Increasing Voter Turn-Up Using Mobile Phones as a Voting Tool

Author(s):  
Emmanuel Eilu

Because of defective elective elections which have been witnessed in the African continent for decades, some African countries have jumped onto the bandwagon of using electronic voting (e-Voting). E-Voting entails the use of technology in the voting processes. This chapter brings out the progress that has been made so far in e-Voting and comments on the extent to which this impacts the advancement of the overall principles of a democracy. The lessons outlined in the chapter may go a long way in informing future e-Voting interventions, especially in a developing world context.

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e044149
Author(s):  
Isabel Frost ◽  
Jessica Craig ◽  
Gilbert Osena ◽  
Stephanie Hauck ◽  
Erta Kalanxhi ◽  
...  

ObjectivesAs of 13 January 2021, there have been 3 113 963 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 and 74 619 deaths across the African continent. Despite relatively lower numbers of cases initially, many African countries are now experiencing an exponential increase in case numbers. Estimates of the progression of disease and potential impact of different interventions are needed to inform policymaking decisions. Herein, we model the possible trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 in 52 African countries under different intervention scenarios.DesignWe developed a compartmental model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to estimate the COVID-19 case burden for all African countries while considering four scenarios: no intervention, moderate lockdown, hard lockdown and hard lockdown with continued restrictions once lockdown is lifted. We further analysed the potential impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations affected by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB).ResultsIn the absence of an intervention, the most populous countries had the highest peaks in active projected number of infections with Nigeria having an estimated 645 081 severe infections. The scenario with a hard lockdown and continued post-lockdown interventions to reduce transmission was the most efficacious strategy for delaying the time to the peak and reducing the number of cases. In South Africa, projected peak severe infections increase from 162 977 to 2 03 261, when vulnerable populations with HIV/AIDS and TB are included in the analysis.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly spreading across the African continent. Estimates of the potential impact of interventions and burden of disease are essential for policymakers to make evidence-based decisions on the distribution of limited resources and to balance the economic costs of interventions with the potential for saving lives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 856-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand Viljoen ◽  
Andrea Saayman ◽  
Melville Saayman

The goal of this research was to investigate the determinants that influence foreign tourism arrivals to the African continent, firstly as a collective and secondly in different regions, with the aim to foster a greater understanding of how African countries and regions can grow their tourism economies. Using static and dynamic panel estimators, two key findings were identified from this research: (1) tourism to the continent is influenced by income in developed countries, prices, telecommunication infrastructure and geographical factors as well as conservation efforts and (2) the regions in Africa do not all react the same to changes in these factors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 568-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaniyi Evans

Purpose The increased adoption of internet-enabled phones in Africa has caused much speculation and optimism concerning its effects on financial inclusion. Policymakers, the media and various studies have all flaunted the potentials of internet and mobile phones for financial inclusion. An important question therefore is “Can the internet and mobile phones spur the inclusion of the financially excluded poor? This study therefore aims to examine the relationship and causality between internet, mobile phones and financial inclusion in Africa for the 2000-2016 period. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis followed these three steps: examination of the stationarity of the variables; testing for the cointegration; and evaluation of the effects of the internet and mobile phones on financial inclusion in Africa for the 2000-2016 period using three outcomes of panel FMOLS approach and Granger causality tests. Findings The empirical evidence shows that internet and mobile phones have significant positive relationship with financial inclusion, meaning that rising levels of internet and mobile phones are associated with increased financial inclusion. There is also uni-directional causality from internet and mobile phones to financial inclusion, implying that internet and mobile phones cause financial inclusion. The study also shows that macroeconomic factors such as capital formation, primary enrollment, bank credit, broad money, population growth, remittances, agriculture and interest rate, as well as institutional factors such as regulatory quality are important underlying factors for financial inclusion in Africa. Originality/value In the literature, there is a dearth of research on the internet, mobile phones and financial inclusion, especially in Africa. Most of the related studies are conceptual and micro-based, with little empirical attention to the relationship and causality between internet, mobile phones and financial inclusion. In fact, this dearth of rigorous empirical studies has been attributed as the main cause of inadequate policy guidance in enhancing information communication technologies (Roycroft and Anantho, 2003), despite saturation levels in developed economies. This study fills the gap by evaluating the effects of the Internet and mobile phones on financial inclusion for 44 African countries for the 2000-2016 period.


Author(s):  
Catalina M. Danis ◽  
Jason B. Ellis ◽  
Wendy A. Kellogg ◽  
Hajo van Beijma ◽  
Bas Hoefman ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-173
Author(s):  
István Tarrósy

Abstract The paper looks at how Japan, one of the major donors of African countries, has been redefining its positions on the African continent in terms of bilateral aid and business opportunities, triangular collaboration and multilateral development projects in an increasingly ‘interpolar’ world of international relations. The discussion includes China's expanding presence all over Africa as an important ‘reference point’ for the Japanese public at large and how that may influence Japanese pragmatic foreign policy towards the continent and Japan's involvement in African development. What are Japan's priorities in the wake of hosting the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) early in June 2013 in Yokohama? How does Japan go along with its confident manner of inclusive development and ownership in African societies when at the same time it is challenged by China and other emerging actors? What are the items on Japan's agenda for a re-intensified Africa policy?


