Conclusion: The Meaning of Islamic Reform

Author(s):  
Roman Loimeier

This chapter summarizes the results of the book. In particular, it raises the question what Islamic reform actually means for Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa and it points out both patterns and peculiarities of the development of Islamic reform. It also stresses the importance of the local context to explain the success or failure of Islamic movements of reform and shows that the emergence of Salafi-oriented movements of reform in sub-Saharan Africa was not necessarily linked with movements towards independence (as in North Africa). The development of Salafi-oriented movements of reform was rather linked with the emergence of urban middle class groups that sought support for new forms of piety and that also sought to dissociate themselves from seemingly obsolete practices associated with Sufism. Despite the emergence of Salafi-minded movements of reform, Sufi orders have managed to retain at least some of their former influence by adopting some aspects of Salafi-minded reform programmes.

Author(s):  
Roman Loimeier

Based on twelve case studies (Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and the Comoros), this books provides the first comprehensive analysis of Muslim movements of reform in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. It looks at patterns and peculiarities of different traditions of Islamic reform, considering both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform in their respective historical and regional contexts. It stresses the importance of the local context to explain the different trajectories of development. The books studies the social, religious, and political impact of these reform movements in both historical and contemporary times and asks why some movements of reform have become successful as popular mass movements, gaining influence among African middle class groups, while others failed to attract substantial audiences. It considers jihad-minded movements in contemporary Mali, northern Nigeria and Somalia and looks at modes of transnational entanglement of movements of reform. Equally, the book discusses the biographies of major reformist scholars and addresses the importance of generational dynamics in the development of movements of reform. Against the background of a general inquiry into what constitutes “reform”, the text responds to the question of what “reform” actually means for Muslims in contemporary Africa.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Orrnert

This helpdesk report reviews ten national social protection strategies (published between 2011-2019) in order to map their content, scope, development processes and measures of success. Each strategy was strongly shaped by its local context (e.g. how social development was defined, development priorities and existing capacity and resources) but there were also many observed similarities (e.g. shared values, visions for social protection). The search focused on identifying strategies with a strong social assistance remit from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Sarahan African and South and South-East Asian regions1 (Latin America was deemed out of scope due the advanced nature of social protection there). Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa are most widely available. Few examples are available from the MENA region2 – it may be that such strategies do not currently exist, that potential strategy development process are in more nascent stages or that those strategies that do exist are not accessible in English. A limitation of this review is that it has not been able to review strategies in other languages. The strategies reviewed in this report are from Bangladesh (2015), Cambodia (2011), Ethiopia (2012), Jordan (2019), Kenya (2011), Lesotho (2014), Liberia (2013), Rwanda (2011), Uganda (2015) and Zambia (2014). The content of this report focuses primarily on the information from these strategies. Where appropriate, it also includes information from secondary sources about other strategies where those original strategies could not be found (e.g. Saudi Arabia’s NSDS).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. e003423
Author(s):  
Dongqing Wang ◽  
Molin Wang ◽  
Anne Marie Darling ◽  
Nandita Perumal ◽  
Enju Liu ◽  
...  

IntroductionGestational weight gain (GWG) has important implications for maternal and child health and is an ideal modifiable factor for preconceptional and antenatal care. However, the average levels of GWG across all low-income and middle-income countries of the world have not been characterised using nationally representative data.MethodsGWG estimates across time were computed using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys Program. A hierarchical model was developed to estimate the mean total GWG in the year 2015 for all countries to facilitate cross-country comparison. Year and country-level covariates were used as predictors, and variable selection was guided by the model fit. The final model included year (restricted cubic splines), geographical super-region (as defined by the Global Burden of Disease Study), mean adult female body mass index, gross domestic product per capita and total fertility rate. Uncertainty ranges (URs) were generated using non-parametric bootstrapping and a multiple imputation approach. Estimates were also computed for each super-region and region.ResultsLatin America and Caribbean (11.80 kg (95% UR: 6.18, 17.41)) and Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (11.19 kg (95% UR: 6.16, 16.21)) were the super-regions with the highest GWG estimates in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa (6.64 kg (95% UR: 3.39, 9.88)) and North Africa and Middle East (6.80 kg (95% UR: 3.17, 10.43)) were the super-regions with the lowest estimates in 2015. With the exception of Latin America and Caribbean, all super-regions were below the minimum GWG recommendation for normal-weight women, with Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa and Middle East estimated to meet less than 60% of the minimum recommendation.ConclusionThe levels of GWG are inadequate in most low-income and middle-income countries and regions. Longitudinal monitoring systems and population-based interventions are crucial to combat inadequate GWG in low-income and middle-income countries.


