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Some scholars have argued that every year, huge amount of financial and human resources are being deployed by international development agencies, and NGOs to improve the living conditions of millions of poor people living in most African countries, yet most of these interventions are not achieving the objectives expected. This study seeks to know the validity of this postulation by exploring the intersection of participatory communication, role-players engagement, and project proposal in achieving far-reaching impact and success of development interventions in Africa. A systematic literature review method was used. The findings showed that 25% of the 48 development interventions evaluated were failed projects, 64.58% projects came midway, and 10.42% projects were successful. The findings support the postulation of Farreach perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of arts for development has recently received a great deal of attention from international donors ad organizations. The anthropology of art, however, has participated in a limited way in these debates. Borrowing theoretical tools from the socio-anthropology of development, this paper questions the politics of knowledge involved in the implementation of art projects in postcolonial context. Drawing on ethnographical research in Botswana on an art project opened by a NGO for the San people, it describes the ways areas of knowledge and non-knowledge have been attributed. It shows that the conceptions of knowledge at stake in the making of contemporary San art indirectly reproduce a Great Divide between modernity and tradition, which has direct impacts on the ways the practice is appropriated by local actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Motivation: Regionalism in Africa is to a large extent financed from the outside, which has given rise to a deep‐seated ownership problem. African actors and donors struggle with whether the ownership deficit derives from unequal donor–recipient relationships or recipient‐related weaknesses. This study goes beyond these debates and adds new insights by exploring the preconceived notions, ideas, and practices of ownership within the donor agencies themselves. Purpose: The article explores the ownership of regional foreign aid to Africa through three generic questions: what is meant by "ownership" in a regional setting?; who are the "owners"?; and what strategies and activities are enacted to ensure ownership of regional foreign aid? Methods and approach: The study is based on a paired comparison of Sweden and the United Kingdom. While both are large donors of regional aid to Africa, they have diverging approaches to ownership. The empirical material consists of official regional strategies, internal planning documents, aid evaluations and more than 20 semi‐structured interviews with Swedish and British officials based both in headquarters and in field offices. Findings: The meanings and principles, considerations about "owners," as well as strategies and activities to strengthen ownership frequently change over time and for different actors. In both Sweden and the UK, ownership means different things to different officials. Internal contestations between top‐level and field‐based officials reinforce the ambiguities and contradictions within each donor agency. Contrary to expectations, there is more diversity within the Swedish aid machinery than in the British. Policy implications: In contrast to the widespread belief among both donors and African‐based actors that the ownership problem results from asymmetric donor–recipient relationships and/or weak African commitment to regional integration, the study shows that policy‐makers need to shift their attention towards the goals, strategies, and internal practices within donor agencies themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of agricultural technologies in developing economy countries has the potential to reduce poverty through sustainable intensification. Mechanized farming can also improve perceptions of farming and mitigate rural out-migration. However, many traditional farmers do not have access to machinery and/or machinery is cost prohibitive. The objective of this paper is to quantify how the use of machinery affects costs, revenue, net-profits, and returns on investment for a case study of farmers in Sudan, Africa. A treatment control study (N = 36) was performed across the 2019 (baseline), 2020, and 2021 farming seasons, where the treatment group was provided tractors. ANOVAs and t-tests were used to compare financial values between these groups across the farming seasons, to quantify economic differences associated with farming machinery. We show that all farmers had similar net-profits when farming without machinery, while mechanized farming yielded significantly higher net-profits (USD 16.61/acre more in 2020, USD 27.10/acre more in 2021). Our study also finds that the volatility of the black-market exchange rate and labor shortages have a significant impact on farming net-profits. These results provide a quantified difference between farming with and without machinery, which can provide a financial basis for purchasing and borrowing models, machinery design requirements, and educational value to farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The African development space is dominated by the Western hegemony that shapes the structural funding model, knowledge transfer and aid. Western hegemony defines the Western countries or development funders as superior to the aid receivers, without necessarily acknowledging the role of colonial history and racism that defined and influenced the underdevelopment of African countries. In the African