scholarly journals Constitutions, Citizenship and the Challenge of National Integration and Nation-Building in Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-50
Author(s):  
John Mukum Mbaku
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
African Countries ◽  
National Integration ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Ethnocultural Groups ◽  
Political Units

Summary Most countries in Africa are both “multination” and “polyethnic” states. This is due partly to the forced amalgamation, by the European colonialists, of the continent’s “ethnocultural nations” into single economic and political units that were called “colonies.” These colonies eventually evolved into what are today’s independent African countries. Today, many of these ethnocultural groups want to secede and form their own independent polities in order to have more autonomy over policies that affect their well-being, including especially their cultural and traditional values. The struggle by these groups for either outright secession or so-called enhanced rights has created many challenges for governance, national integration and nation-building in many countries in Africa today. Throughout the continent, inter-ethnic conflict, for example, over the allocation of scarce resources, has produced sectarian violence that has led to civil wars (as occurred in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Nigeria) and significantly endangered prospects for peaceful coexistence. It has been suggested that the solution to this political quagmire is the creation of differentiated citizenship rights for each of these groups. The paper suggests that of the three types of differentiated citizenship that have been suggested as a way to accommodate diversity—self-government rights, polyethnic rights, and special representation rights—self-government rights pose the greatest threat to social, political, and economic stability in the African countries. The solution to this governance challenge may lie in inclusive and robust dialogue, which can help these groups find a way to remain citizens of their present polities, while at the same time, retaining their cultural identities.

Ethnic Identity, Democratization, and the Future of the African State: Lessons from Nigeria

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Dauda Abubakar
Keyword(s):  
African State ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Military Dictatorship ◽  
National Integration ◽  
Ethnic Pluralism ◽  
Ruling Elites ◽  
Postcolonial Africa ◽  
The 1960S

The issues of ethnicity and democratization and the prospects for development in postcolonial Africa have long preoccupied scholars. When most African countries gained independence from the colonialists in the 1960s, the ruling elites who inherited state power insisted that Africa could not afford the luxury of democracy because of its potential for exacerbating ethnic pluralism and political conflict, which would be detrimental to the more pertinent projects of development and integration/nation building. The ideology of development and national integration in postcolonial Africa thus became the justification for one-party rule, autocracy, and military dictatorship.

Through the prism of Spain. Socio-economic causes of different outcomes of Russian and Spanish civil wars

2017 ◽  
pp. 142-155
Author(s):  
I. Rozinskiy ◽  
N. Rozinskaya
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
World War I ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Spanish Civil War ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Russian Civil War ◽  
World War ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Economic Well Being

The article examines the socio-economic causes of the outcome of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1936), which, as opposed to the Russian Civil War, resulted in the victory of the “Whites”. Choice of Spain as the object of comparison with Russia is justified not only by similarity of civil wars occurred in the two countries in the XX century, but also by a large number of common features in their history. Based on statistical data on the changes in economic well-being of different strata of Spanish population during several decades before the civil war, the authors formulate the hypothesis according to which the increase of real incomes of Spaniards engaged in agriculture is “responsible” for their conservative political sympathies. As a result, contrary to the situation in Russia, where the peasantry did not support the Whites, in Spain the peasants’ position predetermined the outcome of the confrontation resulting in the victory of the Spanish analogue of the Whites. According to the authors, the possibility of stable increase of Spanish peasants’ incomes was caused by the nation’s non-involvement in World War I and also by more limited, compared to Russia and some other countries, spending on creation of heavy (primarily military-related) industry in Spain.

Ghana: the State of Agriculture and Prospects for Food Security in the Context of Achieving SDGs

2018 ◽  
pp. 16-31
Author(s):  
Tatyana Denisova
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Careful Study ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Government

