Digital Commons Network^™

Living In Paradise? Cameroonian Women In The American Diaspora, Joseph Takougang

Journal of African Policy Studies

For decades after independence, African migration was a phenomenon that could be attributed to a patriarchal culture that encouraged male domination. Later, that traditional mindset was reinforced by a colonial system that often marginalized the role of women in many African societies. Indeed, because young men were more likely to be educated than their female counterparts under the colonial system, they were advantaged after independence to attend institutions of higher learning abroad when it became necessary to train young Africans to occupy important government and other decision-making positions in the newly independent states. Recently, however, women have become important players, …

Socioeconomic Status Of Parents And Provision Of Education In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Cameroon: The Case Of The Southwest Region, Sophie Edume Etomes, Fonkeng Epah George

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study examines the effect of the socioeconomic status of parents on the provision of education during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cameroon. Three major objectives guided this study, which examines the effects of parents’ educational level and level of income on the provision of education and how the emergency response strategy adopted by the government affected the provision of quality education for all. A case study research design was used, and the Southwest Region was chosen as the study site. Forty parents from rural and urban areas within the region were selected while twelve divisional delegates were sampled for the …

The Rural Development Politics Under Prime Minister K.A. Busia Of Ghana, 1969-1972, Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article discusses rural development under the Second Republican government of Ghana. While not directly engaging with the claims of Busia’s unrivalled rural development agenda, this article provides some perspectives as to why the assertions of unqualified success remain popular. Drawing on newspapers and published sources, it discusses the Busia government’s rural development programme and accomplishments, and finds that plans to develop rural Ghana date to several years before the Busia government. By adopting rural development as its flagship programme, Busia directed the government and citizens’ attention towards rapid rural development in the early 1970s. Widespread media publicity has helped …

Social Movements And Democratization In Nigeria Since 1999: The Search For Good Governance And Justice, Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh, Danladi Abah

Journal of African Policy Studies

What factors account for the surge in social movements in Nigeria and what are the implications for democratization? Who have been the actors and what internal and external dynamics are reconfiguring the materiality of social movements? How is the state responding to the dramatic fluidity and frequency in movements? And what strategies have civil societies used to harness the potentials in social movements for sustainable democratization? Through a political economy approach, oral interviews with NGO leaders, leaders of human rights and pro-democracy activists, interviews with some citizens, and use of journals, newspapers, magazines and reports, this study interrogates and documents …

Archives In Cameroon In Public Development Policies: From Five-Year Plans To The National Development Strategy 2020–2030, Esther Olembe

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article examines the role of archives in Cameroon’s public development policies, from post-independence five-year plans to the National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (SND2020–2030). After gaining independence, African countries sought to formulate endogenous development policies, often influenced by international cooperation models. However, archives have paradoxically remained relatively marginal in these development processes, despite being crucial for continuity and transparency in public actions, as demonstrated in the reviewed literature. The article highlights the challenges of integrating archive management systems into development strategies, despite being essential for the planning, management, and evaluation of public policies. It also analyzes current archiving policies and proposes …

China In Africa: A Critical Examination Of Its Peacekeeping And Peacebuilding Activities, Earl Conteh-Morgan, Patti Weeks

Journal of African Policy Studies

The objective of this analysis is to examine and critically assess the peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts of China in Africa generally. In other words, what level of support does China provide to African peacekeeping efforts? What is China's rationale for engaging in peacekeeping and peacebuilding in SSA? What is the nature of its activities in those areas? What does it emphasize in its peacebuilding and peacekeeping activities?

Youth Participation In Local And National Development In Ghana, Ca. 1620–2013, Ransford Gyampo, Franklin Obeng-Odoom

Journal of African Policy Studies

While there has been a long tradition in development studies on analyzing types of participation and their effectiveness, the idea that participation is not stationary, but that it can evolve with variegated experiences, is relatively unexplored. This paper takes up the challenge of showing how participation in development planning can change, the role of underlying institutions, and the implications of evolutionary participatory development for policy making. It uses a critical postcolonial approach and zooms in on the role of the youth in development planning in Ghana. It knits together the diverse processes and dynamics of youth participation in postcolonial Ghana …

Foreign Investment And Repression In Lesotho, Amir Azarvan

Journal of African Policy Studies

According to neoliberal theory, foreign direct investment enhances socioeconomic conditions in host countries, which in turn leads to democratization and greater protection of human rights. The structuralist theory, in contrast, holds that, in interaction with domestic unrest, foreign investment fosters repression. Lesotho serves as a fitting laboratory in which to test these competing theories. In 1995, the country had experienced a huge surge in foreign direct investment. In the period leading up to and during this increase, Lesotho was among the most impoverished countries in the world, and had a relatively poor human rights record. This confluence of factors makes …

The Impact Of Trade Liberalisation On Agricultural Productivity In South Africa: An Empirical Study, Ravinder Rena, M. Y. Teweldemedhin, H. D. Van Schalkwyk