context, the Global North uses liberalism as a tool to maintain hegemony; hence, there is no need to use colonial coercion as liberalism is self-reinforcing, self-legitimising and self-perpetuating. It absorbs counter-hegemony via its international institutions, economic interdependence and democracy. Objectives: This article examines how evaluation as a tool has perpetuated Western hegemony on the epistemological, axiological and ontological understanding of development in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: The approach adopted in this article involved a traditional review of literature, analysis of tacit knowledge and personal experiences on evaluation practice in Africa. Results: Firstly, the article demonstrates that the theories and practice behind international development are based on colonial thinking and subjugation that permeate themselves throughout the conceptualisation, design and implementation and how results of development interventions are evaluated and viewed. Secondly, the article provides practical steps on how to decolonise international development and evaluations in Africa. The findings also show that evaluations should not be treated separately from the dominant forces that define international development. The evaluation field is a microcosm and an appendage of Western hegemonic influence on international development. Conclusion: The article concludes by advocating for the need to change the approach to international development and evaluation practice and emphasising the centrality of the worldviews and values of targeted populations by development interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Africa, libraries are contributing to development in their countries. However, this work remains largely unrecognized by international stakeholders in development. To bridge this gap, this research examines the current perceptions of libraries among development organizations and asks how libraries may gain visibility as partners. Interviews with development practitioners indicate that perceptions of libraries remain low and limited but allow for possible roles for libraries as community-embedded institutions and development resource hubs. To engage these roles, the collection of output data is important in order to demonstrate the capacity of libraries to participate meaningfully in development work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

▪▪▪ © 2020 The Authors Journal of International Development Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we identify African countries with a similar development level based on selected women's development indicators. To assess the development levels, we used the following indicators: i) economic participation and opportunity, ii) leadership, iii) educational attainment, iv) health and survival, v) rights and norms related indicators, vi) childbearing, vii) childcare, and viii) political empowerment. The methodologies applied in this study include principal components analysis and cluster analysis. We test two hypotheses concerning the relative development of women throughout the continent of Africa. The first hypothesis tests that whether African countries could be divided into core and periphery groups based on their achievements in terms of women's relative development. The second hypothesis tests if the North African countries are in a different position in terms of women's development in comparison to their Sub-Saharan counterparts. While empirical results support the first hypothesis, the results do not support the second hypothesis. We argue that Core countries are in a better situation in terms of women's relative development than that of the periphery countries. Both these two groups include countries from North Africa and Sub Saharan Africa, thus contesting the idea that women in North-African countries might fare well than the women in the south of the Sahara. While we acknowledge the intra-group diversities of communities, women, and countries throughout Africa, the originality of this article is that it shows the proximity of the development situation of women in comparison to women, instead of men. The article, however, does not aim to explain the reasons behind the similarities or differences in the levels of development between the core and periphery countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers how international development aid is used in engaging with sexuality rights in Africa. It considers both the emergence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights as aid conditionality in international aid relations and responses to these from African political leaders. The central issue identified is that political leaders for and against these rights have marginalized and ignored voices of the sexually diverse people in their engagements in African settings. Here, a problem emerges that people’s own claims for rights are subsumed within the broader agendas set by politicians at international and national levels. This article analyzes these relations and their outcomes for activists and civil society groups in diverse African settings by considering the language of LGBT rights used by international political actors and the ways in which African political leaders develop their own language on the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty and hunger in Africa are prevalent and will increase in absolute terms with population growth and continued land degradation. Therefore, there is a need for sustainable agricultural strategies, such as conservation agriculture (CA) and integrated pest management (IPM). Among CA practices, intercropping holds the promise of providing benefits to smallholders through increased crop yields and income as well as improved