1990 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Manning

If the best-known aspects of African slavery remain the horrors of the middle passage and the travail of plantation life in the Americas, recent work has nonetheless provided some important reminders of the Old World ramifications of slavery (Miller 1988; Meillassoux 1986; Miers and Roberts 1988; Manning in press-a). Millions of slaves were sent from sub-Saharan Africa to serve in households and plantations in North Africa and the Middle East and suffered heavy casualties on their difficult journey. Millions more, captured in the same net as those sent abroad, were condemned to slavery on the African continent. The mortality of captives in Africa, therefore, included not only losses among those headed for export at the Atlantic coast but the additional losses among those destined for export to the Orient and among those captured and transported to serve African masters.


Author(s):  
Yohannes Yebabe Tesfay

In the airline industry, the term load factor defined as the percentage of seats filled by revenue passengers and is used to measure efficiency and performance. This metric evaluates the airlines capacity and demand management. This paper applies stochastic models to analyse the load factor of the Association European Airlines (AEA) for flights of Europe - North Africa and Europe- Sub Saharan Africa. The estimation result prevails that the airlines have better demand management in the flights of Europe- Sub Saharan Africa than in the flight of Europe - North Africa. However, the capacity management of the airlines is poor for both regional flights. The autocorrelation structures for the load factor for both regional flights have both periodic and serial correlations. Consequently, the use of ordinal panel data models is inappropriate to capture the necessary variation of the load factor of the regional flights. Therefore, in order to control for the periodic autocorrelation, the author introduces dynamic time effects panel data regression model. Furthermore, in order to eliminate serial correlation the author applies the Prais–Winsten methodology to fit the model. Finally, the author builds realistic and robust forecasting model of the load factor of the Europe- North Africa and Europe-Sub Saharan Africa flights.


Author(s):  
Yohannes Yebabe Tesfay

In the airline industry, the term load factor defined as the percentage of seats filled by revenue passengers and is used to measure efficiency and performance. This metric evaluates the airlines capacity and demand management. This paper applies stochastic models to analyse the load factor of the Association European Airlines (AEA) for flights of Europe - North Africa and Europe- Sub Saharan Africa. The estimation result prevails that the airlines have better demand management in the flights of Europe- Sub Saharan Africa than in the flight of Europe - North Africa. However, the capacity management of the airlines is poor for both regional flights. The autocorrelation structures for the load factor for both regional flights have both periodic and serial correlations. Consequently, the use of ordinal panel data models is inappropriate to capture the necessary variation of the load factor of the regional flights. Therefore, in order to control for the periodic autocorrelation, the author introduces dynamic time effects panel data regression model. Furthermore, in order to eliminate serial correlation the author applies the Prais–Winsten methodology to fit the model. Finally, the author builds realistic and robust forecasting model of the load factor of the Europe- North Africa and Europe-Sub Saharan Africa flights.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertha Vallejo ◽  
Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka ◽  
Nicholas Ozor ◽  
Maurice Bolo

This study explores the innovation intermediaries’ landscape in sub-Saharan Africa, considering Science Granting Councils (SGCs) as the key intermediaries in the system. Based on extensive desk research, personal interviews, and an online survey, the study discusses the roles and functions performed by SGCs as intermediators and influences of science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy. The results of the analysis corroborate the need for institutional and systemic changes to enable SGCs to perform their role. The realities, resources, and constraints at the local level cry out for the adaptation of current and future partnerships to the local context. The study concludes that only by tailoring partnerships to the development of capacity at the local level can SGCs perform effectively as influencers of national STI policy and mediators of partnerships with foreign development actors.


2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Somerville

In Pensée 1, “Africa on My Mind,” Mervat Hatem questions the perceived wisdom of creating the African Studies Association (focused on sub-Saharan Africa) and the Middle East Studies Association a decade later, which “institutionalized the political bifurcation of the African continent into two academic fields.” The cleaving of Africa into separate and distinct parts—a North Africa/Middle East and a sub-Saharan Africa—rendered a great disservice to all Africans: it has fractured dialogue, research, and policy while preventing students and scholars of Africa from articulating a coherent understanding of the continent.


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