EU will pursue North Africa migration deals

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Extreme Right ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Eu

Subject EU-North Africa migration deals. Significance Large-scale migration movements from Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have challenged European governments in recent years, including stoking support for far-right/populist parties such as the French Front National, the Alternative for Germany, and the Austrian and Dutch freedom parties. Impacts EU member states’ ability to control the EU’s external borders is central to seeing off populist parties and restoring support for the EU. If Europeans believe their governments cannot control immigration, support for the extreme right will again increase. Were the far-right to come to power on the continent, the EU -- and its single market -- could be imperilled. However, high migration is unlikely to reorder EU politics to the benefit of the extreme right in the medium term.

The integrated assessment of RES cooperation between the EU and its neighbours

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke Welisch ◽  
Gustav Resch ◽  
André Ortner
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Good Resource ◽  
The Eu

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to provide estimation results for feasibility of renewable energy source (RES) deployment in Turkey, the Western Balkans and North Africa. From these results, the potential for cooperation in renewables production between the countries and the European Union (EU) is assessed and evaluated, in a mid- (2030) and long-term (up to 2040) perspective. Design/methodology/approach The authors focus on the quantitative assessments undertaken on the extent to which RES cooperation can create mutual benefits, identifying costs and benefits for both sides, but in particular with respect to RES target achievement (2020 and 2030) at EU level. The potentials for RES generation in Turkey, North Africa and the Western Balkans are calculated under different policy pathways, taking into account different levels of economic and non-economic barriers that could occur. Findings Overall, the authors found that increasing RES deployment in the three analysed regions and initiating or intensifying cooperation with EU28 Member States leads to mutual benefits. Concretely, these benefits become apparent in terms of the EU Member States importing renewable energy sources for electricity with a good resource quality and adding on to their targets for RES deployment. At the same time, substantial savings occur for the EU, in turn leading to income and investments in the cooperating regions. Originality/value The assessment underlying this paper is the first of its kind to the authors’ knowledge that opens up the geographical spread in comparison to merely assessing cooperation between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. Furthermore, the multitude of policy parameters analysed provides detailed and robust insights concerning a broad variety of different possible scenarios.

scholarly journals Calculative measures of organising and decision-making in developing countries: the case of a quasi-formal organisation in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Agyemang ◽  
Kelum Jayasinghe ◽  
Pawan Adhikari ◽  
Abongeh Tunyi ◽  
Simon Carmel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Traditional Setting

PurposeThis paper examines how a “quasi-formal” organisation in a developing country engages in informal means of organising and decision-making through the use of calculative measures.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a case study of a large-scale indigenous manufacturing company in Ghana. Data for the study were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews conducted both onsite and off-site, supplemented by informal conversations and documentary analysis. Weber's notions of rationalities and traditionalism informed the analysis.FindingsThe paper advances knowledge about the practical day-to-day organisation of resources and the associated substantive rational calculative measures used for decision-making in quasi-formal organisations operating in a traditional setting. Instead of formal rational organisational mechanisms such as hierarchical organisational structures, production planning, labour controls and budgetary practices, the organisational mechanisms are found to be shaped by institutional and structural conditions which result from historical, sociocultural and traditional practices of Ghanaian society. These contextual substantive rational calculative measures consist of the native lineage system of inheritance, chieftaincy, trust and the power concealed within historically established sociocultural practices.Originality/valueThis paper is one of a few studies providing evidence of how local and traditional social practices contribute to shaping organising and decision-making activities in indigenous “quasi-formal” organisations. The paper extends our understanding of the nexus between “technical rational” calculative measures and the traditional culture and social practices prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa in general, and Ghana in particular.

Shifting Maghreb migration may prompt EU cooperation

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
North African ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Migrant Populations ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Alternative Routes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Difficult Transition ◽  
The Eu

Subject Migration impact on Maghreb. Significance Morocco hosted a summit on African migration on October 31, calling for a common African stance to the growing migration challenge. EU incentives to Libya and Sahelian governments have decreased migrant crossings from Libya, which has been the primary channel for sea crossings. As a result, more migrants are using alternative routes in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and staying longer in those countries. Shifting migration trends are forcing North African governments to think about the impact of growing sub-Saharan migrant populations within their borders. Impacts Sub-Saharan migrants could become lightning rods for governments in North Africa struggling with high unemployment and low economic growth. North African policies towards migrant populations will affect bilateral relations with governments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The EU may need to pay more attention to Tunisia, which is grappling with economic problems and a difficult transition.