resource use. We review intercropping’s effects on crop yield, income, and output of IPM practices in Africa. On average, intercropping increases crop yields by 23% and gross income by 172 USD/ha, but effects vary significantly depending on management practices and agro-ecological factors. There was no evidence that yields and gross income for intercropping treatments increase when leguminous intercropping combinations, minimum/reduced tillage, pesticides, or fertilizers were utilized. Dual use of herbicides and intercropping practices garnered 1442 USD/ha more in gross income and yielded 1422 kg/ha more compared to those in conventionally managed fields, signifying the positive influence supplemental inputs can have on intercropping’s effects. Although IPM practices increased yields by 20%, on average, IPM systems integrated with intercropping yielded 24% less than IPM systems that did not. This meta-analysis indicates that intercropping is an advantageous sustainable agricultural practice, but that its effective implementation would depend on considering other factors such as adequate control of competing vegetation. There is a clear need for more scientific studies which examine intercropping’s role in complex sustainable agricultural systems, in order to understand its effects in differential environmental and socioeconomic situations and to optimize the practice’s transfer and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1996, as part of the global ICT for development phenomenon, the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI) was launched as the action framework for the building of ICT infrastructure in Africa. Its goals included the digital connection of every African village to the global information network by the year 2010, and the leapfrogging of Africa's development through ICTs. Over a decade after the enactment of the AISI, many villages are still without electricity, and lack access to Internet services and other core ICTs. Based on the data gathered from qualitative semi-structured interviews and secondary sources, this paper analyzes the challenges and obstacles that have confronted the AISI implementation and ICT4D agenda in Africa. It examines the implication of these challenges and potential ways of addressing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International scholarships for higher education are a large component of foreign aid in many high-income countries, including Australia. The aims for Australian scholarships awarded to African students are to achieve development in Africa and advance the influence of Australia. However, well-articulated theories of change that define how scholarships are linked to these and other outcomes are not available in the literature. In order to address this gap, the authors explore the perspectives of Australian-funded Master's-level alumni from Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique on the implementation process before, during and after their scholarship award, and the outcomes of the scholarships. The authors found that Australian scholarships to Africans have the potential to spread Australian influence, and that returnee scholars, by virtue of their study in Australia, gain the capacity to become agents for development in their country. The process of choosing scholarship awardees, the local circumstances in each country on return, and support and mentoring networks after return can influence the achievement of these outcomes. Investments in international scholarships should be directed to develop additional skills and facilitate networks in order to further prepare the returnee scholars to influence development in their country and perpetuate Australian influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Policymakers, governments and aid agencies require operational environmental monitoring in support of evidence-based policy-making and resource deployment in crisis situations. For Africa, this is only feasible at sub-continental scale with a large network of automated meteorological stations, a large number of highly coordinated field observers or with satellite remote sensing. The challenge with satellite data lies in the derivation of meaningful environmental indicators. This article describes a conceptual framework for understanding satellite-derived indicators of rainfall and vegetation greenness trends over Africa. It attributes observed vegetation changes to climatic (i.e. rainfall linked) and non-climatic drivers. A decade of annual rainfall and vegetation data over sub-Saharan Africa was analysed using satellite-based rainfall estimates [Famine Early Warning System Rainfall Estimation 2.0 ( FEWSNET RFE 2.0)] from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ( NOAA's) Climate Prediction Centre and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ( NDVI) obtained from the Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre Vegetation ( SPOT-VGT) sensor. Rainfall and vegetation greenness trends were analysed for 759 administrative regions of sub-Saharan Africa to identify those regions that have experienced a negative, positive or stable rainfall/vegetation trend over the period 2001-2010. The character of the relationship between the annual rainfall and max NDVI trends were examined to identify areas where the changes in greenness could be attributed to climatic (rainfall) and non-climatic (human land use or ecological disturbance) changes. Regions where increasing rainfall was associated with vegetation greening were found in West Africa, Central African Republic, West Cameroon and northeastern part of South Africa, whereas areas with evidence of 'climatic vegetation degradation' were located in Southern Madagascar, Nigeria, Kenya and the Garden Route region of