Context Of sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Cohort profile: the Adverse Childhood Experiences cohort of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health

PurposeThe Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) cohort of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH-ACE) is a study of adolescents surveyed during 2017–2021. It provides an important opportunity to...

Education and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract The relationship between education and democracy has been empirically researched since the late 1950s, with most evidence stemming from global datasets. Initial results showed no relationship between education and democracy after looking at the within-country estimation. But, as more advanced statistical methods emerged, addressing endogeneity problems of the within-country estimation, a statistically significant relationship between education, measured through average years of total schooling, and democracy appeared. However, all studies have looked at the association broadly, and only a handful have applied this nexus to the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. By creating a new dataset incorporating thirty countries, this study shows that education is statistically significantly associated with democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Results are robust to multiple other covariates and mirror the ones reported in the academic literature. This study echoes the continued focus on education, especially in light of recent developments and multiple organisations announcing that democracy declined worldwide.

Does war improve women’s political representation?

An expanding body of scholarly work posits that war, particularly intrastate war, disrupts established power arrangements and social institutions, providing avenues for women to enhance their political influence through reforms in political structures and participation in peace-building processes. Webster, Chen, and Beardsley (2019) systematically explore the nexus between war and women’s political empowerment, demonstrating associations between both interstate and intrastate conflicts and advancements in women’s political empowerment. Extending their analysis, this study investigates the influence of intrastate conflicts on women’s representation in legislative bodies. However, nuanced findings emerge from this analysis. There is no supporting evidence that the occurrence of warfare leads to an increase in women’s legislative representation. Ongoing internal conflicts exhibit a negative impact on the progression of women’s political representation. Conversely, the termination of civil wars, particularly without their prompt resumption, correlates with a higher likelihood of adopting gender quotas, thereby enhancing women’s legislative representation. Furthermore, the correlation between the termination of civil wars and women’s legislative representation appears specific to the context of sub-Saharan Africa. No conclusive evidence supports this relationship as a global phenomenon.

African values as natural drivers of global citizenship

This article discusses the place of the concept of global citizenship within the context of African values. It holds that if the modern concept of global citizenship education as espoused by UNESCO and other global organisations is relatively recent, the same concept is ancient within the context of sub-Saharan Africa and it is subsumed within African values. The article argues that the search for a universal theory of global citizenship education is yet to yield any positive result and it critiques the three methodologies so far adopted in promoting global citizenship education across the world. The article concludes that whilst modern global citizenship education is tied to the material world and the benefits derivable therefrom, the concept of global citizenship education advanced by at least five African values is rooted in the depth of humanity from where it rises to smoothen human relations and sooth the pains caused by human avarice.

Peri-urban food insecurity and coping strategies among farm households in the face of rapid urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia

A growing body of literature discusses food insecurity in rural and urban contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Peri-urban food insecurity and coping strategies remain an understudied topic. To fill this gap, household cross-sectional survey data was collected from randomly selected 300 farm households in the peri-urban area of Jimma City and complemented with key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) to assess their food insecurity status and coping strategies in the face of rapid urbanization. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from farm households while an unstructured questionnaire was used to gather qualitative data from key informants. Twelve indicators involving the four food insecurity dimensions were identified to develop a food insecurity index and categorize households into four food insecurity levels. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is employed to determine the most important indicators of household food insecurity. The ordered probit regression model was employed to ascertain significant factors affecting farming household food insecurity. The results revealed that 46% of peri-urban farm households were food-insecure at various levels. The household food insecurity status varied with their level of human capital, physical endowments, risk aversion behaviour, and institutional barriers. The expansion of built-up areas and marketable crops, particularly eucalyptus trees have greatly affected the food security status of peri-urban farm households. Income diversification, farming diversification, social ties, and farming specialization were the main food insecurity coping strategies of peri-urban farm households. The findings of this study highlighted insights into the urban expansion of medium-sized cities and agricultural land loss, marginalization of staple food crops, and market food prices increase, which resulted in increased vulnerability to food insecurity and poverty among farm households in peri-urban areas. The recommendations drawn from these findings are formulating strategies that preserve agricultural land-use and promoting food insecurity mitigation programs that capitalize on the coping strategies of households in peri-urban areas in the face of rapid urbanization.

