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Abstracts of scientific papers presented at the 7th Pan-African Paediatric Surgical Association (PAPSA) conference in Accra, Ghana from August 17-23, 2008 are presented, including "Surgical Presentations of HIV Positive Children," Mortality Audit in an Urban Paediatric Surgery Setting in a Developing Country," and "Small Intestinal Atresias: A Preliminary Report of 22 Cases."

Is a vibrant associational life necessarily antecedent to a strong civil society? Does associationism produce a more democratic and egalitarian political order? Using data from Nigeria, this paper interrogates a major problematic in the conceptualization of civil society. The contemporary reanimation of the idea of civil society in African scholarship has privileged the role of voluntary associations. This paper challenges and critically complicates that discourse by examining the origins, nature and activities of ‘alternative’ state-inspired ‘civil society’ organizations during the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993–1998). Until recently, these associations have been relatively neglected because, they negate both the wisdom about voluntary associations as democratic agents, and of civil society as a constantly positive force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we argue that the answer, to the question of whether Africa's recent growth is sustainable, is yes. Our optimism rests on the finding that differences in the level of institutional quality predict cross-country variation in African economic growth during the period 1995–2011. This finding is quite robust. It holds in OLS, LAD and 2SLS settings; it holds for different measures of institutions and different measures of economic growth; and it holds for the period before and the period after the global financial crisis. We also show that changes in institutional quality predict cross-country variation in African economic growth. Moreover, if we split our sample into two equally sized groups, a high-growth and a low-growth group, then the high-growth group has experienced a statistically significant increase in institutional quality, whereas the low-growth group has not. Overall, this makes it probable that institutions have played an important part in Africa's recent growth acceleration. The continent has seen many false dawns, caused in large part by increases in commodity prices, but a growth acceleration driven by institutions is likely to signify a genuine African takeoff. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) of the U.S. National Academies to foster informed public discourse on science-related issues and to provide policy makers with sound advice on these issues. It concentrates on providing intensive support for academies in South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda. It is considered that the establishment of such institution is needed to underpin broader economic and social development. ASADI has been providing long-term support to establish staff and premises for its target academies.

AFRICOM is a new institution representing the new manner of US engagement. This is different from the EU model of engagement and comes at a time when India and China are seen as important partners of Africa. This paper is written to provide an insight into AFRICOM from an Indian perspective of Africa. This differs from the EU view and also from Africa's own response. US policy towards Africa consists of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) + AFRICOM; whereas AGOA is better understood, AFRICOM is not. This paper proposes to fill some of the gaps in its understanding. It points to the perception that the US manner of engagement is more political than economic, and it differs from the functional engagements that India, China or even the EU have with Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption, in 1989, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the General Assembly of the United Nations, signalled the beginning of an era of concrete efforts by nations of the modern world to give legal recognition and protection to the rights of children, although the subject had been on the international agenda since shortly after the First World War. Following closely after the Convention was the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity in July 1990, and was brought into force in November 1999. This paper examines the normative and structural framework of the Charter, highlighting its unique strengths and weaknesses within the broader African human rights context. Like its forerunner, the Charter makes elaborate provisions for the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of children. It will serve the ends of this paper to examine, in some detail, the standard-setting technique and the implementation mechanisms employed in the Charter. The implications for positive action in the circumstances of the Charter within the wider framework of the African human rights system have been highlighted.

