African Telecommunication / ICT Indicators 2008 report

Source: APO

ITU TELECOM AFRICA kicks off with the launch of ITU’s African Telecommunication / ICT Indicators 2008 report, which is an invaluable information tool to inform and guide policy-makers, investors, analysts and other observers of Africa’s telecommunications landscape. It contains an extensive overview of key sector developments, and includes a number of recommendations to sustain growth and deepen access to information and communication technologies (ICT) in the region.

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Liberia IMF:Conclusion of Staff Mission 2008

Source: IMF

Press Release: Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Staff Mission to Liberia
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2008/pr0898.htm

African book: Monitoring regional integration in Southern Africa Yearbook. Volume 7 (2007)

Source: ELDIS

This book is available for free download from:

http://www.nepru.org.na/fileadmin/download/books/MRIY_07_total_book.pdf

Monitoring regional integration in Southern Africa Yearbook. Volume 7 (2007)

The flawed rationale for a customs union and other challenges for Southern African regional integration

Authors: A. Bösl; W. Breytenbach; T. Hartzenberg; Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (TRALAC)
Publisher: Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit , 2007

Full text of document

External and internal developments have raised the regional integration agenda in southern Africa to a new level. However, the region remains committed to a linear model of regional integration: a customs union is seen as the logical next step to take. But this might be an unrealistic and inappropriate target at this stage.

Against this background, the chapters of this volume explore:

• whether African economic integration needs a shift of paradigm favouring thedevelopment of national capacities
• the implications of a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) era
• the role of regional integration for good governance and electoral reform
• the links between democracy and development
• the flaws of the rationale for forming a single customs territory in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), particularly with regard to the growing economic differences among SADC members
• the need for deeper integration, notably with regard to services, investment and competition policy
• lessons from two recent decisions of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ)
• the minimal role of regional judicial bodies’ jurisprudence
• reasons for which the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is not an effective framework for regional integration
• the overshadowing of the role of South Africa
• challenges and options for harmonising value added tax systems

• Full text of document

Africa food security: Who benefits from seed aid?

A lot is written about emergency aid. One area that I am interested in is the handing out of seeds etc following a drought and the results of this practical type of aid. It is apparent that this is not as simplistic as it might seem. What seeds? Where from? Free or paid for? Who benefits?

One recent study concludes that handouts of seeds could do more harm than good. The study looked at results from 15 countries (mainly in Africa) since 1974. Some of it’s findings could be applicable to other aid studies. Practical aid which uses outside sources for products undermines local markets. It brings into question who benefits from aid. Often it is suppliers in the USA or Europe who benefit from huge aid orders , not local suppliers. I found the following paragraphs from the article very interesting:

“In some cases seed aid is not a good use of money — the seeds end up in cooking pots, the farmers plant their own seeds,” said Louise Sperling, the lead author of the report at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

After the slaughter of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994, she said that massive amounts of seed aid went largely unused. “When we looked at what farmers planted, most of the seed they chose to plant came from the local systems,” she told Reuters. The same happened in Kenya after a 1997 drought and in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1999.

SEEDS, NO FOOD

Donors wrongly assumed that there were too few seeds for planting new crops whenever food was in short supply, it said. “There are often seeds available in the local markets. We often overestimate the problem,” she said. For sorghum, for instance, “you can lose 95 percent of the harvest and still have enough seed for planting because the amount you need is relatively small…There tends to be much more seed available than we think.”

These quotes show how much is ‘assumed’. I think it also calls into question who is driving the aid bandwagon. We are actually talking about a huge amount of money. Seed aid alone cost $107 million between 2004-2007. When we say ‘cost’ what do we mean? The cost involves paying seed producers in so-called ‘developed countries’, mainly the USA, for seed which is then shipped using USA shipping companies to so-called ‘developing countries’. The seed is often not needed for the above reasons. Seeds are often available in local markets.

So, I ask again - who benefits?

Source: AlertNet

Alternative Basic Education in post-conflict African countries

Source: id21

Alternative Basic Education in post-conflict African countries

Once conflict has ended in an African state, the need to reconstruct basic education becomes a priority. While post-conflict states share some common issues, they each attempt this reconstruction within a particular context. How can they incorporate different perspectives on issues critical to education reconstruction? What lessons can they learn in relation to funding, management and access, especially in relation to Alternative Basic Education (ABE)?

