An Analysis of Public-Private Partnerships in East Africa

The impact of the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the Sub-Saharan African region on infrastructure and services is becoming increasingly perceptible. A considerable number of African countries have embraced PPPs as a mechanism to finance large projects due to a constrained fiscus. At present, many financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank, which finance some of the projects, have established a department or unit that mainly focuses on infrastructure development in developing countries. The private sector in Africa is equally seen as a significant partner in the development of infrastructure. African governments need to tap into private capital to invest in infrastructure projects. This scientific discussion provides an analysis of PPPs in the East African region. This article selected a number of countries to illustrate PPP projects in the sub-region. The analysis of this study illustrates that the East African region represents unique and valuable public-private partnership lessons in different countries. This study also traces the origins of PPPs to more than a century ago where developed countries completed some of their projects using the same arrangement. This paper further demonstrates that the application of PPPs is always characterised by three factors, namely a country, a sector and a project. Experts in the field often refer to these elements as layers, which usually precede any successful PPP.

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Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway Project in the Context of Theory and Practice of Regional Planning

Acta Carolus Robertus ◽

10.33032/acr.2479 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Leanard Otwori Juma ◽

Fredrick Adol Gogo ◽

Ahmed Abduletif Abdulkadr ◽

Dénes Dávid Lóránt

Keyword(s):

Regional Planning ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Economic Activities ◽

East African ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Transportation Services ◽

Goods And Services ◽

The Impact

Despite most African countries having immense natural and human resources potential, the continent has mostly been lagging on matters of economic development. This scenario could primarily be attributed to weak intra-regional and inter-country trade given the poor connectivity, quality, and diversity in transportation services and infrastructure. In this regard, the governments of the greater East African Region representing Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya, therefore, mooted a coordinated vision to develop interlinked regional infrastructure in road and rail transport to allow smooth movement of goods and services. This paper aimed to critically review the impact of the SGR development on Kenya in the context of regional planning and development. The methodology of the study was a critical review of existing literature and secondary data. Study findings indicated that the development of the (Standard Gauge Railway) SGR is in tandem with the development strategies of other East African Countries. Its development is incorporated in national spatial plans with the rail route targeting regions with viable populations and sustainable economic activities. Criticisms, however, revolve around the ballooning debt to finance infrastructural development and lack of prioritization f mega projects. In conclusion, despite the financial constraints, the SGR is viewed to significantly influence the socio-economic spheres while presenting challenges in the management of landscapes where it traverses in Kenya and the Region.

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The State of Publishing in East Africa

LOGOS ◽

10.1163/1878-4712-11112080 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 23-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kiarie Kamau

Keyword(s):

East Africa ◽

Publishing Industry ◽

Book Publishing ◽

Digital Publishing ◽

Practical Experience ◽

The State ◽

East African ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

East African Region

The main aim of this paper is to examine the state of publishing in East Africa. It also attempts to review the situation in Malawi and Zambia, where the author has had practical experience in publishing and marketing. The paper focuses on the growth of the publishing industry in the East African region and how this growth has impacted on access to textbooks and trade publications. It demonstrates that there has been significant growth in the industry, especially in Kenya and Uganda. However, this growth has largely been in the area of publishing of textbooks. Funding for the rollout of curricula in the East African countries has been a blessing to publishers because the funding includes allocations for textbook purchases for both primary and secondary schools. However, this kind of publishing has sounded something of a death knell for the publication of general books such as novels and biographies. The paper also demonstrates that indigenous book-publishing firms have gained a stronger foothold in East Africa in the last ten years and edged out the multinationals. It concludes by indicating that unless the publishing model changes, general publishing will continue to be relegated to the back-burner. At the same time, publishers are challenged to embrace digital publishing, since that is where the future of publishing lies.

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What debt threshold hampers economic growth in Africa?

International Journal of Development Issues ◽

10.1108/ijdi-03-2019-0056 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 25-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lord Mensah ◽

Divine Allotey ◽

Emmanuel Sarpong-Kumankoma ◽

William Coffie

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Public Debt ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Annual Data ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Content Type ◽

Distributed Models ◽

The Impact ◽

Debt Levels

Purpose This paper aims to test whether a debt threshold of public debt has any effect on economic growth in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied the panel autoregressive distributed models on 38 African countries with annual data from 1970 to 2015. It was established that the threshold and the trajectory of debt has an impact on economic growth. Findings Specifically, the authors found that public debt hampers economic growth when the depth is in the region of 20 to 80 per cent of GDP. Based on debt trajectory, this study established that increasing public debt beyond 50 to 80 per cent of GDP adversely affects economic growth in Africa. The study also finds that the persistent rise in debt also has adverse effect on economic growth in the African countries in the sample. It must be known to policymakers that the threshold of debt in developing countries, and for that matter African countries, are less than that of developed countries. Practical implications This study suggests threshold effects between 20 and 50 per cent; this should be a guide for policymakers in the accumulation of debt stock. Interestingly, the findings suggest some debt trajectory effect, which policymakers might consider by increasing efforts to reduce debt levels when they fall between 50 to 80 per cent of GDP. This implies that reducing such debt levels can help African countries increase their economic growth. Originality/value The study is unique because it seeks to add new evidence on the relationship between public debt and growth in the African region, by considering the impact of the persistent growth of public debt on economic growth.