South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, the partnership paradigm has become the predominant framework for organising transnational academic ventures and international development. The global-partnership approach embraces a pluralistic perspective to development and dramatically expands the spectrum of actors and activities that constitute international development cooperation. Another significant shift is the increasing understanding that development is a complex process that requires the intensive production and utilisation of knowledge and cross-boundary partnership building. The growing convergence of the partnership and knowledge paradigms in contemporary development discourses has decisively transformed higher education into a critical stakeholder in promoting international development cooperation, including poverty reduction. The distinctive aim of this paper is to undertake a thematic analysis of a body of recent policy instruments and initiatives in Africa to illustrate and interrogate the shifting discourses of knowledge and partnership and their increasing embeddedness in Africa’s contemporary development politics. The paper reviews the multiple and evolving trajectories and themes that characterise transnational higher education partnerships in Africa. The paper argues that knowledge and partnership are percolating into the core of Africa’s nascent knowledge-based economic dispensation, and diasporic networks are suggested as constituting a potentially symmetric and sustainable partnership paradigm for Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a PhD thesis that examined the empirical relationship between a specific set of critical success factors (CSFs), project success, and success dimensions (criteria) from the perspectives of World Bank project supervisors (task managers or task team leaders) and project managers (the national project coordinators). Also, the PhD thesis author's journey and motivation are explained. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by web questionnaires addressed to 1,421 World Bank task team leaders and paper-based questionnaires delivered to 600 national project coordinators in 26 different countries in Africa. Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses, multiple correlation and regression analyses, as well as structural equation models were used for data analysis in this study. Findings – First, research findings highlight a specific set of World Bank project CSFs (monitoring, coordination, design, training) and the existence of a second-order latent CSF, that is World Bank project supervision. Second, they suggest that World Bank project supervision has differing significant influences on the two project success dimensions and that the first (project management (PM) success) does not significantly affect the second (deliverable success). Third, consistent with theory and practice, they suggest that the most prominent CSFs for both World Bank project supervisors and managers are design and monitoring. Fourth, they suggest that for the national project coordinators, project success is insensitive to the level of design efforts but a significant correlation does exist between monitoring efforts and project "profile", a success dimension which is an early pointer of long-term deliverable success (impact). Originality/value – This study offers insights into the relationship between success factors and dimensions for ID projects with the perspectives of both the World Bank project supervisors and managers. The thesis calls for further research on PM in the ID industry sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Hofstede's theory may be problematic from both a methodological/theoretical and practical view when applied to the 80 per cent of the globe we term developing. It is necessary to break out of an epistemic paradigm and a "view from nowhere" in order to focus on multiple layers of cultural interfaces within power dynamics that influence the nature of hybrid organizations and individual cultural identity. The purpose of this paper therefore is to develop a theory of cross-cultural interfaces. Design/methodology/approach – Cross-cultural values theory provides a blunt instrument in Africa, does not take into account global dependencies and is not able to analyse local perceptions of reality within a context of these dependencies. A theory of cultural interfaces is developed that incorporates an Aristotelian phronetic approach to social science. Findings – This moves away from the universals of analytical rationality towards practical value-rationality that considers culture from a context-dependent viewpoint, provides a synthesis for cultural-institutional approaches, and engages researchers beyond merely looking at differences in cultures and the consequences, and towards what should be done about issues that arise. Originality/value – By providing an example of how cultural interfaces may be researched, and discussing the associated conceptual issues, it is hoped that this paper will help to move forward the debate about cross-cultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade or so, there has been a growing interest in an area researchers are calling social entrepreneurship, a movement spearheaded by individuals with a desire to make the world a better place. This paper describes the structure and process of international development in Africa from the perspective of a social entrepreneur. The authors address the opportunities and challenges faced by social entrepreneurs as they attempt to affect large-scale social change. The result of this study is a unique development model that provides tools for the social entrepreneur to address problems and build capacity and sustainability within