This study explores the perspectives of young people, parents, communities, governments, international agencies and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) on what aspects are crucial for reconstructing education in particular contexts. Using detailed country studies from northern Uganda, southern Sudan and Somaliland, plus case studies from Namibia and the Eastern Cape in South Africa, it looks at lessons learned, with a particular focus on ABE.

The study found that there is a need to understand the particular contexts within which education reconstruction takes place in African countries emerging from conflict. Participants often bring contradictory views of key issues to the process of basic education reconstruction, and ABE in particular. There are a number of issues common to post-conflict reconstruction and these tend to be present in varying forms:

• an accepted understanding of the causes of the conflict
• the education system that was in place before the conflict
• the perception of young people’s role in the conflict and reconstruction process
• an understanding of vulnerability after conflict
• the choice of languages for instruction and accreditation.

In situations where the conflict was perceived as a ‘war of liberation’, the reconstruction of the education system is seen as a continuation of the liberation struggle. After an ‘insurgency’ or lengthy conflict, there is a perceived need to learn the lessons from the cause of the conflict to ensure it does not happen again.

Issues that are crucial to policy and coordination after conflict are as follows:

• Emerging governments must establish a vision for the education system, in consultation with their citizens through community representatives, education experts, women’s groups, children, parents and teachers.
• Governments and communities need to take a strong leading role in directing INGOs and donors with regard to how they wish to establish their education system. INGOs and donors should be answerable to governments and communities in this task.
• Government ministries and agencies should share examples of good practice and quality programming to avoid any duplication of efforts.
• Systems should be put in place to monitor the progress of programmes in terms of quantity and quality of education.
• In interim periods, the incoming government has only limited control over international agencies and INGOs and there is no established structure within which to work. At these times, appropriate ways of proceeding need to be identified.

With regard to ABE in education reconstruction, the study found that:

• ABE is often forgotten in post-conflict states, despite the agreement that a critical component of sustaining peace is ensuring literacy and vocational training for young people who missed out on school.
• This is because the education needs of younger children of school age are given priority by emerging governments. This is partly due to pressure from communities for which this is a priority, and international agencies, which consider it critical for reaching the Education For All targets.
• Some creative ABE initiatives have been undertaken, mainly by INGOs and on a small scale.
• It is difficult to integrate ABE into the reconstruction of education, and to replicate and expand ABE initiatives.

The challenge is to identify initiatives that have worked and to find ways to expand these in the context of each individual country emerging from conflict. The research suggests that:

• A standard provision of ABE is not possible, as it would have to be adapted to the needs of disadvantaged groups in different situations.
• If existing good practice is to be built on and further initiatives encouraged, an understanding of local conflict and post-conflict priorities, and the pressure this creates for communities and the government, is required.
• There will then be a need to develop new and relevant strategies to share experience in ABE provision and to develop better mechanisms to adapt good practice to different situations, and to build on these.

Source(s):
‘Alternative Basic Education in African Countries: Emerging from Conflict; Issues of Policy, Co-ordination and Access’, UK Department for International Development Educational Papers 67, DFID: London, by Carolyne Dennis and Alicia Fentiman, 2007 (PDF) Full document.
Further details about this research project ‘Approaches to basic education in countries emerging from crisis’ Full document.

Funded by: The UK Department for International Development (DFID)

id21 Research Highlight: 24 March 2008

Further Information:
Carolyne Dennis
Africa Educational Trust
38 King Street
London WC2E 8JR
UK

Tel: +44 207 8313283
Fax: +44 207 2423265
Contact the contributor: c.dennis@africaeducationaltrust.org

Africa Educational Trust, London, UK

Alicia Fentiman
IRFOL
Von Hugel Institute
St Edmunds College
Cambridge CB3 0BN
UK

Tel: +44 1223 741844
Fax: +44 1223 741843
Contact the contributor: atj1@cam.ac.uk

International Research Foundation for Open Learning, Von Hügel Institute, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, UK

ORDER THIS AND OTHER DFID EDUCATION PAPERS FREE OF CHARGE:
Please provide your name, address and the titles of the papers you require
to
DFID Education Publications Despatch
PO Box 190
Sevenoaks TN14 5SP UK

Tel: +44 1734 748661
Contact the contributor: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk

Full List of DFID Education Papers

Other related links:
‘Post-conflict education: what are the prospects for co-ordination and local ownership?’

