Category Archives: PAPERS and REPORTS
Teaching philosophy in Africa: Anglophone countries, UNESCO
“This publication reflects the debates and discussions held during the Mauritius meeting which allowed UNESCO to update and complete the data initially collected for the 2007 Study. A series of regional recommendations, elaborated and validated by the meeting participants, are addressed to Member States, to National Commissions for UNESCO, to philosophers, and to UNESCO and are included in the present publication.â€
How to get a copy
Download a pdf of the paper Teaching philosophy in Africa
Suggested Books
Mali: Provoking rain?
Image by X Ceccaldi via Flickr
Is cloud seeding the answer?
Desertification and low annual rainfall have been exacerbating hardship in many African countries. One innovation that is currently being trialed is that of “cloud seeding“.
The West African Monsoon and Rainfall Enhancement programme has been running trials in Mali and training Malians since 2006.
The first three years (2006, 2007, 2008) focused on sampling of clouds and aerosols with aircraft and radar observations along with a preliminary randomized seeding program. The 2009 program (June-September) will continue to sample clouds and aerosol along with the continuation of an exploratory randomized seeding program.
A new report on IRIN NEWS, MALI: Faking snow in the desert to boost rain, continues the story.
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of African countries according to governance quality. Funded and led by an African institution, the Ibrahim Index aims to be Africa’s leading assessment of governance that informs and empowers citizens to hold their governments and public institutions to account. Thus we hope to stimulate debate in a constructive way and establish a framework for good governance in Africa.
The Ibrahim Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and non-state actors. The Ibrahim Index uses indicators across four main pillars: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Opportunity; and Human Development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance.
The Ibrahim Index assesses governance against 84 criteria, making it the most comprehensive collection of qualitative and quantitative data that measures governance in Africa. The criteria are divided into four main categories and 13 sub-categories. The indicators that make up the sub-categories are based either on official data (OD) or expert assessment (EA).
How to get a copy
The full structure of the 2009 Ibrahim Index
Find out more
Visit the Ibrahim Foundation website
Suggested Books
African Governance Report 2009
Sierra Leone: The cost of maternal health
A new report from Amnesty International, Out of Reach, The Cost of Maternal Health in Sierra Leone (2009), focusses on the cost of maternal care in Sierra Leone which is above the means of many women.
This report is about maternal mortality as a human rights issue. It focuses on the urgent need to remove financial barriers to health care and in particular emergency obstetric care; the accountability of the government of Sierra Leone, given its obligations to address maternal health care and to ensure the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health care services, facilities and goods; discrimination and other social factors that contribute to undermining women’s right to health.
You can download a free pdf of the report HERE
Related articles
- Sierra Leone launches fistula hotline (guardian.co.uk)
Uganda: Rural Development Report
Developing local areas
“A major problem facing developing countries is how to develop local areas. The economic decline of rural areas due to the declining value of traditional agriculture forces many young people to migrate to urban areas in search of better opportunities, incomes and standards of living. This yet, causes further decline to the rural areas and contributes to urban congestion and all its attendant problems.
This paper discusses the potential for adaptation of the Japanese ‘One Village One Product (OVOP paper) concept’ to Uganda’s poverty reduction and local development efforts. Uganda government strongly believes that local development, especially in rural areas, is a key to poverty reduction.”
Download the (pdf) report HERE
China and natural resources in Africa
- Image by Julien Harneis via Flickr
More ‘China in Africa’ analysis. This time the paper is from the South African Institute of International Affairs (www.Saii.org.za ).
China and Africa’s Natural Resources: The Challenges and Implications for Development and Governance
This paper proposes to analyse China’s growing engagement in Africa’s mineral sector and assess its impact on local governance. China’s energy concerns have been playing an increasingly crucial role in its foreign policymaking in the new century. Although other energy sources (such as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, hydropower and alternative fuels) are inherent to this debate, oil is the top Chinese concern, since it represents China’s largest external reliance. In little over a decade, China went from leading Asian oil exporter to second largest world consumer (2003) and third largest global importer (2004). China’s present economic foray into Africa’s natural resources thus emerges in this framework.
Despite oil being by far its major import from that continent (at 26% of its total oil imports), imports of other minerals such as cobalt, manganese, copper and iron ore have risen sharply in recent years. To gain access to these minerals, China has loaned billions of dollars to African countries for infrastructure development in exchange for resources (i.e. the so-called ‘Angola mode’) with no conditionalities attached. China’s success in achieving a significant position in the continent’s natural resources market in a short period has raised concerns among Africa’s traditional development partners, who fear that China’s approach undermines their longstanding efforts to improve governance in the continent.
How to get a copy
Download a PDF of the paper HERE
(Via www.africafiles.org)
Uganda : Livelihood impacts of disarmament in Karamoja
Disarmament policies
Changing roles, shifting risks – livelihood impacts of disarmament in Karamoja, Uganda, Stites,E. Akabwai,D. Feinstein International Center, USA (2009)
This report examines the role of disarmament policies in changes in livelihood systems of the population in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda. The following topics are covered:
- Disarmament and human rights abusesPerceptions of disarmament as a goal in and of itself
- Impacts of disarmament on livelihoods
- Impacts of disarmament on security for the rural communities in Karamoja.
The authors also provide a section on the implications for shifting gender and generational roles, relations and responsibilities. Throughout this discussion the nature of the existing protection gap in Karamoja is also examined.
