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Background: Suboptimal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices constitute a serious public health risk, affecting one-third of the world's population. Remarkable progress has been made to improve WASH; however, challenges remain, with rapid population growth adding pressure on WASH systems. This study explores the current state of WASH practices and diseases in Africa, identifies challenges, and proposes public health recommendations for sustainable implementation. Main body: The staggering burden of WASH-related diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa, threatens public health, with millions of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to poor WASH practices annually. Notable challenges plaguing WASH practices in the region include poverty, malnutrition, poor data reporting, illiteracy, climate change, and poor healthcare financing. This results in adverse health consequences, including waterborne infections like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and diarrheal diseases. Additionally, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, trachoma, lost productivity, and environmental pollution from soil and underground water contamination have been implicated. Geographical disparities, cultural norms, and inadequate funding further complicate efforts to improve WASH infrastructure and practices. Globally concerted efforts are required to address these issues and permit WASH practices to protect human health by preventing infectious diseases and contributing to economic growth. Strong financial frameworks, skills training, and tools like WASH Fit are recommended for a stronger WASH approach in Africa. Conclusion: The consequences of poor WASH extend beyond public health, impacting economic growth, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. WaterAid's policy recommendations prioritizing government administration, institutional capacity enhancement, and more financial resources are expedient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many developing countries assignment of agricultural responsibilities is based on social and cultural norms. In Africa and Kenya, women take on most of the roles that involve spending long hours and use of lots of energy. The research objectives were to examine the effect of restricted access and land control in tea farming on gender equity in Singorwet ward of Bomet County. A cross-sectional study design was used and a sample size of 532 tea farmers' respondents (comprising 431 male tea farmers and 101 female tea farmers), two directors, and 10 farm laborers were involved in this study. Purposive sampling was used to pick two director zones in the Singorwet ward and stratified random sampling to pick five tea-buying centers within Singorwet Zone and Mugango Zone. Questionnaires, interviews, and observation schedules were used for data collection. From the findings, all major decisions on tea farming rest with the men, as well as all gender equity indices and access to and control of financial services in tea farming. The overall gender parity ratio stood at 0.2 which was in favor of men. This was also evident in directorship where woman directors appeared under nomination and not election. This study recommends thorough community awareness programs on land rights within the Kenyan Constitution 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geospatial data has proven useful for monitoring urbanization and guiding sustainable development in rapidly urbanizing regions. The United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 11.3.1 leverages geospatial data to estimate rates of urban land and population change, providing insight on urban land use expansion patterns and thereby informing sustainable urbanization initiatives (i.e., SDG 11). Our work enhances a UN proposed delineation method by integrating various open-source datasets and tools (e.g., OpenStreetMap and openrouteservice) and advanced geospatial analysis techniques to automate the delineation of individual functional urban agglomerations across a country and, subsequently, calculate SDG Indicator 11.3.1 and related metrics for each. We applied our automated geospatial approach to three rapidly urbanizing countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa, to conduct multi-level examinations of urban land use expansion, including identifying hotspots of SDG Indicator 11.3.1 where the percentage growth of urban land was greater than that of the urban population. The urban agglomerations of Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa displayed a 73%, 14%, and 5% increase in developed land area from 2016 to 2020, respectively, with new urban development being of an outward type in Ethiopia and an infill type in Nigeria and South Africa. On average, Ethiopia's urban agglomerations displayed the highest SDG Indicator 11.3.1 values across urban agglomerations, followed by those of South Africa and Nigeria, and secondary cities of interest coinciding as SDG Indicator 11.3.1 hotspots included Mekelle, Ethiopia; Benin City, Nigeria; and Polokwane, South Africa. The work presented in this study contributes to knowledge of urban land use expansion patterns in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa, and our approach demonstrates effectiveness for multi-level evaluations of urban land expansion according to SDG Indicator 11.3.1 across urbanizing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the importance of pilgrimage tourism to green innovation and assesses the factors that influence pilgrimage tourism efforts and implementation to ensure green innovation. The results of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with religious figures and pilgrims, supplemented by secondary sources, show that linking pilgrimage capabilities and religious organizations is critical to sustaining green innovation rather than focusing on the dispersed state of consciousness. The findings underscore the importance of a practice-based teaching approach and the necessity of spiritual adherence to green innovative behavior. It is argued that the intersection between pilgrims and religious organizations supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 in less