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio González-Alcaide ◽  
Marouane Menchi-Elanzi ◽  
Edy Nacarapa ◽  
José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón

Abstract Background HIV/AIDS has attracted considerable research attention since the 1980s. In the current context of globalization and the predominance of cooperative work, it is crucial to analyze the participation of the countries and regions where the infection is most prevalent, African continent being the hardest hit (67.5% of estimated cases). This study assesses the participation of African countries in publications on the topic, as well as the degree of equity or influence existing in North-South relations.Methods We identified all articles and reviews of HIV/AIDS indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. We analyzed the scientific production, collaboration, and contributions from African and Middle Eastern countries to scientific activity in the region. The concept of leadership was used to determine the equity in research produced through international collaboration.Results A total of 68,808 documents published from 2010 to 2017 were analyzed. Researchers from North America and Europe participated in 82.14% of the global scientific production on HIV/AIDS, compared to just 21.61% from Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, the research that did come out of these regions was concentrated in a small number of countries, led by South Africa (41% of the documents). Other features associated with HIV/AIDS research from Africa include the importance of international collaboration from the USA, the UK, and other European countries (75%-93% of the documents) and the limited leadership that is evident (30% to 36% of the documents). Finally, the research to which African countries contributed had a notably different disciplinary orientation, with a predominance of research on public health, epidemiology, and drug therapy.Conclusions It is essential to foster more balance in research output, avoid the concentration of resources that reproduces the global North-South model on the African continent, and focus the research agenda on local priorities. To accomplish this, the global North should strengthen the transfer of research skills and seek equity in cooperative ties, favoring the empowerment of African countries. These efforts should be concentrated in countries with low scientific activity and high incidence and prevalence of the disease. It is also essential to foster intraregional collaborations between African countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Rizki Amalia Putri ◽  
Warih Hadayaningrum

The increase use of technology in daily life needs the development of leaning media which utilizes technology as well. The use of mobile phones is increasing among students and the use of inappropriate makes the device as a medium of entertainment. It needs a learning media using mobile phones in the form of applications. There is lack of applications with the theme of education in accordance with learning. Mobile phones are not used as learning media by teachers and students. The reverence of learning material and learning media makes research on technology education need to be raised as a matter of matter in the field. The development of the local cultural application of Pasuruan has become one of the mobile interactive learning media that can be used as a medium for learning revision in and outside the school. The development process is carried out through the 4D stages, which are define, design, develop and dessemine. Based on the results of the research, it can be seen that there is the effectiveness of learning to use learning media applications. In addition, the results of the validator shows decent results as products which can be used. The respond of teacher and student show satisfied result in using Pasuruan local culture application as learning media.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 577-585
Author(s):  
Mohamed Njikam ◽  
Nanna S. ◽  
Shahrin S. ◽  
Mohd Fairuz Iskandar Othman

The African continent is ranked second most populated region and has a huge amount of natural resources to be locally transformed or outsourced overseas. The traditional telecommunications system has helped connect people and enabled them to manage their businesses and trading in Africa for a long-time; many African countries have embarked early in changing their network and technology systems during the first years of the information age. Over a few decades ago, the introduction of new telecommunication methods and techniques have influenced much of African countries’ growth via different perspectives. The situation has triggered an enormous interest in people. They analyzed the factors supporting such changes, which in the case of this paper is all about the advent and adoption of LTE/4G-LTE technologies including its service commercialization in Africa. This review article attempts to provide an overview of 4G-LTE networks technologies and the internet; it includes the current evolution of telecommunication networks within and even beyond the African continent, assisted by the 4G-LTE expansion. An extended view is provided throughout this article’s development with respect to what could be expected (or is missing) for the sake of this continent’s telecommunication infrastructure enhancement and a better QoS to Africa’s dwellers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
Хлопов О.А

The article reveals the reasons for the formation and change of the US policy towards African countries during the period of the activity of the President D. Trump. The author analyzes the features and reveals the directions of US policy towards the African continent: economic cooperation, assistance programs in the field of strengthening the socio-political stability of military security and the fight against terrorism. Under the new administration of J. Biden, the United States will have to reckon with the changes taking place in Africa and revise a number of principles of selective engagement with African countries.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-152
Author(s):  
Pieter Van der Zwan

The African continent contributes approximately 12% of the world’s oil production. Despite this wealth, many citizens of oil-rich African countries live in poverty, often because their governments do not collect sufficient compensation for the depletion of oil resources to fund national development or do not utilise compensation collected for the benefit of the people. In this article the extraction tax regime to collect compensation on Angola’s oil resources is compared to the regimes in other oil-rich countries to identify aspects from which Angola can learn with regard to the compensation systems of those countries. It is concluded that Angola may be able to improve its extraction tax regime by learning from governance measures over natural resource funds in Norway and Canada, by implementing measures to increase its oil royalty income in times of economic prosperity and by defining deductible costs more specifically in its production-sharing agreements.


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