Determinants of Health Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Further Evidence from Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) Approach

A nation’s progress is largely influenced by its state of health. This is so because a healthy people are not only able to work and support themselves, but are able to make a significant contribution to the socio-economic expansion and improvement to the community in which they reside. One of the major limitations to achieving the above fit is the increasing health disparity in the larger ecosystemn. And, despite the several initiatives and programmes developed to narrow the growing health gap across the various social strata among individuals around the world, it still persists. Motivated by the need to bridge this rising health gap, this study examines the determinants of health dispraities within the context of sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2004 to 2022, using the panel feasible/estimated generalised least squares. The results revealed that while public health spending per capita, income per capita, and health-oriented net official development assistance negatively and statistically impacted on health inequality, unemployment and income poverty positively and significantly impacted on health inequality in sub-Saharan Africa. Accordingly, the paper recommends, amongst others, the urgent need for policy makers in SSA region to pay greater attention to budgetry allocations to the health sector for the provision of health insurance and quality and affordable healthcare services. Such efforts should be complemented with the formulation of workable, active, measurable and employment-based policies across SSA region, aimed at creating stable and profitable jobs for the unemployed and under-employed masses.

Burnout among Health Educators in Sub-saharan Africa: A Comparative Study

This paper on burnout among health educators provided a comparative analysis of this burnout phenomenon within the context of sub-Saharan Africa with focus on Ghanaian health educators. The paper revealed that the root causes of burnout among health educators in Sub-Saharan Africa are multifaceted. Firstly, these professionals often face heavy workloads and long working hours due to understaffing and limited resources. This leads to chronic stress and exhaustion, ultimately resulting in burnout. Additionally, inadequate training and professional development opportunities contribute to feelings of frustration and disillusionment among health educators. Ghana has taken some steps to address burnout among health educators. The government has implemented policies aimed at improving working conditions, such as increasing staffing levels and providing better resources for healthcare facilities. Additionally, efforts have been made to enhance training programs for health educators, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively. However, despite these efforts, there are still inadequacies in addressing burnout effectively. One major challenge is the lack of mental health support services for healthcare professionals. Burnout often leads to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety but access to counseling or therapy services is limited or non-existent in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have also recognized the importance of addressing burnout among health educators. Some have implemented similar strategies as Ghana, while others have focused on promoting a healthy work-life balance through flexible working hours and regular breaks. In conclusion, burnout among health educators is a significant problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Ghana being particularly affected. The statistics highlight the urgency of addressing this issue. While Ghana has made some progress in tackling burnout, there are still inadequacies that need to be addressed, such as the lack of mental health support services. Other countries in the region have also taken steps to address burnout, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combat this issue effectively.

An effectuation approach to sustainable entrepreneurship

Purpose This paper aims to explain the occurrence of sustainable entrepreneurship in the underresearched sub-Saharan Africa context and to improve the understanding of how effectuation manifests in this context. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative research approach based on multiple case studies. Responses were sourced from owners, employees, suppliers, the community and customers of sustainable entrepreneurial firms. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, document reviews and observations. The Gioia analytical approach was used. Findings Overall, the authors find the concept of effectuation to be well-suited to capturing the processes through which individuals with limited means seek to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship. The authors also identify three pervasive practices that are key to understanding effectuation in the developing country context: complementation of indigenous knowledge with modern science, compassion and pluriactivity. Practical implications This study underscores the importance of co-creation, diversification of revenue sources and the role of emotional awareness and interpersonal skills in entrepreneurial endeavors. Originality/value This study, therefore, contributes new knowledge about the mechanisms through which entrepreneurs faced with resource constraints use control as opposed to prediction strategies to exploit sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities. In so doing, this study contributes to entrepreneurship theory by proposing the integration of cognitive and affective dimensions in realizing sustainable entrepreneurship goals.