developed nations, such as in Africa. The study is helpful for destination management organizations, policymakers, and tourism stakeholders, to promote green innovation through pilgrimage tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to examine the impact of urbanization and civil conflicts on the severity of food insecurity for a panel of 43 African countries over the period 2000–2020. Subsequently, the heterogeneous choice models approach was used for the estimations. The results show that urbanization and civil conflict increase food insecurity. The parallel line probability hypothesis results specifically show that a one‐unit increase in urban growth rate increases the probability of belonging to a high‐risk food insecurity category by more than.6 times. Furthermore, the results show that the impacts of urbanization on food insecurity are modulated by civil conflicts in Africa leading to the net effect of.692. This corresponds to the policy threshold of 2.315 when the net positive effect is canceled out. Therefore, this study strongly recommends the need for African economies to develop urban agriculture while controlling the pace of urbanization in order to reduce food insecurity and avoid possible civil wars. Related Articles: Asare‐Nuamah, Peter, Anthony Amoah, and Simplice A. Asongu. 2023. "Achieving Food Security in Ghana: Does Governance Matter?" Politics & Policy 51(4): 614–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12540. Ayanoore, Ishmael, and Sam Hickey. 2022. "Reframing the Politics of Natural Resource Governance in Africa: Insights from the Local Content Legislation Process in Ghana." Politics & Policy 50(1): 119–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12449. Oehmke, James F., Sera L. Young, Godfrey Bahiigwa, Boaz Blackie Keizire, and Lori Ann Post. 2018. "The Behavioral‐Economics Basis of Mutual Accountability to Achieve Food Security." Politics & Policy 46(1): 32–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12244. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has amplified the presence of single-use plastic pollutants in the ocean. Africa, for instance, used personal protective equipment (PPE) that is disposed of indiscriminately into the environment, which is usually washed into the ocean. This pollutes the ocean and consequently lowers fishery yields. Aside from improper disposal practices, single-use personal protective equipment's accumulation in the aquatic environment is caused by the absence or inadequate recycling and the lack of alternative uses for these wastes. It is estimated that globally, about 129 billion facemasks and 65 billion gloves are used each month contributing to widespread environmental pollution. This study analyzed and discussed the effects of plastic waste on the biodiversity of aquatic environments (ocean) vis a vis the management of personal protective equipments across the globe. Results from the review conducted showed that single-use personal protective equipments have the potential to release harmful chemicals, toxic substances, pathogenic microorganisms, and heavy metals into the environment and thus can hurt biodiversity and seafood security. To limit the identified negative effects, there is a need to regulate the use of single-use personal protective equipments and also promote the use of reusable masks. Educating and empowering especially coastal communities to act collectively to minimize plastic pollution (PPE) is a recommended measure for the protection of ocean resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Child marriage remains a prevalent issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) despite global declines. Girls are disproportionately affected, facing health risks, limited education, and restricted decision-making power. We aim to provide insights for child marriage prevalence across LMIC from 1990 to 2020, with a focus on sexual violence and early sexual intercourse for public health policy interventions. Methods: This study used World Bank datasets to assess progress in addressing child marriage in LMIC countries. Statistical analyses, including trend analysis and compound annual growth rate (CAGR), were conducted to evaluate indicators of first marriage, sexual violence, and sexual intercourse. Countries with sufficient data were categorized based on prevalence rates and trends, and detailed analysis focused on significant indicators. Results: While significant reductions were observed in the prevalence of child marriage before the age of 15 and 18 and early sexual intercourse in most countries, few countries show increasing trends, and others could not demonstrate statistical trends due to data limitations, such as scarcity of data for boys. Overall, many countries showed a decline in sexual violence and early sexual intercourse before the age of 15, but some exhibited increasing trends. For instance, Zambia and Senegal showed a decreasing trend of sexual violence, while Nigeria exhibited an increasing trend. Notably, Uganda, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone for women, and Namibia, Zambia, and Kenya for men, experienced substantial decline in early sexual intercourse. Conclusion: There is a decline in child marriage, sexual violence, and early sexual intercourse in most countries independent from the income group. Only a few countries show slight increasing trends. The improvements confirm that policies that address education, employment, and deep-rooted gender inequality at the societal level seem to be effective and help reach the SDG. However, better data are needed to enhance the understanding of the development of child marriage in these countries to improve the effectiveness of policy intervention. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers not only include existing evidence that continues progress but also increase and improve the monitoring of relevant indicators. Plain Language Summary: Child marriage remains a prevalent issue despite global declines, particularly affecting girls who suffer from health risks, lower education, and restricted decision-making power. However, little is known about boys in this context. This study aims to examine We aim to provide insights for child marriage prevalence across LMIC from 1990 to 2020, with a focus on sexual violence and early sexual intercourse for public health policy interventions. To achieve this, we assessed progress in addressing child marriage in LMIC countries using World Bank datasets. Through statistical analyses, including trend analysis and linear regression, we evaluated various indicators. Countries with sufficient data were categorized based on prevalence and trends. The results revealed significant reductions in all indicators, few countries show increasing trends, and others could not demonstrate statistical trends due to data limitations, such as scarcity of data for boys. The Central African Republic experienced an increase in child marriage prevalence. Overall, many countries showed a decline in sexual violence and intercourse before the age of 15, but some exhibited increasing trends. For instance, Zambia and Senegal showed a decreasing trend of sexual violence, while Nigeria exhibits an increasing trend. Notably, Uganda, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone experienced substantial declines in early sexual intercourse for women, and Namibia, Zambia, and Kenya for men. There is a decline in child marriage, sexual violence, and early sexual intercourse in most countries independent of the income group. Only a few countries show slight increasing trends. The improvements confirm that policies that address education, employment, and deep-rooted gender inequality at societal level seem to be effective and help reach the SDG. However, better data are needed to enhance the understanding of the development of child marriage in these countries to improve the effectiveness of policy intervention. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers not only include existing evidence that continues progress but also increase and improve the monitoring of relevant indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformations required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across the African continent demand new ways of mobilising, weaving together, and applying knowledge. Research, policymaking, planning, and action must be effectively inter-linked to address complex sustainability challenges and the different needs and interests of societal actors. Transdisciplinarity (TD) – the co-production of knowledge across disciplines and with non-academic actors – offers a promising, holistic approach to foster such transformations. Yet, despite increased application of TD over the past two decades, disciplinary and sectoral silos persist. TD is not well embedded in African academic institutions and, consequently, much SDG-related research is too narrowly framed and divorced from the action space to be effective. There is an urgent need to work collectively across disciplines and society for transformation towards more sustainable and equitable development pathways. Capacities to undertake collaborative, impactful research must be strengthened, and changes in research culture are needed to support relationship building. We explore these issues by drawing on two recent online social learning processes with researchers and practitioners working on sustainability issues and TD. In each process, we built on actors' own experiences of TD by investigating institutional, practical, and theoretical challenges and enablers of TD. Here, we synthesise our learnings, alongside key literature, and explore avenues to better: a) promote and support TD within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD practices and impacts to support transformation to sustainability across diverse places and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between the United Nations (UN) e-government index (EGDI) and egovernment development in Africa from 2010 to 2020 and forecasts the effect of e-government on the actualization of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa by 2030. To achieve the objectives, secondary data were collected on EDGI, online service delivery index (OSI), telecommunication infrastructure index (TII) and human capital index (HCI) from UN e-government survey spanning 2010-2020. The study utilized an improved modelled technique of panel data regression for cross-sectional observations. The finding indicates that there exists a positive and significant impact of the OSI, TII, and HCI on the overall EGDI in Africa. The study also revealed that there is a strong and positive relationship between E-government Development Indicators and the achievement of UN SDGs in Africa. This implies that African nations will experience a slow and insignificant increase from 2022 with an EGDI value of 0.4208 to 0.4331 in 2024, implying a 2.9% slight increment. The predicted value further shows that there will be a decrease from the EGDI value of 0.4331 in 2024 to 0.4330 in 2026, while the average EGDI value will increase slightly to 0.4346 in 2028 and finally to 0.4369 in the year 2030, which is equivalent to a 0.5% increment. EGDI value obtained predicts that Africa may not attain UN SDGs by 2030. Accordingly, the study recommends that drastic measures be taken to improve the three indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG16.10 advocates for ensuring public access to information, yet knowledge access and sharing are some of the key challenges in many countries, especially in Africa. The African Union Agenda 2063 strongly recommends access to African indigenous, cultural information to promote sustainable development but how might this be achieved? This paper shares findings from a project - NetDiploma - that built an international multi-stakeholder network of experts, professionals and various user communities to mobilize and share knowledge to explore the requirements for promoting access to cultural heritage and government information held in memory institutions, such as archives, for everyone in Africa. It identifies the key enablers and challenges associated with the long-term goal of making African government, indigenous and cultural heritage information accessible online in the form of a Digital Public Library of Africa (DPLAf) and the research and development required to realise this vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Less than eight years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Numerous authors underlined