ASR FORUM: ENGAGING WITH AFRICAN INFORMAL ECONOMIES

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Lyons ◽  
Alison Brown ◽  
Zhigang Li
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Socioeconomic Mobility ◽  
Informal Economies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Economic Development Strategies

Abstract:This article analyzes the value chain for Chinese manufactured goods such as garments and textiles sold in sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the opportunities for Africans with small, private businesses in the export trade from China, the potential for long-term business development, and how strategies of engagement have changed over time. It finds that the value chains for low-cost goods vary. There is great diversity of entry levels and opportunities for socioeconomic mobility, and traders evolve diverse strategies to obtain and defend their position in the chain. These findings are discussed in terms of understandings of international value chains, the informal economy, and African economic development strategies.

scholarly journals Air Pollution Measurements and Land-Use Regression in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa Using Low-Cost Sensors—Possibilities and Pitfalls

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1357
Author(s):  
Asmamaw Abera ◽  
Kristoffer Mattisson ◽  
Axel Eriksson ◽  
Erik Ahlberg ◽  
Geremew Sahilu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Land Use Regression ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Final Model ◽  
Sub Saharan

Air pollution is recognized as the most important environmental factor that adversely affects human and societal wellbeing. Due to rapid urbanization, air pollution levels are increasing in the Sub-Saharan region, but there is a shortage of air pollution monitoring. Hence, exposure data to use as a base for exposure modelling and health effect assessments is also lacking. In this study, low-cost sensors were used to assess PM2.5 (particulate matter) levels in the city of Adama, Ethiopia. The measurements were conducted during two separate 1-week periods. The measurements were used to develop a land-use regression (LUR) model. The developed LUR model explained 33.4% of the variance in the concentrations of PM2.5. Two predictor variables were included in the final model, of which both were related to emissions from traffic sources. Some concern regarding influential observations remained in the final model. Long-term PM2.5 and wind direction data were obtained from the city’s meteorological station, which should be used to validate the representativeness of our sensor measurements. The PM2.5 long-term data were however not reliable. Means of obtaining good reference data combined with longer sensor measurements would be a good way forward to develop a stronger LUR model which, together with improved knowledge, can be applied towards improving the quality of health. A health impact assessment, based on the mean level of PM2.5 (23 µg/m3), presented the attributable burden of disease and showed the importance of addressing causes of these high ambient levels in the area.

scholarly journals The Vulnerability of Rice Value Chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanen Terdoo ◽  
Giuseppe Feola
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Economic Globalization ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract: Rice is one of the most important food crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change, variability, and economic globalization threaten to disrupt rice value chains across the subcontinent, undermining their important role in economic development, food security, and poverty reduction. This paper maps existing research on the vulnerability of rice value chains, synthesizes the evidence and the risks posed by climate change and economic globalization, and discusses agriculture and rural development policies and their relevance for the vulnerability of rice value chains in sub-Saharan Africa. Important avenues for future research are identified. These include the impacts of multiple, simultaneous pressures on rice value chains, the effects of climate change and variability on parts of the value chain other than production, and the forms and extent to which different development policies hinder or enhance the resilience of rice value chains in the face of climatic and other pressures.

scholarly journals Revolutionising agricultural finance in Africa: opportunities and challenges

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-212
Author(s):  
Busani Moyo
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Sovereign Wealth Funds ◽  
Agricultural Finance ◽  
Philanthropic Organizations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sub Saharan

Africa needs business models that are capable of bringing affordable, life-changing products and services in order to reduce or even eliminate poverty. These business models through appropriate and responsible funding must, as a matter of necessity, create jobs and lead directly to economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study therefore provides a detailed analysis of the different types of major agricultural financial initiatives in Africa relating them to the problems faced by small farmers in the region. We also look at innovative finance schemes that are also making inroads in the continent like patient capital, agriculture pull mechanisms, value chain financing as well as Sovereign wealth funds. We argue that these innovative schemes can make a difference in helping innovative business models that address poverty see the light of day. Thus policies that protects farmers from natural risks like drought and floods, encourage the proliferation of donors, philanthropic organizations as well as the creation of strong linkages and cooperation among all those involved in agricultural value chains are important for the development of Africa’s agriculture.

scholarly journals SUPPORTING SMALLHOLDER COMMERCIALISATION BY ENHANCING INTEGRATED COORDINATION IN AGRIFOOD VALUE CHAINS: EXPERIENCES WITH DAIRY HUBS IN KENYA

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATHERINE W. KILELU ◽  
LAURENS KLERKX ◽  
CEES LEEUWIS
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Vertical Coordination ◽  
Coordination Costs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
One Stop ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Farmer Organisations

SUMMARYRecent literature suggests that to make value chains in changing agrifood systems in sub-Saharan Africa more inclusive, intermediary institutions should foster coordination. The hub concept has been applied as such an intermediary institution that coordinates advisory services, input supply and smallholder access to markets. This study unravels hub coordination in smallholder dairy in Kenya, conceptualising the hub as a mix between a broker of relationships, a one-stop-shop for services and a cluster of producers and service providers, enabling horizontal coordination (between smallholders) and vertical coordination (between smallholders and value chain actors and service providers). Findings indicate that, in resolving challenges that limit smallholders’ integration in value chains, synergies emerged as the hub combined different types of horizontal and vertical coordination. This was done by simultaneously organising clusters of farmers and input and service providers (clustering role) and actively facilitating delivery (broker and one-stop-shop role), where the hub structure stimulated the matching of demand (better articulation) to supply (better organised access). However, tensions emerged in the combination of horizontal and vertical coordination as farmer organisations as hub operators had to balance a role as an honest broker between farmers with the intent of enhancing collective action and as a business-oriented entity which resulted in the exclusion of some farmers who cannot deliver the quantity and quality required to minimise coordination costs. Given these tensions and capacity problems of farmers’ organisations, complementary intermediary arrangements may be necessary to fulfil some coordination roles.