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Correlates of poverty in Africa

International Journal of Social Economics ◽

10.1108/ijse-12-2015-0319 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (12) ◽

pp. 2033-2051 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard Adjei Dwumfour ◽

Elikplimi Komla Agbloyor ◽

Joshua Yindenaba Abor

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Empirical Support ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Content Type ◽

Access To Credit ◽

The North ◽

Oil Rents ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how remittances, financial development (FD), and natural resources and their different transmission channels can be used to reduce poverty in Africa. Design/methodology/approach Using the Human Development Index (HDI) as the measure of welfare, the authors specify these relationships using the System GMM estimator approach. Findings The authors hypothesise that for remittance to effectively improve welfare, the recipient of remittances must have access to credit to profitably utilise the monies. Again, the authors assert that FD can be effective in improving welfare when development of the sector actually benefits the poor. The authors provide empirical support for these hypotheses using 54 African countries covering the period 1990-2012. The findings also show that the North African region has been able to utilise its oil rents in particular to improve welfare unlike the Sub-Saharan counterpart. Originality/value This paper is the first to jointly estimate the impact of remittances, FD, and natural resources on welfare using a comprehensive measure of poverty – HDI.

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The Impact of Renewable Energy, Economic and Population Growth on CO2 Emissions in the East African Region: Evidence from Common Correlated Effect Means Group and Asymmetric Analysis

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14020312 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 312

Author(s):

Jean Pierre Namahoro ◽

Qiaosheng Wu ◽

Haijun Xiao ◽

Na Zhou

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Population Growth ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Regional Level ◽

Policy Implications ◽

East African ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Renewable Energy Consumption ◽

The Impact

This study aims to examine the asymmetric nexus between CO2 emissions and renewable energy and economic and population growth in seven East African countries (EACs) at the regional level and country levels. Common correlated effect means group (CCEMG), nonlinear autoregressive distributed lagged (NARDL), and causality tests were employed for the panel data from 1980 to 2016. The main findings are as follows: (1) Renewable energy consumption negatively affects CO2 emissions, while economic and population growth positively affect CO2 emissions at the regional level. (2) The findings of asymmetric and symmetric linkages between CO2 emissions and its determinants (economic and population growth and renewable energy) are very volatile across the country levels. (3) The causality hypotheses are different across the country and regional levels. (4) This study shows the renewable energy growth nexus, wherein renewable energy positively affects economic growth at the regional level. Lastly, the study suggests potential policy implications for effectively reducing CO2 emissions as well as growing the economy at the regional level.

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Review: Primary healthcare in six sub-Saharan African countries: an impact assessment using a systematic review

Internet Journal of Medical Update - EJOURNAL ◽

10.4314/ijmu.v14i1.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 22-29

Author(s):

Oladayo Nathaniel Awojobi ◽

Jane Temidayo Abe ◽

Oluwatoyin Adenike Adeniji

Keyword(s):

Primary Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Developed Countries ◽

African Countries ◽

Working Paper ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

Healthcare Accessibility ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact ◽

Primary Healthcare Centers

Primary healthcare is provided in most developing and developed countries to enhance healthcare accessibility for the population. This study accesses the impact of primary healthcare in six Sub-Saharan countries. A systematic search for qualitative and quantitative studies published before the end of 2017 was conducted online. Inclusion criteria were met by 6 studies, one each from Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Five studies are peer-reviewed, and one is a working paper. Three studies reported on the impact of primary healthcare on healthcare accessibility. Four studies reported on the role healthcare resources play in enhancing primary healthcare services. Two other studies mentioned how cost-sharing mechanism led to an increase in healthcare utilization and how the reduction in user changes in all primary healthcare centers led to the reduction in out-of-pocket spending on healthcare services in a short-term. Primary healthcare offers access and utilization to healthcare services in most countries. It also offers protection against the detrimental effects of user fees. However, concerted efforts are still needed in most African countries in revitalizing the operations of primary healthcare centers for the improvement of healthcare services.