In most of the post-colonial states of sub-Saharan Africa, both the size of the state bureaucracy has grown and its functions proliferated. Whatever the economic rationale of public sector organizations, they do not exist and operate in a social and political vacuum. This paper argues that they are typically an integral part of a patron clientelist political and economic system on which the foundations of government sometimes depend. The consequences for the economic performance of public sector organizations arising out of this socio-political context is now widely recognized in the growing literature on African public enterprise. Contributions to this discussion, however, have tended to be dominated by economists and public administration specialists who have generally adopted a technocratic problem solution approach. In isolating their analyses of the performance of African parastatals from an appraisal of the role of the state, this approach fails to situate adequately the problem of performance in its proper context. This paper provides a case study which examines the administrative and economic operations of the Sierra Leone Port Organization in the colonial and post-colonial states. In arguing that problems of performance of African public sector organizations also require political solutions this discussion extends the discussion beyond a technocratic focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Sematophyllaceae is a difficult family to treat in Africa because of the large number of species described without any subsequent revision or monography and, despite the many collections mentioned in this paper, only two species had previously been identified from Malawi. A total of four species in four genera (Gammiella, Mρacrohymenium, Radulina and Wijkia) are recorded in this paper, all but one new to Malawi. The two remaining genera (Sematophyllum and Trichosteleum) present additional difficulties of identification, and will be dealt with separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study carried out by European and African organizations into the potential for electronic distance training (EDT) on sustainability in African local governments concluded that EDT was both 'useful and feasible'. This article reflects on some of the theoretical and practical implications of that study. It focuses on the connection between learning and sustainability and how EDT programmes might be designed and promoted. The paper argues that, while resource issues and poor access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) create considerable constraints and point to the need for policies to improve access, in general the most important factors for successful capacity building relate to the design of learning programmes that take account of the work contexts and skill and capability requirements of those targeted as learners. 'Useful' and 'feasible' depend on (i) how work-based and work-related learning processes are understood and (ii) the conditions to promote learning within African local government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to Africana reference describes the populations of researchers, the kinds of questions they ask, and how librarians-both specialist and generalist-may respond. It explores issues in "known-item" searches, including name authority and access to material in collected works and series. Choices made by authors, publishers, indexers, librarians, and researchers themselves have an impact on topic searches. Terminology for African languages, ethnic groups, place names, and topics cause problems for novice researchers, but library policy decisions can also impede access. Errors of all kinds-minor or major-can block access to information. The speed of electronic desktop publishing seems to have encouraged reduced care with proofreading, indexing, and verification of quotations and citations. The need for accurate information about Africa is great, but the market for publications and electronic resources focused on Africa is relatively small. This low market share can result in less coverage of Africa in indexes and reference tools. Despite the difficulties encountered in researching Africa, researchers and the librarians who assist them benefit from the tools, services, and initiatives of specialist Africana librarians and from a number of commercially produced resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many observers believe that multi-party democracy increasingly represents the inevitable future of governance around the world, including Africa. Some countries such as South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and Senegal have in fact made remarkable progress in instituting and moving toward consolidation of democratic systems. There has also been a history on the continent, however, of political systems that place de facto or de jure legal constraints on the ability of political parties to function. In fact, in recent years many African leaders have only grudgingly permitted multi-party politics under donor pressure. There remains a current of underlying skepticism toward political parties, and arguments exist against multi-party politics. This paper identifies and explains five key arguments. It then critiques them and determines that while individual elements of these arguments may have some validity, the conclusion that is drawn, i.e.that party activity should be constrained, if not prohibited, is not consonant with democratic governance. The final section presents suggestions of how weaknesses in political party functioning could be addressed without placing limits on the ability of parties to play their legitimate role in a democratic political process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provision for an Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) among the new organs of the African Union (AU) offers to bridge the distance between African governments and their peoples. Designed and implemented correctly, the Council could be an influential forum for the diverse voices of civil society. Greater popular involvement in government is a prerequisite for stability on the continent--particularly since governance is often weak, corruption endemic and democracy in a number of countries little more than a façade. The essay considers comparative institutions at national, regional and international levels as examples of how ECOSOCC could work. We argue that its structure will have to take account of the varying strengths and weaknesses of social and economic actors in different parts of Africa, and between those from AU countries and other regions of the world. Ultimately, success depends on whether African civil society is ready and able to take the lead in this initiative. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As businesses move to establish closer links in the global marketplace with their stakeholders via the Internet, a new set of requirements and demands are being placed on managers everywhere, especially in the sub-Saharan African region. This paper examines the Internet environment in sub-Saharan Africa and presents challenges and implications of the Internet and emerging e-commerce for sub-Saharan Africa's managers. It explores how the emerging global information infrastructure should be levered to shape managerial initiatives. Among the suggestions for management are: lobbying governments to adopt favorable policies, promoting an understanding of the Internet and its potential uses and/or benefits, formulating and articulating an Internet strategy, forming strategic alliances for Internet cost savings and access, and using the Internet as a catalyst in marketing and commercial efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the International Conference of the International Missionary Council held in LeZoute, Belgium from September 14 to 20, 1926. The conference marks a decided advance over anything yet attempted in coordinating and strengthening the forces working for a Christian civilization in Africa. Previous to the conference, a special African number of the International Review of Missions was brought out with a remarkable collection of able papers from different viewpoints, Natives, South African whites, missionaries, scholars, and government officials. This number is itself a contribution to Africa with its informing discussions of the many phases of the task confronting Christian civilization in Africa. The conference was composed of over two hundred persons representing first of all, the missionaries themselves, engaged in the various parts of Africa, second, missionary societies and boards responsible for the missionary policy, and third, representatives of various governments. The meetings were presided over by Dr. Donald Fraser, and the program was carefully planned by J. H. Oldham, Secretary of the International Missionary Council. To their wise planning and balanced judgment was due in no small measure the fact that so many persons, with a great variety of opinions, could sit together for a week and spend their time in profitable discussion of the things of common interest to all, and in general, to avoid needless controversial issues.

