Slow reform may hurt West African monetary bloc's rise

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Integration ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
The West ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Sub Saharan

Subject Prospects for the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Significance Economic growth in WAEMU reached 6.1% in 2016, outperforming peer regional blocs including its closest rival, the East Africa Community (EAC), which (excluding South Sudan) grew by 5.8%. However, business environment reforms lag those of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, which could dampen longer-term growth. Impacts Despite recent progress, growth rates need to increase above 7% for at least 20 years for the zone to reach middle-income status. The structural depreciation of Nigeria's naira could erode regional integration as importing within the zone becomes more expensive. Security fears in Ivory Coast could shift investors' focus to Senegal -- despite Yamoussoukro's recent eurobond success.

Thriving Public—Private Partnership to Fortify Cooking Oil in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to Control Vitamin A Deficiency: Faire Tache d'Huile en Afrique de l'Ouest

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (4_suppl3) ◽  
pp. S310-S320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mawuli Sablah ◽  
Jennifer Klopp ◽  
Douglas Steinberg ◽  
Zaoro Touaoro ◽  
Arnaud Laillou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Monetary Union ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
West African ◽  
Edible Oil ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
The West ◽  
Cooking Oil ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 42% of children are at risk for vitamin A deficiency, and control of vitamin A deficiency will prevent more than 600,000 child deaths annually. In the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), an estimated 54.3% of preschool-age children are vitamin A deficient and 13% of pregnant women have night blindness. Objective To project the achievements of this West African coalition. Methods This article documents the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned associated with the development of a public—private partnership to fortify vegetable oil in West Africa through project reports and industry assessments. Results National-level food consumption surveys identified cooking oil as a key vehicle for vitamin A. Stakeholders therefore advocated for the production of fortified vegetable oil at large scale, supported industrial assessments, and reinforced the capacity of cooking oil industries to implement vitamin A fortification through effective coordination of public and private partnerships tied with standards, regulations, and social marketing. Strong alliances for food fortification were established at the regional and national levels. Stakeholders also developed policies, adopted directives, built capacity, implemented social marketing, and monitored quality enforcement systems to sustain fortification for maximum public health impact. The synergy created resulted from the unique and complementary core competencies of all the partners under effective coordination. The initiative began with the 8 UEMOA member countries and now includes all 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), plus Cameroon, Tanzania, and Mozambique, forming a sub-Saharan Africa-wide initiative on food fortification. All members of the Professional Association of Cooking Oil Industries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (AIFO-UEMOA) now fortify edible oil with vitamin A. Through multisector cooperation, an estimated 70% of the population has access to vitamin A–fortified edible oil in participating countries. Conclusions Sustainable fortification of cooking oil is now a reality in all UEMOA countries.

Cross-cultural communication imperatives

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 170-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Baba Abugre
Keyword(s):  
Business Environment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Cultural Communication ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Staff ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose Given the rising expansion of Western multinational companies (MNCs) to the African contexts, the development of expatriates and local employees has become increasingly important to the human resource management of these MNCs. This paper aims to provide critical lessons on cross-cultural communication competences for Western expatriates working in the sub-Saharan Africa business environment. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a qualitative phenomenology that makes use of lived experiences of senior expatriate staff working in Ghana in the form of direct interviews. Findings Results showed that cross-cultural communication competence is very important for Western expatriates’ functioning in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings also established a plethora of cross-cultural communication skills that are essential for Western expatriates’ successful adaptation and work outcomes in Africa. Practical implications This research argues that there is the need for the appreciations of the differing cultural patterns of expatriates and local staff, and this provides the underlying assumptions of intercultural and cross-cultural communication in global business. Originality/value A critical perspective of international business that has scarcely been studied offers lessons for Western expatriates working in sub-Saharan Africa.