‘Educating young people in emergencies’

‘Lessons from the past, agendas for the future’

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Unless stated otherwise articles may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided id21 and originating author(s) and institution(s) are acknowledged. Copyright © 2007 id21. All rights reserved.

Ghana: Reaching out-of-school children in Ghana with multigrade schooling

Source:  id21EducationNews Number 63, April 2008

Reaching out-of-school children in Ghana with multigrade schooling

Northern Ghana has high levels of poverty, scattered settlements and low socio-economic activity. Many of the children in this area would never have been able to attend school if not for the School for Life programme, a model of multigrade schooling. What impact has it had on improving access to basic education?
http://www.id21.org/education/e2aka1g1.html

id21 is a free service that communicates UK-based international development research to decision-makers and practitioners working in developing countries. http://www.id21.org

Ivory Coast, Côte d’Ivoire: IMF report

Source: IMF

Country Report No. 08/142: Côte d’Ivoire: Request for Emergency Post -Conflict Assistance - Staff Report; Staff Statement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Côte d’Ivoire
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21923.0

Togo: Three IMF reports

Source: IMF

Press Release: IMF Executive Board Approves US$108.4 Million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility Arrangement for Togo
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2008/pr0890.htm

* Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Togo: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, March 28, 2008
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2008/tgo/032808.pdf

Country Report No. 08/144: Togo: Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21925.0

To view and print pdf files you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

Lesotho: two IMF reports

Source: IMF

Country Report No. 08/135: Kingdom of Lesotho: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21908.0

*     Country Report No. 08/136: Kingdom of Lesotho: 2007 Article IV Consultation - Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Kingdom of Lesotho
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21909.0

Academic paper:Ubuntu and the globalisation of Southern African thought and society

Source: Shikanda.net
2002 Wim van Binsbergen

Abstract

Set against the background of the author’s personal intellectual and political itinerary, the argument explores the contents, the format and societal locus of the concept of ubuntu as propounded by academic philosophers, managers and politicians in Southern Africa today. The concept’s utopian and prophetic nature is recognised. This allows the author to see a considerable positive application for the concept at the centre of the globalised, urban societies of Southern Africa today. Ubuntu philosophy is argued to constitute not a straight-forward emic rendering of a pre-existing African philosophy available since times immemorial in the various languages belonging to the Bantu language family. Instead, ubuntu philosophy is a remote etic reconstruction, in an alien globalised format, of a set of implied ideas that do inform aspects of village and kin relations in many contexts in contemporary Southern Africa. The historical depth of these ideas is difficult to gauge. Their format differs greatly from the academic codifications of ubuntu. After highlighting the anatomy of reconciliation, the role of intellectuals, and the globalisation of Southern African society, the argument concludes with an examination of the potential dangers of ubuntu: mystifying real conflict, perpetuating resentment (as in the case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission), and obscuring the excessive pursuit of individual gain.

Read the full paper

Academic paper sub-Saharan Africa: Ten reasons why the Rockefeller and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations’ Alliance for another green revolution will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: ELDIS poverty reporter
Ten reasons why the Rockefeller and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations’ Alliance for another green revolution will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Holt-Gimenez,E.; Altieri,M.; Rosset,P.
Produced by: Institute for Food and Development Policy (200

This article analyses the effectiveness of the investment that the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced - a joint ‘Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa’ (AGRA). The authors argue that, based on the first Green Revolution experience, this initiative will not succeed because:

• the Green Revolution actually deepens the divide between rich and poor farmers.
• over time, Green Revolution technologies degrade tropical agro-ecosystems and increase environmental risk.
• the Green Revolution leads to the loss of agro-biodiversity.
• hunger is not primarily due to a lack of food, but rather because the hungry are too poor to buy the food that is available.
• without addressing structural inequities in the market and political systems, approaches relying on high input technologies fail.
• the private sector alone will not solve the problems.
• genetic engineering (GE) will make Sub-Saharan smallholder systems more environmentally vulnerable.
• GE crops into smallholder agriculture will likely lead to farmer indebtedness.
• the assertion that “There Is No Alternative” (TINA) ignores the many successful agro-ecological and non-corporate approaches to agricultural development.
• AGRA’s “alliance” does not allow peasant farmers to be the principal actors in agricultural improvement.