Previews the Africa-Europe Group for Inter-disciplinary Studies (AEGIS) European Conference on African Studies to be held on June 29-July 3, 2005 in London, England. Estimated number of panel discussions to be held; Call for papers to be presented in the conference; Contact information.

The article offers information on the African Computer Graphics Association (Afrigraph) and its activities. The association was established in March 2001 after a visit of a delegation of ACM SIGGRAPH-Eurographics to Southern Africa. The objective of Afrigraph is to promote computer graphics and interactive techniques in Africa and establish virtual reality, computer graphics, visualization and interaction as a research and application activity. Some of the projects undertaken by Afrigraph are regional games development competition, among others.

Features the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. Establishment of the institution in Africa; Efforts of the Circle to promote theological education in the continent; Discussion of the interactive process of engendering theological education in Africa.

This paper examines the role of institutions in the development process of African countries. It has been shown that, whereas institutions have played a greater role in the economic development of several East Asian countries, in Africa they are weaker and ineffective because of poor enforcement of the rule of law, corruption, mismanagement, absence of strong civil society and political interference. It is argued that well-functioning institutions can promote growth and reduce poverty in Africa by providing a conducive environment for implementation and sustainable development programmes. Therefore, African countries should endeavor to establish effective, responsive and democratic institutions that will promote accountable and transparent governance and sustainable socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the American Colonization Society, which was founded in Washington D.C., to encourage the emigration of free Afro-Americans to Africa. The chief organ her and main founder of the Colonization Society was a Virginia Federalists Charles Fenton Mercer. As a delegate to the Virginia General Assembly in 1816, he had introduced and carried through a resolution in support of colonization for free Afro-Americans at federal expense. Virginians had long been uneasy with the status and presence of the free Afro-American population, but it was an extraordinary moment in history when they could be persuaded to ask for federal government assistance.

The article provides information on the Afrigraph organization in Africa. The purpose of Afrigraph is to help consolidate and promote the practice of relevant computer graphics in academia, arts and industry in Africa. Afrigraph has run a series of four international conferences in order to foster the computer graphics community in Africa and international cooperation. The organization held a graphics programming contst open to school pupils in Southern Africa as a new venture in 2006.