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study attempts to examine the empirical relationship between trade and total factor productivity (TFP) in the agricultural sector using both cross-sectional (across nine agricultural commodities) and time-series analysis. The ordinary least square (OLS) results from the cross-sectional analysis confirm that export shares and capital formation were found to be positive and significant, whereas import shares and real exchange rate were found to be related negatively. However, the net effect of export and import shares had a positive effect. This implies that trade liberalisation causes productivity gains. Moreover, the time-series analysis goes in the same direction as the cross-sectional results, …

The Politics Of Nigeria And The Development Of The Niger Delta Region, Andrew O. Efemini

Journal of African Policy Studies

The paper argues that Nigeria's underdevelopment cannot be adequately explained and appreciated unless we come to terms with the bad politics and faulty democratization processes it has pursued as a country. The Niger Delta Region is singled out as one region where Nigeria's bad politics manifest so negatively. The region suffers from dependency of the central government and other regions on the oil resources from the region. The Nigerian State has not been able to reposition itself as a truly democratic State with fair and just basic institutions. Institutions that are truly federal in character and promote citizenship rights are …

Economic Integration As A Contribution To Sustainable Development In The Horn Of Africa, Mengsteab Tesfayohannes, Hany Besada

Journal of African Policy Studies

The Horn of Africa is one of the most geopolitically important regions of the world, with great human and natural resource potential. Unfortunately, the region is notorious for its crises and instability. This is due to internal and external destabilising factors related to ethnicity, tribalism, resource sharing, poverty, superpower rivalry, porous borders and hegemonic desires. Although it differs slightly between countries, the average per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of the region is less than $200. Gender disparity in education and economic activity is prevalent in the region at all levels. Over 75% of the labour force is engaged in …

The Global Economic And Financial Crisis: An Overview Of The Effects On African Countries, Oluwole Owoye

Journal of African Policy Studies

In the wake of the global economic and financial cnsts, experts and analysts agreed that the initial effects on African financial sectors would be minimal because of the limited exposure to the international financial markets. However, African countries are more integrated than before with the world economy through the following transmission channels: international trade, foreign direct and portfolio investments, foreign aid flows, private remittances, and tourism; and since they are predominantly primary commodity exporters, their economies was negatively affected by the recession in many developed countries due to the sharp decline in world demand for commodities and in their prices. …

Public Policy Formulation And Implementation In A Democratic Nigeria: Insights From Anti-Poverty Initiatives, J. Shola Omotola

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper has undertaken a critical analysis of public policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria, with graphic illustrations from anti-poverty policies since 1999 most notably the Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP), The National Poverty Eradication Program (NAPEP) and National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). As a condition of deprivation that impedes human development, poverty represents a policy major problem in Nigeria. The pervasiveness of poverty today, despite these policy interventions, attests to the failure and ineffectiveness of the new environment of democracy, despite its promise, to improve the policy process. The may not be unconnected with the deep-rooted undemocratic legacies …

Fostering Constructive Public And Private Sector Linkages For Agricultural Research And Development In Sub Saharan Africa, Kefasi Nyikahadzoi, Adewale Adekunle

Journal of African Policy Studies

Investing in agricultural research and development is critical for improving livelihoods of the resource poor in Sub Saharan Africans and also for the conservation of natural resource. While on the global level, the contribution of public sector to agriculture research and development investment is declining; the private sector is coming in to fill the gap. In Sub Saharan Africa, private sector involvement in agriculture research and development is still very limited. This paper uses secondary data and information coming out of the Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Programme to discuss the constraints that inhibit private sector involvement in agriculture research and …

Democracy And Poverty: The Nigerian Experience, Tonyesima Furro

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study examines the plight of the poor within the new democratic rule in Nigeria. Since the inception of democracy in 1999, there has been a sustained prosperity in terms of oil windfall that swells government's revenues on the order of over $30 billion annually. For the first time in over 20 years, the GDP growth rate is 7.5 percent. The nation has accumulated an impressive foreign exchange reserve of $60 billions. This reserve is the highest ever in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this financial outlay has not resulted in improved standard of living of the broad majority of the people. …

The Roles Of Human Capital And Infrastructure On Fdi Inflow: Empirical Evidence From Sub Saharan Africa, Alemu Aye Mengistu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper analyzes the impacts of physical infrastructure and human capital on FDI inflow in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Towards this effect a panel data of 960 observations of 32 countries from 1975 to 2004 have been analyzed using alternative panel estimation methods. Accordingly, the study revealed that human capital and infrastructure are indeed the key determinants for enhancing inward FDI. However, the evidence shows that the level of human capital and infrastructure are below the threshold level in SSA to play a positive role in attracting FDI and materialize a structural change in the economy. Thus, investment on education and …

Finance For Development And Developing Countries: The Preconditions Revisited, David E. Amadasu