Prostate cancer genetic risk and associated aggressive disease in men of African ancestry

African ancestry is a significant risk factor for prostate cancer and advanced disease. Yet, genetic studies have largely been conducted outside the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying 278 common risk variants contributing to a multiethnic polygenic risk score, with rare variants focused on a panel of roughly 20 pathogenic genes. Based on this knowledge, we are unable to determine polygenic risk or differentiate prostate cancer status interrogating whole genome data for 113 Black South African men. To further assess for potentially functional common and rare variant associations, here we interrogate 247,780 exomic variants for 798 Black South African men using a case versus control or aggressive versus non-aggressive study design. Notable genes of interest include HCP5, RFX6 and H3C1 for risk, and MKI67 and KLF5 for aggressive disease. Our study highlights the need for further inclusion across the African diaspora to establish African-relevant risk models aimed at reducing prostate cancer health disparities.

Unlocking the nexus potential: A techno-economic analysis of joint deployment of minigrids with smallholder irrigation

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the lowest rate of electricity access and irrigation in the world, at 45% and 5% respectively. The problem is in part due to the low economic viability of rural electrification, particularly through grid extension, lack of low-cost irrigation energy, and limited access to finance for the high cost of irrigation infrastructure. Despite their promising potential, minigrids’ deployment has been rather slow in SSA, partly due to the lack of viable business models for the dispersed low-income rural population. In this paper, we present an integrated model that couples a minigrid model with a crop model to explore the nexus potential of joint deployment of minigrids with smallholder irrigation to alleviate barriers to both minigrid scale-up and irrigation adoption. We apply the proposed model to three rural case studies in different geographical contexts in SSA. Our simulation results show the potential of irrigation loads to lower the unit cost of minigrid energy (LCOE) by up to 47%, depending on the quantity of irrigable land and its spatial distribution. A further scenario-based sensitivity analysis of the minigrid with and without aggregate irrigation load shows wide variations in LCOE–between a minimum of $0.24/kWh and a maximum of $1.2/kWh–with changes in the cost of capital and technology cost. Regarding irrigation viability, our model results show that irrigation profitability is a function of a complex interplay of factors, including crop type, soil fertility, infrastructure costs, energy prices, fertiliser application rate, and crop farm gate prices. We further test the effects of pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) business model incentives on the profitability of irrigation with minigrids; our results show that various incentives that alleviate either all or a fraction of upfront capital cost do not only mitigate irrigation adoption barrier but also enhances its profitability on the part of the farmer. Finally, our model results underscore that the economic viability of joint deployment of minigrids with smallholder irrigation depends on the optimal combination of agro-ecological factors of production (location suitability), type of crop (on a descending order, onion, tomato, and potato are the most profitable crops in our model), fertiliser application rate (near-optimal to optimal soil fertility is recommended) and cost scenarios (low cost of capital and technology preferred). In the main, our model and the results thereof highlight the potential benefits of co-planning minigrids and irrigation projects. Our model and results presented in this paper can be used as high-level decision-making pointers on the nexus planning of minigrids with smallholder irrigation farming.

Enhancing individual animal resilience to environmental disturbances to address low productivity in dairy cattle performing in sub-Saharan Africa