Local Cultures and Local Meanings... Theory and Practice in African Studies: The 14th Annual Conference of the Pan-African Association of Anthropologists (PAAA), 2-6 August 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing that enteric fever disproportionately affects the poorest and the most vulnerable communities that have limited access to improved sanitation, safe water sources, and optimal medical care, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded efforts to augment global understanding of the disease since the foundation's inception. At the turn of the century, early efforts focused on characterizing the burden of disease in Asia and evaluating use of the available Vi-polysaccharide vaccines through the Diseases of the Most Impoverished projects at the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). More recent efforts have centered on supporting development of typhoid conjugate vaccines and expanding disease surveillance efforts into Africa, as well as generating a greater understanding of the clinical severity and sequelae of enteric fever in Africa, Asia, and India. The Typhoid Vaccine Accelerator Consortium is playing a critical role in coordinating these and other global efforts for the control of typhoid fever. Here, we outline the scope of support and strategic view of the foundation and describe how, by working through strong partnerships, we can realize a radical reduction of the significance of enteric fever as a global public health problem in the next 10 to 15 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a common harmful traditional practice in many communities in Africa and to a lesser extent in Middle East and other regions in the world. In order to better understand publishing on this topic, we conducted a bibliometric study on FGM/C. Bibliometric analyses can be used as an indicator of the extent of interaction of researchers, health authorities, and communities with a particular health issue. Methods: Scopus database was used to retrieve data on FGM/C. Keywords used were "female genital mutilation", "female genital circumcision", "female genital cutting" and "female circumcision". Specifically, the number of publications, top productive countries and institutions, highly cited articles, citation analysis, co-authorships, international collaboration, role of African countries, top active authors, and journals involved in publishing articles on FGM/C were reviewed and analyzed. We indirectly assessed the impact of publications using total number of citations received, average number of citations per article, Hirsch-index, percentage of highly cited articles, and journal's impact factor. Results: One thousand and thirty-five publications on FGM/C were retrieved. The h-index of retrieved articles was 37. A steep rise in number of publications was noticed in mid-1990s and again in 2012. More than half of retrieved articles were published from 2006 - 2015. A total of 65 countries contributed. The top ten productive countries included ones from Northern America, Europe and Africa. Nigeria and Egypt were the most active African countries in FGM/C publications. At least nine African academic institutions were actively involved on FGM/C publications. Articles on FGM/C that received the highest number of citations were those that focused on negative physical and psychosexual consequences of FGM/C. Journal topic areas were obstetrics/gynecology, public health, and psychological sociology. Collaboration between African and European countries on FGM/C research was evident. Conclusion: Bibliometric analysis reveals that research publications on FGM/C have been increasing since the l970s, with collaboration between African and Western countries, and articles are being published in higher impact journals, not only obstetrics, but also public health and social sciences. FGM/C research can be helpful to international health agencies and governments not only to document negative outcomes, but also to identify best practices, and to note gaps in implementation and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policy processes that yield good outcomes are inherently complex, requiring interactions of stakeholders in problem identification, generation of political will and selection of practical solutions. To make policy processes rational, policy dialogues are increasingly being used as a policy-making tool. Despite their increasing use for policy-making in Africa, evidence is limited on how they have evolved and are being used on the continent or in low and middle income countries elsewhere.Methods: This was an exploratory study using qualitative methods. It utilised data related to policy dialogues for three specific policies and strategies to understand the interplay between policy dialogue and policy-making in Cabo Verde, Chad and Mali. The specific methods used to gather data were key informant interviews and document review. Data were analysed inductively and deductively using thematic content analysis.Results: Participation in the policy dialogues was inclusive, and in some instances bottom-up participatory approaches were used. The respondents felt that the execution of the policy dialogues had been seamless, and the few divergent views expressed often were resolved in a unanimous manner. The policies and strategies developed were seen by all stakeholders as relating to priority issues. Other specific process factors that contributed to the success of the dialogues included the use of innovative approaches, good facilitation, availability of resources for the dialogues, good communication, and consideration of the different opinions. Among the barriers were contextual issues, delays in decision-making and conflicting coordination roles and mandates.Conclusions: Policy dialogues have proved to be an effective tool in health sector management and could be a crucial component of the governance dynamics of the sector. The policy dialogue process needs to be institutionalised for continuity and maintenance of institutional intelligence. Other essential influencing factors include building capacity for coordination and facilitation of policy dialogues, provision of sustainable financing for execution of the dialogues, use of inclusive and bottom-up approaches, and timely provision of reliable evidence. Ensuring continued participation of all the actors necessitates innovation to allow dialogue outside the formal frameworks and spaces that should feed into the formal dialogue processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the use of evidence in policy making means strengthening capacity on both the supply and demand sides of evidence production. However, little experience of strengthening the capacity of policy makers in low- and middle- income countries has been published to date. We describe the experiences of five projects (in Bangladesh, Gambia, India and Nigeria), where collaborative teams of researchers and policy makers/policy influencers worked to strengthen policy maker capacity to increase the use of evidence in policy. Activities were focused on three (interlinked) levels of capacity building: individual, organizational and, occasionally, institutional. Interventions included increasing access to research/data, promoting frequent interactions between researchers and members of the policy communities, and increasing the receptivity towards research/data in policy making or policy-implementing organizations. Teams were successful in building the capacity of individuals to access, understand and use evidence/data. Strengthening organizational capacity generally involved support to infrastructure (e.g. through information technology resources) and was also deemed to be successful. There was less appetite to address the need to strengthen institutional capacity-although this was acknowledged to be fundamental to promoting sustainable use of evidence, it was also recognized as requiring resources, legitimacy and regulatory support from policy makers. Evaluation across the three spheres of capacity building was made more challenging by the lack of agreed upon evaluation frameworks. In this article, we propose a new framework for assessing the impact of capacity strengthening activities to promote the use of evidence/data in policy making. Our evaluation concluded that strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations is an important but likely insufficient step in ensuring the use of evidence/data in policy-cycles. Sustainability of evidence-informed policy making requires strengthening institutional capacity, as well as understanding and addressing the political environment, and particularly the incentives facing policy makers that supports the use of evidence in policy cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades there has been a rapid increase in funds for local civil society actors in fragile states. Current peace-building and development efforts strive for the recreation of a vibrant, active and ‘liberal’ civil society. In the case of Sierra Leone, paradoxically, this growing support has not strengthened civil society actors based on that liberal idea(l). Instead of experiencing enhanced proactive participation stemming from the civil sphere, Sierra Leone’s civil society appears to be largely depoliticised. Drawing on empirical data gathered over the past four years, this article offers three interrelated causal explanations of why this phenomenon occurred during the country’s peace-building phase from 2002 to 2013. First, Sierra Leone’s civil society landscape has become instrumentalised to serve a broader liberal peace-building and development agenda in several ways. Second, Western idea(l)s of participatory approaches and democracy are repeatedly challenged by the legacies of colonial rule and socially entrenched forms of neo-patrimonialism. Third, abject poverty and the lack of education affect activism and agency from below. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on several institutions and networks committed to improve governance practice across the world. These include Mo Ibrahim Foundation, African Governance and Development Institute (AGDI), Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and the Center for Security Governance. Details presented include their establishment, works and goals supported, and the services offered.