the African context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how Africa is taught in business and examines African and American student perspectives on business in Africa. Conclusions find that African students, business students or not, had more knowledge about business and economic structures than American business students; however, learning about successful case studies on business in Africa proved to motivate both students and faculty. The nexus between international development and business is emphasized and training business students to seek potential partnerships with African businesses is underscored. The article ends with educational recommendations and cites the advantages of introducing students to emerging opportunities in business on the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why would many Zambians be reluctant to access lifesaving antiretroviral treatment? Does the process of accessing an HIV test in Zambia promote an identity that can change individuals' livelihood strategies? What happens to individuals when people access treatment? Voluntary testing and treatment centres and the HIV-prevention programmes that support them have come to embody explicit messages about 'health,' 'progress,' 'civilisation' and 'modernity,' and through this they compel individuals to take on a particular identity. In Zambia the pursuit of HIV testing and biomedical treatment forces individuals to locate themselves somewhat differently in relation to community support structures, placing their faith in the future on an uneasy foundation of a 'modern' identity. This is embodied in the deep-rooted suspicion that many Zambians have toward the international HIV/AIDS-response sector from which HIV and AIDS treatment programmes are derived. Drawing upon the notion of 'therapeutic citizenship' I examine why the 'AIDS industry' continues to symbolise such tension. I explore how individuals believe their identity will shift through participation in HIV testing and treatment options and how that might impact long-term and short-term livelihood strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Tiers Monde is the property of Librairie Armand Colin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented numerically by the number of World Heritage Sites inscribed in that region yet a significant number of these sites are under threat from the combined and linked processes of poverty, war, environmental change and increasingly globalized economic and communication systems. Cultural resource management provision across the region's countries suffers from severe under-resourcing and a limited skills base. In order to redress this imbalance greater emphasis needs to be placed on examining more sustainable mechanisms for developing research and management strategies for the future protection of Africa's archaeological resource. World Heritage inscription has become an all-consuming process, draining resources and diverting attention away from broader heritage provisions. As an integral part of this process archaeology needs to become embedded within the international development framework where it can become an advocacy voice for community and for poverty alleviation and contribute to the debate on environment and climate change. This can be achieved only once the specialized heritage agencies become less exclusive and more integrated within international frameworks of development and reconstructive work. Existing NGOs have an intrinsic role to play in this process and will need to adopt cultural heritage into their sphere of interest and expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past two decades have seen a drastic increase in the role and expectations of civil society organizations (CSOs) in international development, placing greater demands on the evaluation of CSOs and associated programs. While there is much potential in CSOs, it is important to recognize the distinctly political and economic realities in which they operate. CSOs face formidable challenges, the foremost being dependency on donor funding and the resultant threat to CSO autonomy and performance. Does donor- required monitoring and evaluation (M&E) enhance or compromise CSO performance? Drawing upon research from the United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator of Africa and the Least Developed Countries (UN/OSCAL) and the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN-OSAA), this article presents an overview of African CSOs, exploring key issues that can inform the international M&E community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, a push to reverse the overall paltry state of science academies in the developing world has emerged as a central theme in numerous reports and has garnered the attention of a variety of organizations, including The National Academies in the United States. In particular the establishment and maintenance of well-organized and functioning national academies of science throughout Africa is becoming an increasingly essential and crucial element of their overall prospects for development. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the particular institutional traits and characteristics related to African science academies—including their small memberships, lack of finances, little experience with policy advising, and worries about government backlash—and to argue that, because of these factors, these institutions must work to find suitable activities that will allow them to leverage whatever resources they do have to become effective policy advisors for government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Anthropologie et Sociétés is the property of Anthropologie et Societies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)