For the first time in Russian African studies, the author examines the current state of agriculture, challenges and prospects for food security in Ghana, which belongs to the group of African countries that have made the most progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals adopted by UN member states in 2015 with a view of achieving them by 2030. The SDGs include: ending poverty in all its forms everywhere (Goal 1); ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture (2); ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages (3), etc. These goals are considered fundamental because the achievement of a number of other SDGs – for example, ensuring quality education (4), achieving gender equality (5), ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns (12), etc. – largely depends on their implementation. Ghana was commended by the world community for the significant reduction in poverty, hunger and malnutrition between 2000 and 2014, i.e. for the relatively successful implementation of the first of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000–2015) – the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. However, SDGs require more careful study and planning of implementation measures. In order to achieve the SDGs, the Government of Ghana has adopted a number of programs, plans and projects, the successful implementation of which often stumbles upon the lack of funding and lack of coordination between state bodies, private and public organizations, foreign partners – donors and creditors, etc., which are involved in the processes of socioeconomic development of Ghana. The author determines the reasons for the lack of food security in Ghana, gives an assessment of the state of the agricultural sector, the effective development of which is a prerequisite for the reduction of poverty and hunger, primarily due to the engagement of a significant share (45%) of the economically active population in this sector. The study shows that the limited growth in food production is largely due to the absence of domestic markets and necessary roads, means of transportation, irrigation and storage infrastructure, as well as insufficient investment in the agricultural sector, rather than to a shortage of fertile land or labor.

scholarly journals COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 794-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linley Chiwona-Karltun ◽  
Franklin Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Caroline Wamala-Larsson ◽  
Salome Amuakwa-Mensah ◽  
Assem Abu Hatab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Economic ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Local Spread

AbstractLike the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent’s governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19.

Studying National Commemoration and Political Celebrations in Africa: The Online Archive African Independence Days

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. vii-xxviii
Author(s):  
Marie-Christin Gabriel ◽  
Carola Lentz
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Online Archive ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

AbstractThe Department of Anthropology and African Studies (ifeas) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz hosts a comprehensive archive on African Independence Day celebrations. Created in 2010, the archive is one of the outcomes of a large comparative research project on African national days directed by Carola Lentz. It offers unique insights into practices of as well as debates on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa. The archive holds more than 28,000 images, including photographs, newspaper articles, documents, and objects from twelve African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. It primarily consists of an online photo and newspaper archive (https://bildarchiv.uni-mainz.de/AUJ/; https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/departmental-archives/online-archive-african-independence-days/); some of the material is also stored in the physical archive on African Independence Days at ifeas as well as in the department's ethnographic collection (https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/ethnographic-collection/). Most of the material concerns recent celebrations, but the collection has been complemented by some documentation of earlier festivities. Archives hold many stories while they also have a story to tell in their own right. This article discusses both aspects. It first traces the history of the Online Archive African Independence Days at ifeas. It then provides an overview of the different categories of material stored in the archive and tells a few of the many stories that the photos, texts and objects contain. We hope to demonstrate that the archive holds a wealth of sources that can be mined for studies on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa, and, more generally, on practices and processes of nation-building and state-making.

scholarly journals Intersectional stigma and its impact on HIV prevention and care among MSM and WSW in sub-Saharan African countries: a protocol for a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e047280
Author(s):  
Gamji M’Rabiu Abubakari ◽  
Debbie Dada ◽  
Jemal Nur ◽  
DeAnne Turner ◽  
Amma Otchere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Meta Analyses

IntroductionResearch has established that various forms of stigma (HIV stigma, gender non-conforming stigma and same-gender sex stigma) exist across Sub-Saharan Africa and have consequences for the utilisation of HIV prevention and care services. Stigmas are typically investigated in HIV literature individually or through investigating individual populations and the various stigmas they may face. The concept of intersectionality highlights the interconnected nature of social categorisations and their ability to create interdependent systems of discrimination based on gender, race, sexuality and so on. Drawing from perspectives on intersectionality, intersectional stigma denotes the convergence of multiple marginalised identities within an individual or a group, the experiences of stigma associated with these identities as well as the synergistic impact of these experiences on health and well-being. With respect to HIV, public health scholars can examine the impacts of intersectional stigmas on HIV prevention and care utilisation.Methods and analysisReviewers will search systematically through MEDLINE, Global Health, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and Africa Index Medicus and citations for quantitative studies, qualitative studies and grey literature that include data on stigma and HIV among men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eligible studies will include primary or secondary data on stigma related to HIV risk factors experienced by this population. Studies will be written in French or English and be published between January 1991 and November 2020. All screening and data extraction will be performed in duplicate, and if discrepancies arise, they will be settled by GM’RA, LEN, DD or AO. Findings from this study will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required as there will be no human participants and no protected data will be used in this study. We will disseminate findings through peer-reviewed manuscripts, conferences and webinars.

scholarly journals Disclosure and health-related outcomes among children living with HIV and their caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Amankwah-Poku ◽  
Delight Abla Klutsey ◽  
Kwaku Oppong Asante
Keyword(s):  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Adherence To Medication ◽  
Living With Hiv