Maghreb countries will bolster renewable energy sector

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Domestic Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Sub Saharan

Subject Renewable energy projects in North Africa. Significance Tunisia prequalified 16 groups in November to bid for contracts to build and operate a total of 500 megawatts of solar power. The Tunisian scheme will add to a rapidly growing set of solar power projects across North Africa. Morocco has led the way, but Egypt is poised to become the largest solar power producer in the region. Algeria has ambitious plans but has been slow to put them into practice. Impacts In Algeria and Egypt, solar power will slow domestic consumption of oil and gas and maximise exports. In Morocco, which relies heavily on imported fuel, solar power will enhance energy security. North Africa may contribute to lowering CO2 emissions by becoming a major exporter of renewable energy to Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Effort to curb illicit logging in Africa to fall short

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Change Mitigation

Subject Outlook for deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa. Significance The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's World Forestry Congress last week said that the world has lost 129 million hectares (ha) of forested area since 1990, mainly in tropical Africa and South America. Three of the ten states with the fastest declines since 2010 are in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to demand for wood-fuel and timber for export. Much of the timber is traded illicitly, depriving states of revenue. Impacts Large-scale deforestation could undermine long-term climate change mitigation; forests are critical for absorbing carbon dioxide. The depletion of reserves of rare trees such as Madagascan rosewood will raise its value over time, boosting demand. Gabon's afforestation push -- it has gained 200,000 ha since 2010 due to state programmes -- will support eco-tourism.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and phenotypes of multiple sclerosis in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 205521731984188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassem I Yamout ◽  
Wassim Assaad ◽  
Hani Tamim ◽  
Saloua Mrabet ◽  
Riyad Goueider
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Middle East ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Clinical Phenotype ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Aggressive Clinical Course

The Middle East North Africa (MENA) region falls in the low-to-moderate multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence zone, with prevalence rates slightly lower than Southern Europe but much higher than sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is clearly a trend toward increased MS prevalence over the last few decades, consistent with the globally rising prevalence of the disease. We analyzed all data collected from the MENACTRIMS (Middle East North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) registry by the end of December 2018. A total of 6885 patients were eligible for the study. Overall, the clinical phenotype of MS in the MENA region was not different from the Western phenotype except for earlier age at onset and a more aggressive clinical course leading to earlier disability.

'Brexit' will most affect Anglophone Africa

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision To Leave ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

Subject Effects of the UK decision to leave the EU on African states. Significance The decision of voters in the United Kingdom to leave the EU ('Brexit') will alter its relationships with countries across the world. London's engagement with countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will change depending on the form the Brexit takes, but the vote to leave risks diminishing the United Kingdom's influence. Impacts Divides in EU and UK policy toward African issues could deepen. A weaker EU will reinforce the need for African states to build relationships with other areas of the world, particularly Asia. Diminishing UK influence could pressure countries such as Germany to expand their engagement with SSA states.

African indebtedness is critical but still reversible

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lost Decade ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Republic ◽  
External Borrowing ◽  
Imminent Risk ◽  
The Imf

Subject African debt crisis? Significance Two decades after large-scale debt cancellation began in Sub-Saharan Africa, around one-third of the region’s countries have returned to, or are at imminent risk of, debt distress, according to the IMF. This has increased concerns of a repeat of a 1980s-style debt crisis, which ushered in the region’s fabled ‘lost decade’. Impacts The Republic of the Congo's prospects of restructuring its commercial debts have increased after its recent bailout agreement with the IMF. A speedy resolution to Mozambique’s debt crisis is unlikely after a recent domestic court ruling against its Eurobond-related debt. The recent fall in external borrowing reflects tightened market conditions more than reduced debt appetite, and may reverse in better times.

scholarly journals Origin and Evolution of European Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Stegger ◽  
Thierry Wirth ◽  
Paal S. Andersen ◽  
Robert L. Skov ◽  
Anna De Grassi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Middle East ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Fusidic Acid ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Soft Tissue Infections ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sub Saharan