The article discusses various reports that illustrate a selection of the broad range of areas addressed by the largest research, development, and implementation institution on the 60th anniversary of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Africa. The CSIR is a public research institution, and it has its own Act of Parliament, The Scientific Research Council Act, No. 46 of 1988. However, in the article published in the issue, they are re-affirming their intent to become a more balanced organization, which addresses all aspects of its mandate.

This study explores the language policy and practice of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an African regional economic organisation made up of 14 member states (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The SADC operates a trilingual policy that recognises English, French and Portuguese as its official languages. The SADC language policy does not accommodate the use of African languages spoken in these countries. The choice of European languages is a reflection of the legacy of the colonial experience as the stated languages were adopted from the previous colonial rulers. Although the organisation has adopted a trilingual language policy, in practice English is the most dominant language in almost all the contexts that were examined in this study. The only area where the trilingual policy is fully implemented is with respect to documentation related to conferences and summit meetings. Other areas are dominated by the use of English, with the daily operations of the organisation being undertaken solely in English. It is also evident that as a result of the trilingual policy that has been adopted, the SADC has to contend with the challenge of translating documents into the three official languages. The organisation does not have enough funds to efficiently undertake this task, and the translation unit is also severely understaffed. All these factors make it difficult for the SADC to effectively use its translation unit to produce documents in the three official languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the Ninth Herpetological Association of Africa (HAA) Conference held on November 28, 2008. The secretary's report indicated the number of members of the association, while the treasurer's report stated the number of members in arrears and the total paid up members until 2012. Other reports revealed the cost of distribution of the hard copy of the official newsletter of the association, Sabinet Online sells subscriptions to the electronic version of "African Journal of Herpetology" via SAe -Publications services.