The authors provide a number of conclusions/recommendations, including:
- Disarmament is needed in Karamoja and must be uniform and complete
- The introduction of kraals at barracks addresses some of the problems of inadequate protection for livestock that arose in the 2001-2002 disarmament and in the first period of the current disarmament
- International actors working in Karamoja must include vigorous advocacy with national and district authorities, including the security sector, to generate increased recognition of the needs in the region and respect for the population
- Outreach and learning by actors is critical – relatively few assessments of local priorities have been done in the region, particularly in remote areas or those considered insecure.
(Via ELDIS)
How to get a copy
Available online at:Â http://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/FIC/Changing+Roles%2C+Shifting+Risks
Sub-Saharan African and the financial crisis
The impact of the financial crisis on conflict and state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa, Bakrania,S. ; Lucas,B.  Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (2009).
It was thought that Sub-Saharan Africa would be largely unaffected by the financial crisis. However, as many Sub-Saharan African countries are dependent on foreign finance inflows and are even more dependent on commodity based exports, this has been swiftly revised. Subsequently, economists are now warning that although Africa is the least integrated region, it could actually be the worst hit. Furthermore, as the most conflict-ridden continent in the world, any subsequent exacerbation of resource scarcity could increase unrest across Africa.
This paper explores the conflict and fragility dimensions of the financial crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa – asserting there is currently little in-depth information available. To address this, the authors conducted a review of available literature and detail:
- the main transmission channels of the financial crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa – explains why fragile states are particularly vulnerable to shocks and then looks at some of the impacts of the crisis on human development and poverty
- the conflict and fragility impacts of the financial crisis – looking at empirical studies which suggest a direct relationship between financial crisis/recessions and the incidence of conflict
- those countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that are considered to be fragile (or on the verge of fragility) and vulnerable to the effects of the financial crisis
- an overview of nine major donors current policies, priorities, and activities in East Africa, focusing on the Horn of Africa.
They then offer a number of conclusions/ recommendations, including:
- whilst countries which are currently politically unstable and suffer from pre-existing conflicts have suffered severely, decreasing income streams could even push some previously stable countries towards fragility
- the declines in human development made during economic deceleration outweigh the gains made during economic accelerations. Therefore, achieving the MDGs becomes an even more distant prospect if the impacts of the financial crisis are not mitigated
- fragility and conflict do not respect borders – donors should think about focusing on specific regions and work with regional organisations and institutions where donor interventions could have a multiplier effect
- prevention is far cheaper than post-conflict reconstruction – the losses in human development during economic decelerations outweigh any gains made during economic acceleration. In addition, the costs of preventing a war are cheaper than intervening afterwards.
via (ELDIS)
How to get a copy
Available online HERE (pdf)
Fiscal Policies in Africa and the Global Financial Crisis
The latest issue of  Development Viewpoint (#37) asks: “How Fiscal Policies in Africa Can Respond to the Global Financial Crisisâ€.
In this paper the author, John Weeks, Professor Emeritus, SOAS, and Senior Research Associate, CDPR, argues for both the desirability and feasibility of implementing counter-cyclical fiscal policies in Africa to counter the crisis-induced fall in domestic private spending and export demand. As complementary measures, he recommends financing the ensuing fiscal deficit primarily by borrowing money from the central bank and combating any upward pressures on the trade deficit and inflation through deliberate management of the exchange rate.
How to get a copy
Download the paper HERE
Mobile Telephony and the Entrepreneur: An African Perspective
This article,by Ken Banks, Â published in Microfinance Insights in 2008, discusses the use and impact of mobile technology for economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. The author argues that with penetration rates in excess of 30%, and handset sales among the highest in the world, the region is witnessing a new kind of mobile-driven economic development that is making clear positive impacts on people’s lives. The author cites examples of mobile technology being used for a wide range of economic purposes, from farmers accessing local market information – and increasing their income in some cases by up to 40% – to individuals with no bank accounts transferring money to relatives, or making payments for goods and services via their phones. (Via Soul Beat Africa)
How to get a copy
You can download the PDF of the article HERE
More information
You can find out more about Ken Banks and mobile technologies HERE
The Charter for African Cultural Renaissance
The basic document for African Cultural policies and co-operation is now accessible also on the African Union web site. It was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union meeting in the Sixth Ordinary Session in Khartoum, the Republic of The Sudan, from 23rd to 24th January 2006. It is inspired by the Cultural Charter for Africa adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity meeting in its 13th session, in Port Louis, Mauritius, from 2 to 5 July, 1976:
How to get a copy
Download the pdf file of the charter HERE
Suggested Books
Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance
African Renaissance: Roadmaps to the Challenge of Globalization
Social and Behaviour Change Communication Capacity Assessment Tool
Communication for Change have produced a Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Capacity Assessment Tool which I think looks very useful across a number of contexts. (seen on Comminit).
This tool and an accompanying worksheet have been developed by C-Change for use in workshop and meeting venues in which an organisation and a facilitator work to determine an organisation’s SBCC competencies in three areas:
- planning
- programme implementation
- research, monitoring, and evaluation
The intention is that by using this Tool, programme planners can identify the strengths and weaknesses of current programmes, and define activities to strengthen and refocus programmes to improve the overall quality of their SBCC efforts.
This Tool can be adapted for use across a wide variety of health areas, including: HIV and AIDS; malaria; family planning; and maternal, sexual, and reproductive health. Users are encouraged to adapt sections of the Tool or use the particular components that best address their needs in assessing capacities of organisations implementing SBCC programmes.
Download the resource
Go to the SBCC website where you can download the pdf of the resource and also an excel file of the graphs and data entry worksheets.