundLung health is a critical area for research in sub-Saharan Africa. The International Multidisciplinary Programme to Address Lung Health and TB in Africa (IMPALA) is a collaborative programme that seeks to fill evidence gaps to address high-burden lung health issues in Africa. In order to generate demand for and facilitate use of IMPALA research by policy-makers and other decision-makers at the regional level, an analysis of regional lung health policies and stakeholders will be undertaken to inform a programmatic strategy for policy engagement.Methods and analysisThis analysis will be conducted in three phases. The first phase will be a rapid desk review of regional lung health policies and stakeholders that seeks to understand the regional lung health policy landscape, which issues are prioritised in existing regional policy, key regional actors, and opportunities for engagement with key stakeholders. The second phase will be a rapid desk review of the scientific literature, expanding on the work in the first phase by looking at the external factors that influence regional lung health policy, the ways in which regional bodies influence policy at the national level, investments in lung health, structures for discussion and advocacy, and the role of evidence at the regional level. The third phase will involve a survey of IMPALA partners and researchers as well as interviews with key regional stakeholders to further shed light on regional policies, including policy priorities and gaps, policy implementation status and challenges, stakeholders, and platforms for engagement and promoting uptake of evidence.DiscussionHealth policy analysis provides insights into power dynamics and the political nature of the prioritisation of health issues, which are often overlooked. In order to ensure the uptake of new knowledge and evidence generated by IMPALA, it is important to consider these complex factors.

China and the United States in Africa

China and the United States are among the most important external stakeholders in Africa’s peace, security, and prosperity. The African continent, with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, an expanding consumer base, and an exploding youth population, has recently witnessed intensifying China-U.S. competition. In economic and trade terms, the United States is playing catch-up as Beijing has long ago overtaken Washington as the continent’s largest trading partner and investor. While China regards Africa’s adherence to the “One China” principle as the only political prerequisite for its engagement with the continent, the United States views greater democracy and rule of law in Africa as in the best interests of both. China’s security presence in Africa pales in comparison with that of the United States, as Washington boasts an extensive network of military bases on the continent while Beijing’s peace and security engagement mainly involves multilateral UN peacekeeping operations and bilateral security cooperation, such as arms sales and training programs. However, growing China-U.S. competition does not necessarily crowd out shared interests or preclude closer coordination in specific areas, for example, market development, infrastructure building, anti-piracy, health capacity-building, and so on. By fending off a senseless ideological contest, respecting each other’s core interests in Africa, accommodating Africans’ development aspirations and security concerns, Beijing and Washington can find more common ground than many believe.

The feasibility of electronic voting technologies in Africa: Selected case examples

The use of electronic voting technologies (EVTs) presents hurdles to election management bodies (EMBs) and other election stakeholders in Africa. The constitutionality and feasibility of such technologies provoke several questions that are tackled in this article. A key question is whether voting technologies such as electronic voting machines (EVMs) comply with national election legislation. The article’s methodology includes a review of the literature, official reports and policy documents, media and other articles, including public pronouncements on such technologies in Africa’s elections. These are supplemented by case examples of interviewees from selected African countries, including Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana. Its main contention is that African countries should evaluate the constitutionality and legitimacy of EVTs before their use. Finally, it will conclude that any use of voting technologies that does not meet constitutional and legal obligations will render the outcome of elections thereof flawed or dogged by irregularities, with questionable legitimacy, as seen recently in a few African countries.

East Asia in Africa: The ‘Rival’ Policy Frameworks and the Prospect for Cooperation

This article engages in a comparative analysis of the foreign policy frameworks employed by East Asian countries of China, Japan, and Korea in pursuing their respective African policy. Having identified some convergence in the policy approach and policy interest, it proceeded to explore the prospect of synergistic interaction in shared areas of interest, viz. how the three countries can leverage their existing trilateral cooperation mechanism, and their shared self-interest in the development priorities of Africa to pursue a cooperative agenda. It is argued that the contemporary strategic focus of Africa by East Asia can be grasped in the context of unprecedented East Asia–Africa relations achieved through the institutionalization of dialogue oriented foreign policy frameworks as the ultimate enablers. As key diplomatic and development stakeholders in Africa, China, Japan and Korea should strive for complementary engagement and cooperation in shared areas of interest to support Africa’s development priorities.

Co-producing a Research Agenda for Sustainable Palm Oil

The rise of palm oil as the world's most consumed vegetable oil has coincided with exponential growth in palm oil research activity. Bibliometric analysis of research outputs reveals a distinct imbalance in the type of research being undertaken, notably a disproportionate focus on biofuel and engineering topics. Recognizing the expansion of oil palm agriculture across the tropics and the increasing awareness of environmental, social, and economic impacts, we seek to reorientate the existing research agenda toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions defined by the palm oil stakeholder community. Following consultation with 659 stakeholders from 38 countries, including palm oil growers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and researchers, the highest priority research questions were identified within 13 themes. The resulting 279 questions, including 26 ranked as top priority, reveal a diversity of environmental and social research challenges facing the industry, ranging from the ecological and ecosystem impacts of production, to the livelihoods of plantation workers and smallholder communities. Analysis of the knowledge type produced from these questions underscores a clear need for fundamental science programmes, and studies that involve the consultation of non-academic stakeholders to develop “transformative” solutions to the oil palm sector. Stakeholders were most aligned in their choice of priority questions across the themes of policy and certification related themes, and differed the most in environmental feedback, technology and smallholder related themes. Our recommendations include improved regional academic leadership and coordination, greater engagement with private and public stakeholders in Africa, and Central and South America, and enhanced collaborative efforts with researchers in the major consuming countries of India and China.

Vulnerability and Exposure to Illicit Financial Flows Risk in Africa

Vulnerability and Exposure to Illicit Financial Flows Risk in Africa