The development of Africa depends on productivity and effectiveness of businesses. One objective of the Journal of African Business (JAB) is to facilitate business effectiveness through dissemination of research and practitioner knowledge. Reviewing 96 articles published over a seven year period (2000-2006) published in JAB, the study looked for patterns in the research described (i.e., disciplinary focus, geographic coverage, characteristics of authors, etc). The study also focused on the degree of correspondence (or fit) between Western theory and data provided. Four important findings are: (1) JAB published research from diverse disciplines; (2) there seems to be a bias toward Business rather than Management disciplines, (3) a majority of the research is empirical; and (4) there seems to be a lack of context-specific theories. A proposed framework and implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the outcomes of African independent power projects (IPPs). Nearly 40 such projects have taken root to date, concentrated mainly in 8 countries. More balanced outcomes are perceived in North Africa than across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), for reasons linked to more attractive investment environments, more robust policy frameworks, fewer planning mishaps, abundant low-cost fuel and secure fuel contracts as well as credit enhancements such as sovereign guarantees. With few exceptions, these elements were absent in SSA, where the role of development finance institutions and the strategic management of projects seem more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The full account of how the Royal Society of South Africa acquired its Charter and Statutes in 1908 is given here for the first time. The article explains the socio-political context in which the Society was founded in 1908 and analyses the legacies of other learned societies in southern Africa -- particularly the South African Philosophical Society which was established in 1877 -- that preceded it. The relationship between the Royal Society of South Africa, the Royal Society of London and similar societies is briefly examined. As the premier South African multidisciplinary scientific society during the twentieth century, the Royal Society of South Africa has contributed to the intellectual vibrancy of the country as well as to its national research output, and the institutional transformations and challenges relating to the Society over the past one hundred years are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is experiencing an unusually high economic interest from the People's Republic of China, whose government has invested billions of dollars in schools, clinics, roads, railways, factories, and oil wells on the continent; has canceled more than $1.36 billion in debts owed to it by 33 African nations; and has pledged to provide Africa with $5 billion in preferential loans and credits through 2009. Its top party officials traverse the continent, seeking to develop business relationships and to reinforce others. While such efforts help place Africa on the cusp of significant economic growth, they also boost the programs and activities of the Nairobi, Kenya-based Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA), an umbrella body of all national public relations associations in Africa and a consultant to African governments and to the African Union. FAPRA has launched a 5-year action plan to improve the stature and social relevance of the public relations practice, largely through enhancing its efforts to professionalize it. Both China and FAPRA are, in essence, collaborating to create environments conducive to enhancing the practice in Africa, and to laying a foundation for an expansive view of public relations research - one that questions grand narratives, defines concepts, challenges orthodoxies, measures variables, and determines program outcomes or effects. And researchers and practitioners work together in creative ways to improve the practice. This article argues that questions and concepts are, in themselves, opportunities for a much-needed theory building in Africa's public relations. It, therefore, outlines 4 propositions as a template for such theory building, based on a 4-concept research agenda: culture, good governance and rule of law, economic freedom, and FAPRA's integrated programs and activities outlined in its 5-year action plan. The return of China ... to global economic prominence in the twenty-first century is likely to reshape global politics and society. The overwhelming dominance of the West, which lasted half a millennium, is probably passé. We should view these developments not only with awe, but with anticipation. (Sachs, 2005, p. 187) We want to work in partnership with the international community, but we believe that it must be a partnership based on mutual respect and mutual accountability. (Former Namibian Prime Minister Geingob, 2006, p. 56) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livelihood diversification is essential to food security and improved incomes for human development in African rural communities. Uganda's agrarian economy suffers from limited diversification, environmental degradation, low incomes, and multifaceted negative impacts of AIDS. Efforts to stimulate and support innovation in agricultural production technology, forms of social organization, and poor markets are essential elements in promotion of sustainable rural livelihoods. Iowa State University's Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and its partner organizations are applying a multi-dimensional approach to engage Uganda farmers and rural leaders in community-based learning and capability strengthening. We describe the role played by livelihood diversification and explore the promotion of sustainable livelihoods through scholarship with praxis. Sustainable livelihoods concepts are examined as a means to better understand contemporary African rural development. We identify principles and processes critical to achieving sustainable livelihoods. Their application is highlighted based on our early collaborative experience, including a discussion of the complexities associated with entering into balanced partnerships required for a successful community-based program. We explore the value of social science perspectives and processes for strengthening rural development in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares formal and informal institutions in Africa. One leading paradigm in the study of political life is called new institutionalism. It assumes that ordinary people take their cues from the structure of rules, procedures and customs that exists in the polity. An important aspect of this body of theory is the relative significance of formal and informal institutions. Douglass C. North's formulation states that institutions can be any form of constraint that human beings devise to shape human interaction. He adds that these also works in both formal and informal constraints.