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Public-Private Partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa

10.1093/oso/9780198861829.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

James Leigland

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Critical Mass ◽

Large Body ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Public Private Partnerships ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Infrastructure Development ◽

Poor Countries ◽

Sub Saharan

Expectations are high regarding the potential benefits of public–private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure development in poor countries. The development community, led by the G20, the United Nations, and others, expects PPPs to help with “transformational” megaprojects as well as efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But PPPs have been widely used only since the 1990s. The discussion of PPPs is still dominated by best-practice guidance, academic studies that focus on developed countries, or ideological criticism. Meanwhile, practitioners have quietly accumulated a large body of empirical evidence on PPP performance. The purpose of this book is to summarize and consolidate what this critical mass of evidence-based research says about PPPs in low-income countries (LICs) and thereby develop a more realistic perspective on the practical value of these mechanisms. The focus of the book is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to most of the world’s poorest countries, although insights from other regions and more affluent developing countries are also included. Case studies of many of the best-known PPPs in Africa are used to illustrate these findings. This book demonstrates that PPPs have not met expectations in poor countries, and are only sustainable if many of the original defining characteristics of PPPs are changed. PPPs do have a small but meaningful role to play, but only if expectations remain modest and projects are subject to transparent evaluation and competition. Experiments with PPP mechanisms underway in some countries suggest ways in which PPPs may be evolving to better realize benefits in poor countries.

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African horizons of Russian science and education

Proceedings of higher educational establishments Geology and Exploration ◽

10.32454/0016-7762-2019-6-5-10 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 5-10

Author(s):

V. A. Kosyanov

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

High Tech ◽

Infrastructure Development ◽

East African ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Russian Science ◽

Resource Base ◽

Science And Education ◽

Russian Universities

Based on the results of the first Russia—Africa Summit and Economic Forum, priority areas of economic cooperation, according to which concrete results can be achieved in the coming years, were identified. These are modern and high-tech mining and processing of minerals, geological exploration, energy (including renewable energy sources), infrastructure development (specifically the construction of railways and housing), agriculture, digital technology, medicine, science and education. Cooperation between Russian universities and African countries occupies a special place. Currently implemented by the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (MGRI), the scientific and educational initiative for the development of the mineral resource base of Uganda, presented in June 2019 to the country’s President Yoweri Museveni, is the basis for International cooperation between Russian universities in the East African region.

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O impacto de dimensões selecionadas do ambiente institucional dos países da África Subsaariana na sua capacidade de atrair investimento estrangeiro

Internext ◽

10.18568/1980-4865.11121-36 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 21 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Manuel Portugal Ferreira ◽

Justino Gomes Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Emerging Economies ◽

Institutional Environment ◽

Business Research ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Fdi Inflows ◽

International Business Research ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

International business research points to the institutional environment as a core determinant of the countries’ ability to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the extant research has been more focused on understanding the specific institutional of the transition and emerging economies and has left largely untapped African countries. In this paper we examine the impact of a selected number of six institutional dimensions on sub-Saharan countries’ ability to attract FDI inflows. Results show that the quality of the institutional environment is positively related to the FDI into these countries, confirming prior work on different geographies but showing some remarkable differences. We extend extant research on the institutional environments and distances into contexts of extreme under-institutionalization that characterize much of the sub-Saharan African region.

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The impact of mobile money, remittances, and financial development on innovative growth in sub-Saharan Africa

Economy of region ◽

10.17059/ekon.reg.2021-1-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 276-287

Author(s):

Tijani F. Alhassan ◽

Sergey A. Guryanov ◽

Ahou J. Kouadio

Keyword(s):

Financial Development ◽

Banking System ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Easy Access ◽

African Region ◽

African Countries ◽

Mobile Money ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Influential Variable ◽

The Impact

Mobile money has become a mode of banking for the unbanked residents and the system has been gaining patronage among citizens of developing countries. This trend especially refers to sub-Saharan Africa, where the level of financial inclusion is low. Thus, the expansion of the mobile money as well as easy access to it promotes the development of the financial sector in the region. To define the role of the financial elements in innovation growth in sub-Saharan African countries, we examined the relationship between mobile money activities, remittance, financial development, and innovation growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using partial least squares (PLS), we conducted a comprehensive analysis to econometrically establish the nexus between innovation development and financial activities in sub-Saharan African region. The results show that significant positive relationship exists between all the independent variables and innovation growth (the dependent variable). Thus, this study indicates that mobile money services, financial development and remittances have significant impact on economic growth. However, mobile money services are the most influential variable. Hence, these results can be used by policymakers to encourage and improve mobile money payment and banking system as this could facilitate the pooling of resources and their effective allocation to productive sectors, thus leading to the promotion of innovative growth in the region.

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