the importance of language in achieving the SDGs; however, its role in the process remains overlooked. This paper aims to investigate the sustainability understanding among Tanzanian students and graduates, their translation approaches and the awareness of people living outside of universities regarding sustainability and the SDGs. The importance of including language in implementing the SDGs is highlighted, and further research regarding local languages to enhance sustainability awareness is suggested. Design/methodology/approach: This study builds upon an extensive review of the current language of instruction conundrum present in many African countries and embeds the SDGs in this complex situation. Using a Tanzanian University as a case study, a questionnaire was administered to Tanzanian students and graduates, and follow-up interviews were conducted. Findings: Findings suggest that Tanzanian higher education students and graduates are knowledgeable about both sustainability and the SDGs, with most of them integrating at least one goal into their respective research. However, in the interviews conducted, interviewees stated that in their experience, only a minority of people outside of universities are aware of both concepts. The findings indicate that the aim of target 4.7 and, ultimately, the pledge to leave no one behind remain void when African languages continue to be neglected. Research limitations/implications: A case study is characterized by a lack of generalizability. Findings from this study should, therefore, be transferred cautiously to other African countries and universities. Furthermore, university students and graduates represent highly educated participants, which does not allow deductions to other parts of society. Originality/value: The authors are not aware of other studies investigating the views of Tanzanian students and graduates regarding sustainability and language and how they handle emerging translation challenges in their research. Furthermore, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this research is the first to highlight the importance of language in achieving target 4.7 of the SDGs and, ultimately, the pledge to leave no one behind. It, therefore, represents a valuable contribution to the scientific body of knowledge regarding education for sustainable development and language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global road safety crisis disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, with relatively low rates of vehicle ownership, Africa bears a disproportionate burden of annual road fatalities per population. Transportation and public health professionals have long been aware of the behavioral aspects of the global road safety epidemic. Successful collaboration of social work and public health in Africa is well documented. Road safety presents an opportunity for interdisciplinary research and practice with road safety professionals to bridge the know–do gap that continues to challenge progress toward reducing the burden of injuries and deaths attributable to crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a policy of scaling up LLINs by 10 percentage points from 2020 levels with a 90% cap in the 29 highest-burden countries in Africa along with social and behavioral change (SBC) and information education and communication (IEC) campaigns to increase the use and effectiveness of LLINs. The incremental cost of this scenario compared to a baseline of maintaining malaria interventions at 2020 levels has a present-day (2023) value of 5.7 billion US$ 2021 discounted at 8% over the period 2023–2030 (undiscounted starting at US$ 416 million in 2023 increasing to US$ 1.4 billion in 2030). This investment will prevent 1.07 billion clinical cases and save 1,337,069 lives. With standardized Copenhagen Consensus Center assumptions, the mortality benefit translates to a present value of US$ 225.9 billion. The direct economic gain is also substantial: the incremental scenarios lead to US$ 7.7 billion in reduced health system expenditure from the reduced treatment of cases, a reduction in the cost of delivering malaria control activities, and reduced household out-of-pocket expenses for malaria treatment. The productivity gains from averted employee and caretaker absenteeism and presenteeism add benefits with a present value of US$ 41.7 billion. Each dollar spent on the incremental scenario delivers US$ 48 in social and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, there are limited quantitative inter-comparisons and assessments of water-energy-food (WEF) resources availability in Africa, while existing studies do not reveal disparities in WEF security among different sub-regions thus failing to offer lessons for coordinated efforts. This study provides a quantitative evaluation of WEF resources across Africa. In so doing, it develops a composite indicator to assess the state of WEF security and explores the socioeconomic determinants of WEF security in Africa. Results show that, Africa is endowed with enormous resources, however, there are substantial disparities among countries and sub-regions. The water-energy-food security index (WEFSI) scores show that eight countries (15 %) obtained high WEFSI scores (>0.61), 31 countries (57 %) obtained moderate scores in the range 0.41 – 0.60 while the other countries (28 %) obtained low scores (<0.40). Several countries are not on track to achieving water-energy-food security in the short to medium term. We also found that GDP per capita, government effectiveness, foreign direct investment and official development assistance correlate strongly with WEF security. Overall, our findings suggest that whilst WEF resources availability is essential, they do not guarantee WEF security; having the socioeconomic capacity to harness these resources is critical for achieving WEF security. Thus, prospects for achieving SDGs remain slender but centrally lie in national efforts at re-reorganising governance and economic efforts and how these relate to wider investments. We call for urgent steps to ensure targeted socioeconomic development within and across many countries, to enhance WEF security in Africa. [Display omitted] • A normalised water-energy-food security index (WEFSI) was developed at a national