The current review examines potential solutions to enhance the sustainability and productivity of the dairy sector in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with an emphasis on breeding for resilience. Additionally, the paper explores various indicators for measuring resilience and provides insights into the data that can be utilized to quantify resilience in SSA’s dairy production systems. Dairy production contributes significantly to food and nutritional security and employment in SSA. However, besides the general lack of enabling policy and institutional environments, production is negatively affected by environmental challenges such as high temperatures and heat stress, diseases and parasites, unreliable rainfall patterns, shortages of feeds and forages and undue preference for taurine cattle breeds regardless of their poor adaptability to prevailing local conditions. Fostering the resilience capacity of dairy animals is imperative to combat climate-related adversities and maintain productivity. This can only be achieved if reliable and practical methods for quantifying and analyzing resilience in SSA are described and undertaken. This study has reviewed variance of deviations, root mean square of deviations, autocorrelation of deviations, skewness of deviations, slope of the reaction norm and its absolute value as possible indicators of resilience in SSA. While previous research has reported genetic variation and favorable correlations of these indicators with health, fitness, and fertility traits, their potential in SSA environments requires further investigation. Besides, labor- and cost-effective phenotypic data collection is essential for characterization of resilience using these indicators. Through this study, we propose frequently collected data on milk production traits, body fat-related traits, and activity patterns as suitable in the sub-Saharan Africa context. The African Asian Dairy Genetic Gains Project by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) offers a valuable opportunity to collate data from diverse dairy systems in SSA for testing the potential of these indicators. Insights from this study are helpful in improving resilience of dairy animals in SSA, which would contribute to poverty alleviation, animal welfare improvement, and better preparedness in lieu of climate change in SSA.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis of the Use of Digital Health Technologies in Primary Health Care in the Sub-Saharan African Region: Qualitative Study.

Digital health technologies (DHTs) have become increasingly commonplace as a means of delivering primary care. While DHTs have been postulated to reduce inequalities, increase access, and strengthen health systems, how the implementation of DHTs has been realized in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) health care environment remains inadequately explored. This study aims to capture the multidisciplinary experiences of primary care professionals using DHTs to explore the strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats, regarding the implementation and use of DHTs in SSA primary care settings. A combination of qualitative approaches was adopted (ie, focus groups and semistructured interviews). Participants were recruited through the African Forum for Primary Care and researchers' contact networks using convenience sampling and included if having experience with digital technologies in primary health care in SSA. Focus and interviews were conducted, respectively, in November 2021 and January-March 2022. Topic guides were used to cover relevant topics in the interviews, using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats framework. Transcripts were compiled verbatim and systematically reviewed by 2 independent reviewers using framework analysis to identify emerging themes. The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was used to ensure the study met the recommended standards of qualitative data reporting. A total of 33 participants participated in the study (n=13 and n=23 in the interviews and in focus groups, respectively; n=3 participants participated in both). The strengths of using DHTs ranged from improving access to care, supporting the continuity of care, and increasing care satisfaction and trust to greater collaboration, enabling safer decision-making, and hastening progress toward universal health coverage. Weaknesses included poor digital literacy, health inequalities, lack of human resources, inadequate training, lack of basic infrastructure and equipment, and poor coordination when implementing DHTs. DHTs were perceived as an opportunity to improve patient digital literacy, increase equity, promote more patient-centric design in upcoming DHTs, streamline expenditure, and provide a means to learn international best practices. Threats identified include the lack of buy-in from both patients and providers, insufficient human resources and local capacity, inadequate governmental support, overly restrictive regulations, and a lack of focus on cybersecurity and data protection. The research highlights the complex challenges of implementing DHTs in the SSA context as a fast-moving health delivery modality, as well as the need for multistakeholder involvement. Future research should explore the nuances of these findings across different technologies and settings in the SSA region and implications on health and health care equity, capitalizing on mixed-methods research, including the use of real-world quantitative data to understand patient health needs. The promise of digital health will only be realized when informed by studies that incorporate patient perspective at every stage of the research cycle.