scholarly journals Identifying Biomass-Based Value Webs for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systems Modeling Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2885
Author(s):  
Carl C. Anderson ◽  
Manfred Denich ◽  
Kai Neumann ◽  
Kwadwo Amankwah ◽  
Charles Tortoe
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Systems Analysis ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Generic Model ◽  
Sub Saharan

Food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is dependent on complex networks of interconnected actors and the flows of resources (biomass, capital) and information among them. However, the degree to which actors and value chains of different crops are in fact interconnected and their current systemic influence on food security are unclear. Therefore, the concept of “value webs” to better capture the complexity within the networks emerges. Biomass-based value webs of selected crops in Ghana, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are modeled using the systems analysis software iMODELER and by eliciting factors as well as their interconnections through participatory stakeholder workshops. Furthermore, a generic model was created compiling the country models to identify overarching system dynamics with supporting and hindering factors impacting food security in SSA. Findings from the country models show highly complex value webs, suggesting that the predominant value chain approach may oversimplify actual structures and resource flows in real life settings. However, few interconnections within the value webs link the actors and flows of different crops, contradicting predictions emerging from other research. Results from the generic model allow for a critical reflection on the relation between value web dynamics and food security policy in SSA. Current national and regional policy trends targeting market integration, mechanization, and reduction of post-harvest losses are supported by model results.

Sovereign Wealth Funds and Long-Term Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boubacar Diallo ◽  
Fulbert Tchana Tchana ◽  
Albert G. Zeufack
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sovereign Wealth Funds ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Positioning for success: building capacity in academic competencies for early-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Merritt ◽  
H. Jack ◽  
W. Mangezi ◽  
D. Chibanda ◽  
M. Abas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Academic Competencies ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background. Capacity building is essential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to address the gap in skills to conduct and implement research. Capacity building must not only include scientific and technical knowledge, but also broader competencies, such as writing, disseminating research and achieving work–life balance. These skills are thought to promote long-term career success for researchers in high-income countries (HICs) but the availability of such training is limited in LMICs. Methods. This paper presents the contextualisation and implementation of the Academic Competencies Series (ACES). ACES is an early-career researcher development programme adapted from a UK university. Through consultation between HIC and LMIC partners, an innovative series of 10 workshops was designed covering themes of self-development, engagement and writing skills. ACES formed part of the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI), a multi-national LMIC-led consortium to recruit, train, support and network early-career mental health researchers from four sub-Saharan African countries. Results. Of the 10 ACES modules, three were HIC-LMIC co-led, four led by HIC facilitators with LMIC training experience and three led by external consultants from HICs. Six workshops were delivered face to face and four by webinar. Course attendance was over 90% and the delivery cost was approximately US$4500 per researcher trained. Challenges of adaptation, attendance and technical issues are described for the first round of workshops. Conclusions. This paper indicates that a skills development series for early-career researchers can be contextualised and implemented in LMIC settings, and is feasible for co-delivery with local partners at relatively low cost.

Regional integration, regional value chains and the automotive industry in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72
Author(s):  
Justin Barnes ◽  
Anthony Black ◽  
Chelsea Markowitz ◽  
Lorenza Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals The BabySaver: Design of a New Device for Neonatal Resuscitation at Birth with Intact Placental Circulation

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 526
Author(s):  
James Ditai ◽  
Aisling Barry ◽  
Kathy Burgoine ◽  
Anthony K. Mbonye ◽  
Julius N. Wandabwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Neonatal Resuscitation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Skilled Birth Attendants ◽  
New Device ◽  
Birth Attendants ◽  
Premature Babies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

The initial bedside care of premature babies with an intact cord has been shown to reduce mortality; there is evidence that resuscitation of term babies with an intact cord may also improve outcomes. This process has been facilitated by the development of bedside resuscitation surfaces. These new devices are unaffordable, however, in most of sub-Saharan Africa, where 42% of the world’s 2.4 million annual newborn deaths occur. This paper describes the rationale and design of BabySaver, an innovative low-cost mobile resuscitation unit, which was developed iteratively over five years in a collaboration between the Sanyu Africa Research Institute (SAfRI) in Uganda and the University of Liverpool in the UK. The final BabySaver design comprises two compartments; a tray to provide a firm resuscitation surface, and a base to store resuscitation equipment. The design was formed while considering contextual factors, using the views of individual women from the community served by the local hospitals, medical staff, and skilled birth attendants in both Uganda and the UK.

scholarly journals Mapping of affordability levels for photovoltaic-based electricity generation in the solar belt of sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and South Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sándor Szabó ◽  
Irene Pinedo Pascua ◽  
Daniel Puig ◽  
Magda Moner-Girona ◽  
Mario Negre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
High Level ◽  
Do So

AbstractLack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty. The provision of electricity to off-grid communities is therefore a long-standing developmental goal. Yet, many off-grid electrification projects neglect mid- and long-term operation and maintenance costs. When this is the case, electricity services are unlikely to be affordable to the communities that are the project’s primary target. Here we show that, compared with diesel-powered electricity generation systems, solar photovoltaic systems are more affordable to no less than 36% of the unelectrified populations in East Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. We do so by developing geo-referenced estimates of affordability at a high level of resolution (1 km2). The analysis illustrates the differences in affordability that may be found at the subnational level, which underscores that electrification investments should be informed by subnational data.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document