scale. • WEFSI scores suggest that many countries are not on track to achieving WEF security. • GDP per capita, government effectiveness, FDI, and ODA show strong correlations with WEF security. • Based on our findings, prospects for achieving SDGs appear slender at the moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School feeding programme is an important aspect of child’s cognitive development. Home-grown school feeding is an intervention programme designed for school aged children in order to eradicate hunger, increase enrolment, improve pupils’ nutritional value and pupils’ cognitive development whereas these objectives have not be achieved. Therefore, aim of the study is to holistically review the challenges faced in the implementation of homegrown school feeding programme among primary school pupils in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya & Mali) and ways of solving these challenges. The paper also reviewed the concept of home-grown school feeding and its challenges. A qualitative research design of systematic search strategy type was used to gathered information in different databases and journals. In the course of the study, the researchers discovered that the programme is faced with the issues of corruption due non- remittance of regular fund to the school vendors and underfunding of the programmes. Other penitent issues include: low and inadequate storage facilities, political interferences, inadequate nutritional meals and low level of implementation. The researchers recommended that caterers should be trained by dieticians on the type of food to prepare for pupils’ and also government should set up a monitoring team to supervise the home-grown school feeding programme for proper implementation in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and other Sub-Sahara Africa Countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the performance of key factors influencing the prospect of Africa's poorest children avoiding being left behind in poverty by 2030 as required by the United Nation's Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) declared in 2015. At that time, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was facing both rising debt and deterioration of the fiscal space required to provide resources. Quantitative methods employing descriptive analysis on secondary data are used in this study to compare the trend of child poverty, as represented by under-5 mortality rates (U5MR), both over time and between country clusters. U5MR was chosen because it is an indicator of the well-being of a nation's children. Countries were "clustered" into quartiles based on their average U5MR between 2000 and 2018. The results indicate marked disparities in U5MR across SSA. No strong association was found between economic growth and U5MR, but good governance, as demonstrated by progress towards achieving the SDGs, correlates with decreases in both U5MR and the incidence of childhood stunting. In the first U5MR quartile, the SDG index score is over 50% in all child poverty indicators under consideration, whereas in the fourth quartile it is below 50%. SSA as a whole performed well in child poverty indicators from 2000 to 2015; however, consideration of the period from 2015 to 2018 suggests that much remains to be done to lift every child out of poverty. Within and across countries, critical areas for immediate attention include: improving sanitation and access to clean water and lowering the prevalence of anaemia and stunting; increasing the rates of exclusive breastfeeding, birth registration, and pre-primary enrolment; and reducing youth unemployment and socioeconomic disparities. Cash transfers to low-income families may help address the added economic insecurity due to COVID-19 that has left more children vulnerable to child marriage and child labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Science' has for long been advocated as a key driver of Africa's post-independence modernisation. This project featured strongly in the Organization of African Unit Lagos Plan of Action of 1980 that called for governments to mobilise 1% of GDP towards building their scientific and technological capabilities. The 1% goal was duly re-affirmed at the African Union Ministers' Conference of 2003, in Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action 2005, and in the 2014 Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa. The contribution presents a high-level assessment of the extent to which these various efforts are revealed in the present continent-wide status of science, technology and innovation (STI). To this end, a high-level appraisal of STI inputs, focus and outputs is assembled. In so doing, the limitations of data and STI indicators must be acknowledged. While there are signs of progress, STI policy has greater rhetorical than operational outcome, raising concerns for African states' capability to attain the SDGs and shape their participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increasing infrastructure resilience (SDG9) and combating climate change and its impacts (SDG13) have been vital goals. Growing evidence supports the presence of a trade-off between expanding information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure and maintaining the quality of the environment. Based on an ICT index and the ecological footprint, the present study reinvestigated the influence of ICT on environmental quality for a sample of African countries, where ICT services have substantially increased over the past decades. The study employed cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) and common correlated effects estimator (CCEMG) techniques on data representing 47 African economies between 1990 and 2017. The results of both methods were consistent and indicated an inverted U-shaped relationship between ICT infrastructure and environmental quality in the long and short run. The findings suggested that the expansion of ICT infrastructure could simultaneously enable African nations to achieve SDG13 and SDG9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers and authorities in Africa are often concerned about economic growth and stability owing to the long history of socioeconomic problems that have bedeviled the continent for years. However, increasing