The authors conclude that if the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations want to end hunger and poverty in rural Africa, then they should invest in the service of the struggle by peasant and farmer organisations and their allies to truly achieve food sovereignty.

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=36356

Academic paper Mozambique: Monitoring and evaluating poverty reduction policies in Mozambique, study 1: social relations of rural poverty

Source: ELDIS Poverty Reporter
Monitoring and evaluating poverty reduction policies in Mozambique, study 1: social relations of rural poverty

Authors: Paulo,M.; Ros rio,C.; Tvedten,I.
Produced by: Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway (200

In Mozambique, the government and the donors have invested considerable resources and effort in economic and social development. Nevertheless, Mozambique is still one of the poorest countries in the world. This short brief presents the first in a series of three participatory and qualitative studies on poverty in Mozambique. The studies will be used as baselines for monitoring and evaluating Mozambique’s poverty alleviation efforts, by following the implications of government policies and interventions at the local level and ascertaining changes in the conditions, perceptions and relations of poverty after periods of three years.

The authors present a set of broad policy implications arising from the baseline study that they believe are important to follow up for alleviating poverty in remote rural areas like Murrupula. These include:

* the definition of ‘the household’ as the key analytical unit used in censuses and national household surveys in Mozambique should be reassessed to better reflect realities on the ground, and combined with questions putting emphasis on social relationships of individuals and households that are vital for the survival of the poor

* if the state and its poverty alleviation efforts are to have an impact in areas like Murrupula, there is a need to further strengthen the local government’s human and economic resources in line with the intentions in the Local Government Act

* improved access to markets and improved bargaining positions vis a vis external traders are important for enhancing production and income from agriculture. Both should be further developed through improved road networks, the development of associations and possibly some form of marketing board to reduce the exploitative nature of current relations with traders

* many children do not go to school due to poverty, domestic work and early marriage/pregnancy amongst girls, who tend to drop out first. Access to education should be improved and provisions should be made for young mothers to continue their education after childbirth

* the very poorest households and individuals in districts such as Murrupula are characterised by non-involvement in state and community institutions (including those of education, health, the church and associations), and are marginalised or excluded from traditional family networks due to their inability to contribute in a setting where relationships have to be reciprocal. For these, targeted interventions and social protection measures will be necessary.

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=36379

Academic paper Namibia: It’s all about jobs: perceptions of performance in Namibia

Source: ELDIS Poverty Reporter

It’s all about jobs: perceptions of performance in Namibia

Authors: Fuller,B.
Produced by: Institute of Public Policy Research, Namibia (2008 )

Namibia is facing another round of national elections, and pre-election manoeuvring has already begun. Two new political parties have emerged, and existing parties are getting ready for another go. With political commentators already surveying the landscape, the national Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) have undertaken a study to assess public perceptions about the current state of Namibia.

Issues of focus include general perceptions of personal and economic status as well as evaluations of government performance in the following areas:

• job creation
• reducing income disparities
• combating crime
• improve health and education services
• fighting corruption.

When examined from three perspectives - nationally, age and region - three patterns emerge. Firstly, both contentment and optimism are prominent in the responses of those interviewed. Secondly, the majority of those interviewed are of the opinion that the government have made progress in providing education and healthcare services. Thirdly, people are less impressed with the government’s efforts to create jobs or reduce the income gap between rich and poor.

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=36612

Academic paper South Africa: The child support grant in Kwazulu-Natal: perceptions and experience inside the household

Source: ELDIS education reporter

The child support grant in Kwazulu-Natal: perceptions and experience inside the household

Authors: Hunter,N.; Adato,M.
Produced by: School of Development Studies, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa (2007)

Over recent years the Child Support Grant (CSG)