An Historical Assessment and Analysis of Economic Imperialism in West Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale ◽  
Natewinde Sawadogo
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
National Development ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Coast ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Economic Imperialism

Abstract The West African political economy has been shaped by the policies, decisions and actions of dominant European imperialist countries since about over 500 years. Starting with imperial merchant capitalism along the West African coast in the 16th Century and French gradual acquisition of Senegal as a colony as from 1677, West Africa has remained under the imperialist hold. West Africa remains economically dependent on its former colonial masters despite more than 60 years since the countries started gaining independence. The consequences of economic imperialism on West Africa have included exploitative resource extraction, proxy and resource influenced civil wars, illegal trade in natural resources, mass poverty, and external migration of skilled workers necessary for national development. The world sees and broadcasts poverty, starvation, conflict and Saharan migration in the West African sub-continent, but hardly reports the exploitative imperialistic processes that have produced poverty and misery in West Africa in particular and across sub-Saharan Africa in general.

scholarly journals Crime and social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1215-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Jacinta Nwachukwu ◽  
Stella-Maris Orim ◽  
Chris Pyke
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Quantile Regressions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Development Outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to complement the scant macroeconomic literature on the development outcomes of social media by examining the relationship between Facebook penetration and violent crime levels in a cross-section of 148 countries for the year 2012.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical evidence is based on ordinary least squares (OLS), Tobit and quantile regressions. In order to respond to policy concerns on the limited evidence on the consequences of social media in developing countries, the data set is disaggregated into regions and income levels. The decomposition by income levels included: low income, lower middle income, upper middle income and high income. The corresponding regions include: Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.FindingsFrom OLS and Tobit regressions, there is a negative relationship between Facebook penetration and crime. However, quantile regressions reveal that the established negative relationship is noticeable exclusively in the 90th crime quantile. Further, when the data set is decomposed into regions and income levels, the negative relationship is evident in the MENA while a positive relationship is confirmed for Sub-Saharan Africa. Policy implications are discussed.Originality/valueStudies on the development outcomes of social media are sparse because of a lack of reliable macroeconomic data on social media. This study primarily complemented three existing studies that have leveraged on a newly available data set on Facebook.

scholarly journals Regional Integration in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): Complementarity or Competition?

Economies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Alastaire Sèna Alinsato
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Union ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Spatial Competition ◽  
West African ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
The West ◽  
Income Polarization ◽  
Sigma Convergence ◽  
The One

This paper analyzes and characterizes the nature of the interactions between countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) over the period 1995–2015. The analysis uses sigma-convergence on the one hand and the Dendrinos-Sonis spatial competition model estimated by the SUR method on the other hand. The results show a lack of convergence of living standards and support the idea of income polarization in space; these results also support the idea of a very poorly integrated region with relatively competitive interrelationships. The paper suggests the acceleration of regional integration in the WAEMU region combined with the implementation of inclusive integration policies that promote each member’s comparative advantage.

Reform of West African currency is some way off

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Union ◽  
West African ◽  
Equatorial Guinea ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Instability ◽  
Cfa Zone ◽  
Cfa Franc

Subject West African franc. Significance Despite apparent growing domestic opposition to the CFA franc in recent years, regional government efforts to defend its integrity have increased, particularly among the Central African Economic and Monetary Community countries (CEMAC). On the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) side, an uptick in the volume and issuers of Eurobonds has increased dependence on the key feature of the CFA franc -- its unlimited convertibility to euros guaranteed by the French Treasury. Impacts Complacency among WAEMU countries could replace macroeconomic instability in CEMAC as the main threat to the CFA franc. As the sole CEMAC country without an IMF package, Equatorial Guinea will come under growing pressure to finalise negotiations for one soon. Greater progress towards macroeconomic convergence in the CFA zone will shield its members from the proposed ECOWAS ‘Eco’ zone.

scholarly journals Going global: the adoption of the World Health Organization’s enabling recommendation on oral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV

Sexual Health ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Hodges-Mameletzis ◽  
Shona Dalal ◽  
Busisiwe Msimanga-Radebe ◽  
Michelle Rodolph ◽  
Rachel Baggaley
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Income Status ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Oral Prep