environmental degradation challenges in recent times beckons for adequate attention considering Africa's vulnerability to climate change and environmental disasters. Thus, the current study examines the illustrious environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in a sectoral composition framework of fossil resources abundance among leading oil-producing African economies, including Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, using a combination of quantile regression (QR) approach and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) for data between 1995 and 2016. Based on the empirical results from the study, three main factors significantly increase environmental pollution through CO2 emissions among the countries, namely: fossil energy consumption, income levels, and the shares of the manufacturing sector in the total gross domestic product (GDP). While income growth exacerbates pollution, the negative impacts of the income square were only significant at the lower and mid quantiles of the understudied periods in the QR estimates. Thus, the EKC hypothesis was not convincingly upheld for the countries as its validity demonstrates significant quantile effects. Furthermore, the tripartite causality nexus among real income, resource rent, and share of the service sector in GDP, which is unobserved in the share of the manufacturing sector, reflect the infamous Dutch disease argument among the resource-dependent countries. Hence, to promote environmental sustainability and address resource dependency toward the actualization of SDGs (1, 8, 12, and 13), the study recommends energy portfolios diversification alongside economic diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the vast potential for space-based technologies and applications in supporting governance to strengthen civil society, bolster democratic processes, and allow for socio-economic development throughout Africa. It offers a comprehensive analysis of African governance levels, existing e-governance systems, African challenges relating to e-governance adoption, and how e-governance solutions can assist in realising the continent's development goals. First, the study explores the integral role of good governance in achieving the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU's Agenda 2063 aspirations. Subsequently, the existing African governance structures established at a continental level are described to provide an overview of the frameworks informing governance within Africa. Specific challenges that need to be overcome to ensure good governance are then addressed and the current governance levels in Africa are evaluated. An assessment of e-government readiness levels both globally and within Africa is offered through an examination of the United Nations E-Government Survey from 2018. Specific barriers to e-government, both abroad and within Africa, are then analysed along with the associated risks relating to e-government systems. It then investigates how digital divides and lack of internet connectivity within Africa can be addressed by new technologies and commitments from both terrestrial and space actors. The opportunities afforded by rapidly growing satellite constellations being deployed to increase connectivity levels and reduce the costs thereof are then analysed in detail and the various planned constellations are assessed on a technical level. Lastly, the potential for Earth Observation and remote sensing data to assist with e-governance activities across sectors including healthcare, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, and emergency responses is investigated. • Corruption, weak democracies and poor data coverage are impeding African development. • Inferior telecommunications infrastructure is preventing e-governance uptake in Africa. • Digital divides in Africa include access, affordability, literacy and bandwidth issues. • Large constellation LEO-based satellite Internet provides an opportunity for Africa. • Increased e-governance uptake will support the socio-economic development of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community health volunteers are considered a vital part of the community health structure in Africa. Despite this vital role in African health systems, very little is known about the community health volunteers' day-to-day lived experiences providing services in communities and supporting other health workers. This scoping review aims to advance understanding of the day-to-day experiences of community health volunteers in Africa. In doing so, this review draws attention to these under-considered actors in African health systems and identifies critical factors and conditions that represent challenges to community health volunteers' work in this context. Ultimately, our goal is to provide a synthesis of key challenges and considerations that can inform efforts to reduce attrition and improve the sustainability of community health volunteers in Africa. This scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews checklist to achieve the objectives. A comprehensive search of six databases returned 2140 sources. After screening, 31 peer-reviewed studies were selected for final review. Analytical themes were generated based on the reviewers' extraction of article data into descriptive themes using an inductive approach. In reviewing community health volunteers' accounts of providing health services, five key challenges become apparent. These are: (1) challenges balancing work responsibilities with family obligations; (2) resource limitations; (3) exposure to stigma and harassment; (4) gendered benefits and risks; and (5) health-system level challenges. This scoping review highlights the extent of challenges community health volunteers must navigate to provide services in communities. Sustained commitment at the national and international level to understand the lived experiences of community health volunteers and mitigate common stressors these health actors face could improve their performance and inform future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the relationship dynamics of sustainable development goals on poverty and inequality in sub- Saharan Africa: beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Monthly data