ABSTRACT Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) was recognized in Europe and worldwide in the late 1990s. Within a decade, several genetically and geographically distinct CA-MRSA lineages carrying the small SCCmec type IV and V genetic elements and the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) emerged around the world. In Europe, the predominant CA-MRSA strain belongs to clonal complex 80 (CC80) and is resistant to kanamycin/amikacin and fusidic acid. CC80 was first reported in 1993 but was relatively rare until the late 1990s. It has since been identified throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, with recent sporadic reports in sub-Saharan Africa. While strongly associated with skin and soft tissue infections, it is rarely found among asymptomatic carriers. Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) CC80 strains are extremely rare except in sub-Saharan Africa. In the current study, we applied whole-genome sequencing to a global collection of both MSSA and MRSA CC80 isolates. Phylogenetic analyses strongly suggest that the European epidemic CA-MRSA lineage is derived from a PVL-positive MSSA ancestor from sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, the tree topology suggests a single acquisition of both the SCCmec element and a plasmid encoding the fusidic acid resistance determinant. Four canonical SNPs distinguish the derived CA-MRSA lineage and include a nonsynonymous mutation in accessory gene regulator C (agrC). These changes were associated with a star-like expansion into Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa in the early 1990s, including multiple cases of cross-continent imports likely driven by human migrations. IMPORTANCE With increasing levels of CA-MRSA reported from most parts of the Western world, there is a great interest in understanding the origin and factors associated with the emergence of these epidemic lineages. To trace the origin, evolution, and dissemination pattern of the European CA-MRSA clone (CC80), we sequenced a global collection of strains of the S. aureus CC80 lineage. Our study determined that a single descendant of a PVL-positive methicillin-sensitive ancestor circulating in sub-Saharan Africa rose to become the dominant CA-MRSA clone in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In the transition from a methicillin-susceptible lineage to a successful CA-MRSA clone, it simultaneously became resistant to fusidic acid, a widely used antibiotic for skin and soft tissue infections, thus demonstrating the importance of antibiotic selection in the success of this clone. This finding furthermore highlights the significance of horizontal gene acquisitions and underscores the combined importance of these factors for the success of CA-MRSA.

scholarly journals L'impact du Brexit sur l'Afrique en période de crise Corona : le cas de l'Afrique du Sud, du Nigeria, du Ghana et du Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Kohnert
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Afrique Subsaharienne ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Secteur Informel ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

ABSTRACT & RÉSUMÉ : Although Britain has been so far the hardest hit among the EU member states by the corona pandemic, Johnson persists to leave the EU at the end of 2020, whatever the cost. Presumably, the pandemic will have a by far bigger impact on the UK African trade than a no-deal Brexit. In Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa had been arguably the hardest hit country both by Brexit and Corona. However, the poor, mainly working in the informal sector, were more concerned about the economic impact of the pandemic than the disease itself. In Nigeria, many people envisaged Corona as a plague of the rich and the elite. President Buhari shared the hubris of many British that they are less vulnerable to the pandemic and could continue with high-flying Post-Brexit plans. Ghana counts among those countries in Sub-Sahara Africa which has been most severely hit by the corona pandemic. But unlike South Africa and Nigeria, the direct effects of the pandemic on the downturn of its economy are not as significant as in other African states. In Kenya the number of corona-death had been much lower than for the SARS pandemic of 2003, but the transmission of the COVID-19 virus had been significantly greater. Nevertheless, many Kenyan’s saw the Brexit as a disguised blessing because they pined their hope on massive FDI by UK investors. In any case, it is clear beyond doubt that those who are to suffer most by the combined effects of the corona-pandemic and Brexit in Africa (and presumably world-wide) are the poor and vulnerable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RÉSUMÉ : Bien que la Grande-Bretagne ait jusqu'à présent été la plus durement touchée par la pandémie corona parmi les États membres de l'UE, Johnson persiste à quitter l'UE fin 2020, quel qu'en soit le coût. Vraisemblablement, la pandémie aura un impact beaucoup plus important sur le commerce africain du Royaume-Uni qu'un Brexit sans accord. En Afrique subsaharienne, l'Afrique du Sud a probablement été le pays le plus durement touché par le Brexit et Corona. Cependant, les pauvres, travaillant principalement dans le secteur informel, étaient plus préoccupés par l'impact économique de la pandémie que par la maladie elle-même. Au Nigéria, beaucoup de gens considéraient Corona comme un fléau pour les riches et l'élite. Le président Buhari a partagé l'orgueil de nombreux Britanniques selon lesquels ils sont moins vulnérables à la pandémie et pourraient continuer avec des plans de haut vol après le Brexit. Le Ghana compte parmi les pays d'Afrique subsaharienne qui ont été les plus durement touchés par la pandémie de corona. Mais contrairement à l'Afrique du Sud et au Nigéria, les effets directs de la pandémie sur le ralentissement de son économie ne sont pas aussi importants que dans d'autres États africains. Au Kenya, le nombre de décès par effet corona a été beaucoup plus faible que pour la pandémie de SRAS de 2003, mais la transmission du virus COVID-19 a été nettement plus importante. Néanmoins, de nombreux Kenyans ont vu le Brexit comme une bénédiction déguisée car ils portaient leur espoir sur le IDE massif des investisseurs britanniques. En tout état de cause, il est clair, sans aucun doute, que ceux qui souffriront le plus des effets combinés de la pandémie corona et du Brexit en Afrique (et vraisemblablement dans le monde entier) sont les pauvres et les vulnérables.

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