Current challenges and new approaches to implementing optimal management of sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common life-threatening monogenic disorder in the world. The disease is highly prevalent in malaria endemic areas with over 75% of patients residing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is estimated that, without proper care, up to 90% of children with SCD will not celebrate their fifth birthday. Early identification and enrolment into comprehensive care has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality related with SCD complications. However, due to resource constraints, the SSA is yet to implement universal newborn screening programs for SCD. Furthermore, care for patients with SCD in the region is hampered by the shortage of qualified healthcare workers, lack of guidelines for the clinical management of SCD, limited infrastructure for inpatient and outpatient care, and limited access to blood and disease modifying drugs such as Hydroxyurea which contribute to poor clinical outcomes. Curative options such as bone marrow transplant and gene therapy are expensive and not available in many SSA countries. In addressing these challenges, various initiatives are ongoing in SSA which aim to enhance awareness on SCD, improve patient identification and retention to care, harmonize the standards of care for SCD, improve the skills of healthcare workers and conduct research on pertinent areas in SCD in the SSA context. Fortifying these measures is paramount to improving the outcomes of SCD in SSA.

Prevention of human exposure to livestock faecal waste in the household: a scoping study of interventions conducted in sub-Saharan Africa

BackgroundPoorly managed animal faecal waste can result in detrimental environmental and public health implications. Limiting human exposure to animal waste through Animal inclusive Water Sanitation and Hygiene (A-WASH) strategies is imperative to improve public health in livestock keeping households but has received little attention to date. A small number of A-WASH interventions have previously been identified through a systematic review by another research team, and published in 2017. To inform intervention design with the most up-to-date information, a scoping study was conducted to map the existing evidence for A-WASH in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) emerging since the previous review.MethodsThis review followed PRISMA guidelines to identify interventions in SSA published between January 2016 to October 2022. Databases searched included PubMed, PMC Europe, CabDirect and Web of Science. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were written in English and documented interventions limiting human contact with animal faecal material in the SSA context. Key data extracted included: the intervention itself, its target population, cost, measure of effectiveness, quantification of effect, assessment of success, acceptability and limitations. These data were synthesized into a narrative, structured around the intervention type.FindingsEight eligible articles were identified. Interventions to reduce human exposure to animal faecal matter were conducted in combination with ‘standard’ human-centric WASH practices. Identified interventions included the management of human-animal co-habitation, educational programs and the creation of child-safe spaces. No novel A-WASH interventions were identified in this review, beyond those identified by the review in 2017. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) were used to evaluate six of the eight identified interventions, but as effect was evaluated through various measures, the ability to formally compare efficacy of interventions is lacking.ConclusionThis study indicates that the number of A-WASH studies in SSA is increasing and the use of RCTs suggests a strong desire to create high-quality evidence within this field. There is a need for standardisation of effect measures to enable meta-analyses to be conducted to better understand intervention effectiveness. Evaluation of scalability and sustainability of interventions is still lacking in A – WASH research.

E73 Resilience and transition readiness for adolescents living with rheumatic diseases: a narrative review of literature and a plea for action