Abstract Background The prevalence of disclosure of status to children living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is low in most sub-Saharan African countries, leading to poor compliance and adverse psychological outcomes in these children. This study examined the influence of disclosure on health outcomes in children living with HIV and their caregivers. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, 155 HIV-positive children between age 6–15 years and their caregivers were administered standardized questionnaires measuring adherence to medication, children's psychological well-being, caregiver burden, and caregivers’ psychological health. Results Results indicated that only 33.5% of the children sampled knew their status. Disclosure of HIV status was significantly related to medication adherence, psychological wellbeing, the burden of caregiving, and the length of the disclosure. A child’s age and level of education were the only demographic variables that significantly predicted disclosure of HIV status. In a hierarchical analysis, after controlling for all demographic variables medication adherence, psychological well-being and burden of caregiving were found to be significant predictors of disclosure of status in children living with HIV. Conclusions Findings suggest the need for disclosure of status among children living with HIV for a positive impact on their medication adherence and psychological health. These findings underscore the need for the development of context-specific interventions that will guide and encourage disclosure of status by caregivers to children living with HIV.

scholarly journals (A287) Animal Health in Disasters: Why does it Matter?

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s96-s96
Author(s):  
P. Hollier
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Animal Agriculture ◽  
Response And Recovery

Animal production is an important component to economic stability and food security in developing country. Economic development programs have targeted agriculture in developing country as a means of decreasing poverty and empowering vulnerable populations throughout much of the developing world. Disasters due to natural and man-made hazards that impact animal agriculture have a disproportionate impact on the rural poor and vulnerable populations affecting the economic well being and health of the greater population. Protection of livelihoods dependent on animal agriculture is important to consider in community resilience and humanitarian assistance activities that range from capacity building through response and recovery. In order to meet the challenges of the next generation of global health threats, policy, research, and practice must adopt a new cross-cutting approach that targets the human-animal-ecologic interface taking into account political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors.

DOMINANT SPIRITUAL AND MORAL VALUES OF CADET DEPARTMENTAL UNIVERSITY (EMPIRICAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE)

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72
Author(s):  
N.P. POLIVAEVA ◽  
◽  
A.R. BERENOV ◽  
A.P. SHUMAROV ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Actual Reality ◽  
Sense Of Security ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Spiritual Potential

The purpose of the article is to present the results of a sociological survey on the formation of spiritual and moral values of cadet youth. The object of the study was the cadets of the Faculty of Law and Engineering and Technology, whose age ranged from 18 to 22 years. The representative sample, in addition to the age and profile of the faculty, also took into account such socio-demographic characteristics as gender. The key features of the spiritual potential of future officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service are revealed, in particular, the combination of adherence to traditional values with the strengthening of individualism, their own well-being and self-development. Such an important feature of youth perception of actual reality as a certain lack of a sense of security, fear of an increase in crime, unemployment and the possibility of war is recorded. The authors note that cadets are characterized by adherence to traditional life values, one way or another intertwined with a certain increase in individualism, their own well-being and self-development, which reflects modern global and Russian trends.

scholarly journals Integration of shared-pathogen networks and machine learning reveals the key aspects of zoonoses and predicts mammalian reservoirs

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1920) ◽  
pp. 20192882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Wardeh ◽  
Kieran J. Sharkey ◽  
Matthew Baylis
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Ensemble Models ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Key Aspects

Diseases that spread to humans from animals, zoonoses, pose major threats to human health. Identifying animal reservoirs of zoonoses and predicting future outbreaks are increasingly important to human health and well-being and economic stability, particularly where research and resources are limited. Here, we integrate complex networks and machine learning approaches to develop a new approach to identifying reservoirs. An exhaustive dataset of mammal–pathogen interactions was transformed into networks where hosts are linked via their shared pathogens. We present a methodology for identifying important and influential hosts in these networks. Ensemble models linking network characteristics with phylogeny and life-history traits are then employed to predict those key hosts and quantify the roles they undertake in pathogen transmission. Our models reveal drivers explaining host importance and demonstrate how these drivers vary by pathogen taxa. Host importance is further integrated into ensemble models to predict reservoirs of zoonoses of various pathogen taxa and quantify the extent of pathogen sharing between humans and mammals. We establish predictors of reservoirs of zoonoses, showcasing host influence to be a key factor in determining these reservoirs. Finally, we provide new insight into the determinants of zoonosis-sharing, and contrast these determinants across major pathogen taxa.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document