In advocating HIV prevention, organisations such as loveLife in South Africa have increasingly used the media to encourage communication and influence behaviour change in youth. Our study examined youths' understanding and communication habits surrounding loveLife's extensive 'Get Attitude' print campaign, intrigued by the ambiguous campaign message, we implemented a questionnaire-based study in three urban KwaZulu-Natel schools to investigate how youth are Interpreting the images and to determine whether they would connect the personality. aimed message with HIV prevention. As communication is a focal point of loveLife's strategy, we looked at whether the campaign was successful In fostering discussion and examined what factors contributed to or impeded dialogue. One-hundred-and-eighty-seven Grade 11 students completed the questionnaire, responding to both multiple-choice and free-response questions about the 'Get Attitude' campaign images. Our study was largely exploratory, with the date revealing that the youth did interpret the images as intended by loveLife. While the campaign failed to stimulate discussion for many of the youth, those who did talk about the campaign were more likely to speak to their teachers than to parents or friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the significance of the developing capacity in Africa and the need for African governments to seize the opportunities being provided in support of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to marshal the resources capacity development. It is suggested that capacity-development initiatives be implemented through sector-wide approaches. Furthermore, each African country should establish a facility for the coordination and monitoring of plans, programs and assistance for development.

This article assesses the role of opposition parties in Africa's democratic transition by focusing on the Social Democratic Front (SDF) in Cameroon, one of the largest and most popular opposition parties in Africa. Several explanations are offered as to why the SDF has failed to seize power and effect social-democratic change in the country and why the party displays a lack of consensus on the so-called 'Anglophone problem'. The regime's repressive and divisive tactics, western donors' ambivalent and inconsistent attitudes towards democratic governance in the country, and the party leadership's deep divisions about future lines of action and strategy and its growing involvement in prebendal politics are all discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Features the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network, a donor-funded capacity-building project in Africa. Members of the network; Contribution of the network towards building the capacity of focal institutions in Southern Africa; Importance of the network for botanists.

Since the independence movements of the late 1950s and 1960s, most African nations have remained firmly rooted at the base of the world economic and political order; however, in global sports, Africa has made its presence felt, and it is perhaps in international football that the continent's sports stars have made their biggest impact. The World Cup, the Olympic football tournament, and FIFA's underage competitions have been enriched by the presence of African nations. African performances at these competitions show that Africa's most vibrant football nations have emerged as credible challengers to the traditional preeminence of South America and Europe. These performances on the field of play have been matched by the advance and improving profile of Africa within the governance of the world game. Nowhere has this profile been more manifest than in the central role that Africa has played in determining who holds the most powerful position in world football, the FIFA presidency. This article adopts a qualitative methodology involving in-depth interviews, primary archival material, and secondary sources to assess Africa's status as the key electoral constituency in the struggles for the FIFA presidency in 1974, 1998, and 2002. The analyses here examine the ways in which those seeking the FIFA presidency have sought to present themselves as advocates of African football and explore the implications that this attitude has had for the development of the game in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of British legal scholars and institutions in the development of African law in the period from the end of the Second World War to the 1960s. In particular, it considers the extent to which the new legal scholars broke with the methods and priorities of anthropologists who had studied and developed African taw in the colonial period. In editing journals and law reports, as well as founding law faculties, these scholars sought to translate the interests of significant groups in the early years of independence into questions of African law. The network of African law which they established linked the diverse 'new' nations of Africa with each other and with the former colonial power. In the period since the late 1960s this network has disintegrated to a significant extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the characteristics of the Pentecostal movement in Africa in the twentieth century. Factors contributing to the growth of the Christian faith in the region; Origins and development of Pentecostalism; Purpose of the establishment of an ecumenical council; Significance of the Charismatic Renewal to the proliferation of several nondenominational evangelistic associations; Economic implications of the emergence of Christianity as the dominant religion in the continent.

Responds to professor Bennie van der Walt's article 'The challenge of Christian higher education on the African continent in the twenty-first century.' Needs of Africa as a region where the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education is involved in the promotion of education; Impact of poverty on the promotion of Christian higher education.