Abstract Introduction Rheumatic diseases are among common chronic health conditions affecting the pediatric population and persist through adolescence to adulthood. Adolescence is a complex period of development, growth and vulnerability, especially for those living with chronic illnesses. Socio-emotional, physical and cognitive growth spurt, quest for independence and peer pressure affect coping with rheumatic disorders and adherence to management. Dealing with rheumatic diseases may be associated with disruption of school routine, relationships and friendships, body image and overall quality of life, and may be devastating to affected adolescents. An additional toll on mental health is exerted by dealing with loss of fellow patients who succumb from the diseases like their own. A comprehensive mode of care that foster resilience and well-being of adolescents beyond disease control, and ensuring successful transition to adult care is of paramount importance. The objective of this review was to synthesize evidence on resilience programs and transition services offered to adolescents living with rheumatic diseases. Adolescents living with rheumatic diseases are of two classes; those growing into adolescence with child-onset rheumatic diseases and those who are newly diagnosed during adolescence. This review included both populations. We also aimed to specifically document such services existing in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) context. Methods We conducted a narrative review of literature from publicly available databases including google scholar and PubMed. PICO aspect of this review was as follows; P: Adolescents living with rheumatic diseases, I: Transition and resilience programs to foster their well-being during and beyond adolescence C: there was no comparator group assessed and O: successful transition to adult care. Results Challenge on comprehensive care for adolescents living with rheumatic diseases and successful transition of adolescents from child-oriented care to independent adult care exist globally. Lack of adolescent oriented care, teaching aids and poor knowledge of providers on the importance of offering adolescent-oriented care rather than dealing with the disease alone have been implicated. Further to that, shortage of resources such as space, finances and personnel have been documented to hinder implementation of adolescent friendly services. Lack of integrated multidisciplinary coordination involving clinicians, sociologists, psychologist and community workers has also been shown to hamper wholistic care approach for adolescents growing up with rheumatic diseases. Various clinic models, transition programs, transition readiness assessment tools (TRAT) and transition readiness assessment questionnaires (TRAQ) have been proposed, most of which are from high income settings. Of importance to note, there is an alarming scarcity of literature from SSA context despite a growing population of children and adolescents diagnosed with rheumatic diseases. Questions remain; what are the needs to be addressed to enhance resilience of adolescents living with rheumatic diseases in SSA context? What are the acceptable methods to assess transition readiness, foster adolescents’ treatment responsibility and good treatment outcomes? Conclusion Due to complexity of adolescence time period, there is an urgent need for context specific models that may help adolescents living with rheumatic diseases navigate through adolescence and successfully transit to independent adult care. Multiple clinical care and transition models have been proposed to enhance successful transition of adolescents living with rheumatoid diseases to adulthood. However, adolescents from SSA may have unique challenges compared with those from developed countries where most of the studies have been done. There is an urgent need to address this gap. Ethics This work encompasses synthesis of evidence already published material containing de-identified information. Ethical approval was not deemed pertinent.

Integration of sexually transmitted infection and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis services in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.

Persons living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face disproportionate risk from overlapping epidemics of HIV and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention is gradually being scaled up globally including in several settings in SSA, which represents a key opportunity to integrate STI services with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, there is limited literature on how to successfully integrate these services, particularly in the SSA context. Prior studies and reviews on STI and PrEP services have largely focused on high income countries. We conducted a scoping review of prior studies of integration of STI and PrEP services in SSA. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL, in addition to grey literature to identify studies that were published between January 2012 and December 2022, and which provided STI and PrEP services in SSA, with or without outcomes reported. Citations and abstracts were reviewed by two reviewers for inclusion. Full texts were then retrieved and reviewed in full by two reviewers. Our search strategy yielded 1951 records, of which 250 were retrieved in full. Our final review included 61 reports of 45 studies. Most studies were conducted in Southern (49.2%) and Eastern (24.6%) Africa. Service settings included public health clinics (26.2%), study clinics (23.0%), sexual and reproductive care settings (23.0%), maternal and child health settings (8.2%), community based services (11.5%), and mobile clinics (3.3%). A minority (11.4%) of the studies described only syndromic STI management while most (88.6%) included some form of etiological laboratory STI diagnosis. STI testing frequency ranged from baseline testing only to monthly screening. Types of STI tested for was also variable. Few studies reported outcomes related to implementation of STI services. There were high rates of curable STIs detected by laboratory testing (baseline genitourinary STI rates ranged from 5.6-30.8% for CT, 0.0-11.2% for GC, and 0.4-8.0% for TV). Existing studies have implemented a varied range of STI services along with PrEP. This range reflects the lack of specific guidance regarding STI services within PrEP programs. However, there was limited evidence regarding implementation strategies for integration of STI and PrEP services in real world settings.

Ethnic Variation in Fertility Preferences in Sub-Saharan Africa

Research focusing on the role of ethnicity in shaping fertility preferences in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been largely restricted to small-scale studies within specific groups, regions or countries, which makes it difficult to gain insight into the overall effects of ethnicity on fertility in the region. This study provides a broad comparative analysis of the variation in preferred family size among ethnic groups covering the whole SSA subcontinent. The relationship between ethnicity and family size preferences is analyzed for 500,000 women from 181 ethnic groups in 24 sub-Saharan countries using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys and via multilevel Poisson regression analyses. Fertility preferences vary considerably across ethnic groups. Major factors explaining this are gender-related cultural characteristics and educational level at the group level. Interaction analyses showed that the size and direction of these effects are moderated by the women’s individual characteristics. The findings make clear that someone’s ethnic background should be taken into account when looking at fertility patterns and designing policies aimed at changing fertility patterns in the SSA context.