Journal of African Policy Studies

Increasing the rate of inputs- private foreign direct investments to accelerate development in LDCs or developing countries has not been attained over the years. The reason is that more poverty stares the faces of the people in these countries. This is the problem. The literature has said that accelerating development through the rate of inputs has preconditions of friendly environment, sound macroeconomic policies, absorptive capacity, competitiveness of the market, capital accumulation, technology assistance, etc, for private investment to strive. But the situation has not changed much. Do we not need to revisit the preconditions? Consider the non-economic, i.e., personality traits, …

Information, Public Policy Analysis And Sustainable Development In Nigeria, Joseph E. Imhanlahimi, M. O. Ikeanyibe

Journal of African Policy Studies

Information and public policy analysis are critical factors in adequate public policy formulation, implementation and evaluation if the public good is to be achieved in Nigeria. This paper has carried out a critical examination of the interface between information and the public policy process and the effect on public policy analysis and has found that there is a crucial interrelationship among them in order to promote sustainable development. The paper found that the interrelationship is however, seriously interfered with or obstructed by a variety of dominant constraints. The constraints include inadequate human capital, financial resources, large-scale secrecy in government business, …

Challenges And Opportunities Of Agricultural Research In The Sudan, Allam Ahmed

Journal of African Policy Studies

National research institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are under increasing governmental pressure to make direct and visible contributions to national research and development strategies. Although Sudan is a predominately agricultural economy, crop productivity is extremely low and does not exceed thirty percent of the level attained in research farms. The aim of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing problems and identifying opportunities to strengthen African research institutions' role in development-oriented research. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the implementation capacity constraints, which exist in formal agricultural research, and the impact this has on …

Book Reviews, Ogwo Jombo Umeh, Abraham Mbachirin

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Agricultural Development In Nigeria: A Question Of Biotechnology, Environmental Conservation, Or Indigenous Knowledge?, Emmanuel O. Oritsejafor

Journal of African Policy Studies

Nigeria, like most developing countries, depends on agriculture primarily for subsistence and export revenues. However, Nigeria is confronted with food security challenges. Several factors have contributed to this problem, such as demographic trends, crude farming methods, deforestation, the oil boom and public policies that are not consistent with the socio-economic and political realities of the state.

Given these challenges, this inquiry will examine the socio-economic and environmental implications of recent recommendations by development agencies such as the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP), which has prescribed the use of biotechnology to address Africa's food security problems. This recommendation appears to be …

Nigeria, Globalization And The Development Of Underdevelopment In The Third World, Kema Lrogbe

Journal of African Policy Studies

There are two contending opinions on the issue of globalization. There are some observers who believe that globalization has brought rapid prosperity to the underdeveloped countries while others argue that globalization serves the needs of the metropolitan countries at the expense of the peripheral countries. This paper posits that globalization is economic terrorism. Using a dependency theory to analyze the asymmetric relationships between the developed and the underdeveloped countries, the writer applies some economic indicators to highlight the widening gap between the two worlds. In doing so, it is argued that the socio-economic and political structure of the peripheral countries …

The Technological Dimension Of Africa's Crsis Of Development: An Agenda For The 21st Century, Osita Agbu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article critically examined the ways that technological underdevelopment had contributed to the deepening crises of Africa's technological backwardness. Adopting a holistic and historical approach, it tried to show how technological underdevelopment and the dearth of technologically driven approaches to addressing developmental questions had adversely affected the continent.

The article opines that beyond the technological is the fundamental understanding that the problem which Africa is facing is not just a technical one, but involves also a polical dimension which must not be ignored. It sought to explicate the question of whose technology for what, and in whose interest? It maintained …

African Security In The Information Age, Uri J. Fisher, M. Shane Smith

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article examines Africa's place in the information revolution and the security implications that flow from this relationship. All states in Africa now have Internet access, although the continent is still characterized by a lack of infrastructure, resources, and technology. We examine the many initiatives underway in Africa aimed at enhancing information and communication technologies. The African Network Initiative, the African Information Society Initiative, and UNESCO's Regional Information Network for Africa are only a few of the many that are trying to increase the continent's connectivity. Increased African security in economic and military matters will be dependent on the continent's …

The Impact Of Globalization On Africa In The Twenty-First Century, Njujung Julius Bekong

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Keeping Flight-Ready Aircraft Secure On The Tarmac Air Force Using New Wheel Chocks Developed By Udri, University Of Dayton

News Releases

When a strong wind blows across an airfield tarmac, a small block of wood or plastic is the only barrier preventing a multimillion dollar aircraft parked outside from rolling away. Unless the block fails.

Mass Media, Civil Society And Democratization Of Politics In Botswana, James J. Zaffiro

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

The Current Neo-Isolationism In United States African Policy, Richard A. Fredland

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Schools, Those Uncertain Tools Of Social Change: The Case Of Morocco’S Female Graduates, Latifa Jouhir

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Public Policy And The New Patterns Of Governance For Industrial Change In Nigeria, Robert Dibie

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.