In September 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched evidence-based guidelines by recommending that any person at substantial HIV risk should be offered oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) as an additional prevention choice. Since 2017, PrEP medicines have also been listed in the WHO’s Essential Medicines List, including TDF/emtricitabine (FTC) and TDF in combination with lamivudine (3TC). A descriptive policy review and analysis of countries adopting WHO’s 2015 recommendation on oral PrEP was conducted. As of June 2018, we identified 35 countries that had some type of policy on oral PrEP, and an additional five countries where a specific policy on PrEP is currently pending. A total of 19 high-income countries (HICs) and 21 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have adopted or have a pending policy. Most countries that have adopted or pending PrEP are in the European (42.9%) or African (30.0%) region. TDF/FTC is the most commonly recommended PrEP drug in the guidelines reviewed, although seven countries, namely in sub-Saharan Africa (6/7), are also recommending the use of TDF/3TC for PrEP. In sum, by the end of 2018, at least 40 countries (20.6%) are anticipated to have adopted WHO’s oral PrEP recommendation. Nonetheless, policy uptake does not reflect broader programmatic coverage of PrEP services, which remain limited across all settings, irrespective of income status. Enhancing global partnerships is needed to support and track ongoing policy adoption and to ensure that policy is translated into meaningful implementation of PrEP services.

Apparel sourcing in Sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-218
Author(s):  
Ruth Dede Adikorley ◽  
Kristin Thoney-Barletta ◽  
Jeff Joines ◽  
Lori Rothenberg
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Major Player ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine why Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is not currently a major player in producing apparel for the US market and determine if SSA is likely to become one because of several opportunities that the region offers, including relatively low labor wages, an ample labor force and duty-free access to the USA through the 10-year renewal of AGOA. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with eight high-level executives in apparel sourcing and trade agencies to obtain their views on the opportunities and challenges of sourcing in SSA in relation to other major apparel sourcing regions. A descriptive analysis of the qualitative data was used to answer three research questions. Findings The findings reveal that SSA is a competitive region to source from, because of low labor wages and the duty-free benefits through AGOA. However, several challenges hinder a significant increase in sourcing from SSA. The executives recommended that for SSA to be a significant force in the global apparel market, vertical supply chains should be developed, where raw materials like fabric are sourced from within the country/region and SSA governments should become more involved in business environment improvements. Originality/value At present, there is limited academic literature on sourcing and supplier selection in Africa, particularly in textile and apparel sourcing in SSA. Based on interviews from high-level executives engaged in the sourcing decision-making process, this study reveals the benefits, challenges and opportunities for sourcing apparel from SSA countries.

scholarly journals Establishing Health Biotech and Enhancing Local Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 216495611880968
Author(s):  
Taye T Balcha
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Development Assistance ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Commodities

Although many nations in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have recently recorded impressive economic growth, and several countries could attain middle-income status in the next decade, there is no or little concurrent advance in health biotech with little capabilities for manufacturing of medicines, medical supplies, and health commodities in the region. They import majority of medicines, medical supplies, and health commodities used in national programs including immunization, family planning, tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria that drive health outcomes and population-level impact with supports mainly obtained from high-income countries, multilateral agencies, or philanthropies. Nevertheless, there is a growing global debate that countries should graduate from receiving development assistance which goes to the most important health programs like immunization when nations transition from low-income to middle-income economic status. Since sudden withdrawal of all or partial development assistance could send a shock to the health care and dent the trajectory toward achieving the health Sustainable Development Goal, it is imperative to urgently establish or strengthen health biotech and enhance manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in SSA.

Firm productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa: how relevant is quality of tax administration?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-90
Author(s):  
Kofi Kamasa ◽  
George Adu ◽  
Eric Fosu Oteng-Abayie
Keyword(s):  
Business Environment ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Tax Administration ◽  
Firm Productivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find the effect of quality of tax administration on firm productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Also, the paper investigates whether the effect of quality of tax administration on firm productivity varies with respect to firms of different ages and sizes. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the World Bank Enterprise Survey data for 6,718 firms across 40 countries in SSA. By employing the least square method, the estimations are robust since country and industry heterogeneity are controlled, as well as other covariates that affect firm productivity such as capital, technology, business environment, infrastructure and firm characteristics. Findings Results of the paper reveal that productivity of firms reduces with poor quality of tax administration. With positive and significant interaction term coefficient between smaller firms and quality of tax administration, the findings also reveal that smaller firms do benefit in the presence of poor quality of tax administration than larger firms. Originality/value The study contributes to policy by providing empirical evidence on the impact that quality of tax administration has on firm productivity. Empirically, the paper is also the first to assess the effect of tax administration quality on firm productivity with sole emphasis on SSA (to the best of the authors’ knowledge after review of literature). The paper suggests reforms and improvement in tax administration so as to reduce compliance burden and improve productivity.

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