Planning public green spaces within customary land tenure contexts: Reflections on the limits to collaborative planning in Tamale, Ghana

ABSTRACT Public green space management has received increased academic and policy interest globally as an urban sustainability strategy. Nonetheless, when planning public green spaces, technocratic planning approaches though important, are not sufficient for sustainable green space management. Thus, understanding the institutional context within which public green spaces are developed to promote collaborative green space governance is imperative. Based on a qualitative case study of Tamale, this paper unpacks the barriers that hinder collaborative action for public green space development. We argue that for public green spaces to be adequately provided and well managed in Tamale, specific collaboration success factors, including building trust, shared interest, capacity building and a comprehensive policy framework need to be created. Such an enabling environment is required to facilitate the development of principled engagement, shared motivation and institutional capacity for joint action. By conceptualizing the study within broader collaborative governance debates, the study contributes to contemporary urban management practice by providing a nuanced analysis of the barriers to collaborative green space planning in cities under intense urbanization pressure. Such knowledge is critical to unpacking the complexity associated with planning and managing public green spaces and sustainable cities in dual land administration regimes in sub-Saharan Africa contexts.

Natural resources, quality of institutions and entrepreneurship activity

It is well-established that entrepreneurs are agents of change if natural resources are exploited and used judiciously. While entrepreneurial activities may foster the accumulation of resource rents, the quality of institutions matters in this matrix of relationships. Therefore, research on natural resource availability and entrepreneurship has been consolidated over the last decade. However, the evidence on the role of institutional quality in facilitating entrepreneurship across countries with different resource endowments remains limited. Thus, we investigate the natural resource-institutions-entrepreneurship nexus using The World Bank data portals—the Worldwide Governance Indicators, World Development Indicators, Doing Business Database and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 2006 to 2015. We use a mix of estimation strategies, accounting for potential endogeneity and managing autocorrelation across panels. To a large extent, we find resource rent to increase the quality and growth of business formation in sub-Saharan Africa. More importantly, we observe a significant and positive synergy effect of the quality of institutions in the relationship between natural resource rent and business formation. Our contribution to resource policy is twofold. First, we examine the effect of a rise in natural resource rent on entrepreneurial activity using the context of sub-Saharan Africa– a region rich in natural resources. Second, we demonstrate that facilitating institutional quality in a country will also shape how the availability of natural resources affects entrepreneurial activity. Our findings provide policy and managerial implications.

Adapted institutional analysis and development framework for understanding customary land institutions in sub-Saharan Africa – A case study from Nigeria

Customary land institutions (CLIs) are social institutions that define local land governance in communities. Strengthening community rights continues to be an essential land policy goal, and several studies have focused on ways to improve local land governance through CLIs. Relatively limited attention, however, has been paid to understanding these institutions in themselves. The present study addresses this gap and develops an analytical framework built on the well-known institutional analysis and development framework to support the understanding of CLIs in the context of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The framework was developed through a hermeneutic review of literature on CLIs in SSA. Accordingly, we mapped and classified the literature based on the concepts in the institutional analysis and development framework. The developed framework facilitates a detailed analysis of the contextual factors and customary land practices of CLIs, enabling a determination of their adequate and inadequate aspects. The framework was applied to understand the CLI in Ile-Ife through content analysis of primary and secondary data on the CLI. The case study application suggests that the framework can enable the understanding of CLI and the identification of the potentials and weaknesses within the institution. Notwithstanding, further exploration of the proposed framework should be carried out in other SSA contexts to validate its functionality.