were sourced from World Bank Sustainable Development Goals Data Bank, Africa SDG index from 2015 (m01) to 2020 (m12). Both static and dynamic panel analysis techniques were employed in estimating the interrelationship among the seventeen SDGs and cases of COVID-19. The study presents mixed results as it revealed the SDGs having both and either positive or negative short run or long run relationship with poverty, inequality and COVID-19. By implication, some SDGs presents a short-term relationship while some SDGs presents a long-term relationship. In another scenario, some SDGs presents both short term and long-term relationship towards the achievement of No poverty and reducing inequality on or before year 2030. The study therefore recommends that policy should be put in place in sub-Saharan Africa so as to differentiate the SDGs having short term goals from SDGs having long term goals and from the SDGs having both short term and long-term goals towards the achievement of No Poverty and reducing Inequality on or before year 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shortage of skilled workforce is a global concern but represents a critical bottleneck to Africa's development. While global academic partnerships have the potential to help tackle this development bottleneck, they are criticised for inadequate attention to equity, impact, and sustainability. We propose a new values-driven partnership model for sustainable and equitable global partnerships that achieve impact.Method: The model was based on the authors' experiences of participation in over 30 partnerships and used insights from the Capability Approach.Results: We developed an Academic Partnership Maturity Model, with five levels of maturity, extending from pre-contemplative to mature partnerships. The level of maturity increases depending on the level of freedom, equity, diversity, and agency afforded to the partners. The approach offers a framework for establishing a forward-looking partnership anchored in mutual learning, empowerment, and autonomy.Conclusion: This is a pragmatic model limited by the biases of experiential knowledge. Further development of the concept, including metrics and an evaluation tool kit are needed to assist partners and funders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several continental and global development initiatives have been evolved to trigger development in Africa, the latest being Agenda 2063 and sustainable development goals (SDGs). This paper draws on relevant materials to examine the challenges of sustainable development, especially within the context of the serious structural adjustment challenges in Africa. Against the backdrop of the continent's earlier dismal experiences with development initiatives, the paper assesses the promises of both Agenda 2063 and SDGs to motorize sustainable development in the continent. The paper contends that the feasibility of sustainable development in Africa is contingent upon the institutionalization of the active state. The imperative of the active state in development architecture is because of its indispensability in charting critical pathways for all-round sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health workers enable service delivery by providing care to patients. Universal health coverage (UHC) aims for equitable access to decent, affordable healthcare. There are barriers in health service delivery, which will be more challenging to navigate as nations set out to achieve UHC. Africa has a major health worker shortage, limited infrastructure, is under-resourced financially and has the highest burden of disease, which constrains its ability to deliver quality, affordable, and equitable healthcare. Given the short supply, health workers must therefore be optimally resourced for effective health service delivery to impoverished, vulnerable, and underserved people particularly the most afflicted in rural communities. Motivating health workers, identifying the right skills mix and training, configuring teams, and effectively leveraging nurses and midwives for health service delivery are some key elements for optimal resourcing of the limited health workforce. As a scarce and critical resource, health workers require good management, training, infrastructure, and supplies to enable them to perform their duties. Motivated health workers will deliver quality, affordable, and equitable healthcare to advance UHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformative change is needed if the world is to achieve the sustainable development goals. Such change requires attention to culture, ethics, and values. We discuss the need to be responsive to the voices of Indigenous scholars in terms of the assumptions that guide methodological choices in the evaluation of international initiatives. We describe an Indigenous paradigmatic framework and then narrow the focus to a Made in Africa approach to evaluation that is designed to redress the epistemic violence perpetrated by the use of a Western cultural lens to determine evaluation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy has made significant inroads in addressing growing energy demands on the African continent. However, progress towards SDG 7 is still limited and difficult to trace. Furthermore, the results-oriented rationale of the SDGs means that both policy change and the dimension of environmental justice are not covered properly. We argue that the energy justice concept may provide a powerful tool to offset looming trade-offs and enhance the co-benefits of SDG 7 within broader transition endeavours. In doing so, we assess African energy transition processes based on a comparative mapping of African renewable energy policies in 34 countries. We investigate the scope of policy frameworks in order to analyse their contribution to greater energy justice along different justice dimensions. We then identify four transition scenarios, which reflect the challenges of integrating the justice dimension into renewable energy policies. In comparing these scenarios, we argue that SDG 7 tracking needs to consider the justice dimension to arrive at a more holistic implementation that is in line with socio-ecological justice and takes account of people's energy needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 ('Zero Hunger') aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Thus, a range of different strategies are needed to facilitate the achievement of SDG 2 to overcome challenges and enable synergies between various SDG targets. Objective: The aim of this review is to highlight Africa's progress toward SDG 2, including targets, strategies, synergies and challenges. Methods: We scrutinized published research articles in peer-reviewed journals, UN reports and in-country Africa reports (between 2015 and 2020) that were relevant to the current topic. Results: Several hunger indicators are showing slow progress or even deterioration in Africa. The prevalence of undernourishment in the general population was 19.1% in 2019 and is expected to increase to 25.7% by 2030. Improvements in child stunting in several regions in Africa are slow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where about 34% of under-fives were stunted in 2012 and 31% in 2019. In Eastern Africa, stunting prevalence decreased from 38% in 2012 to 34% in 2019. Major drivers of hunger are poor governance and state fragility, war and conflicts, increasing inequality, weak economic development, climate change, biodegradation -- and now lately the Covid 19 pandemic -- factors that all increase food insecurity. Conclusion: Africa is off track to reach SDG -- 'Zero Hunger' -- by 2030. Current efforts and progress are insuf- ficient. Africa must champion the SDG agenda on a national, regional and global level to facilitate synergies to unlock the potential for reaching 'Zero Hunger' throughout the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, Africa has made some progress towards its achievements, particularly in the area of gender equality- SDG 5, climate change -SDG 13 and preserving life on land- SDG 15. Although, some African countries have made tangible impact on the other goals such as health, food production and economic growth; these efforts experienced some setbacks with attention shifting to curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. As much as mitigating the spread of the spread of COVID-19 is important, so is ensuring efforts made on other goals are not lost, as the SDGs are much interconnected, and failure in one impacts others. For the African continent to achieve sustainable development beyond COVID-19, strategic actions which will involve innovations, evaluations and strong political will towards implementations must be taken by relevant stakeholders, so the continent is not left behind in the global goals achievement by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting on food systems and has exposed the poor state of food security and lack of food system infrastructures. Consequently, sub-Saharan Africa countries face the compounded risk of COVID-19 and hunger. The syndemic will pose serious challenges for achieving food security imperatives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This article discusses the dynamics of food security imperatives brought about by COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the mitigating efforts of sub-Saharan African governments in addressing COVID-19 and how this effort impacts the attainment of SDGs One, Two, Three and 12. It finds that while the pandemic provides an opportunity for governments to strengthen their commitments, it raises questions on the ambitious global efforts to deliver SDGs by 2030. It recommends that African governments need to maximize intra-African trade with investments in agricultural biotechnological infrastructure in order to close the gap between the targets and the realities, in the efforts towards achieving the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is off track six years to the 2030 deadline for attaining the sustainable development goals and universal health coverage. This is particularly evident in Africa's armed conflict-affected and humanitarian settings, where pervasively weak health systems, extreme poverty and inequitable access to the social dimensions and other determinants of health continue to pose significant challenges to universal health coverage. In this article, we review the key issues and main barriers to universal health coverage in such settings. While our review shows that the current health service delivery and financing models in Africa's armed conflict-affected settings provide some opportunities to leapfrog progress, others are threats which could hinder the attainment of universal health coverage. We propose four key approaches focused on addressing the barriers to the three pillars of universal health coverage, strengthening public disaster risk management, bridging the humanitarian-development divide, and using health as an enabler of peace and sustainable development as panacea to addressing the universal health coverage challenge in these settings. The principles of health system strengthening, primary health care, equity, the right to health, and gender mainstreaming should underscore the implementation of these approaches. Moving forward, we call for more advocacy, dialogue, and research to better define and adapt these approaches into a realistic package of interventions for attaining universal health coverage in Africa's armed conflict-affected settings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The ecological and economic benefits of mycelium composites offer a promising opportunity for supporting sustainable development in Africa. This study focuses on assessing the environmental impact of mycelium composites for building and construction (MCBs) by conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) in the context of Africa. It is demonstrated that the potential environmental impact of MCBs is substantially influenced by the use and source of electrical power for autoclaves, incubators, and ovens, making the culturing and post-processing phases the major environmental hotspots. The impact of MCB production is also relative to the energy mix of specific countries, being higher in countries that rely on fossil fuel energy (e.g., South Africa) and lower in those that rely more on renewable sources (e.g., Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC). Furthermore, the impact of MCB production is found to be sensitive to travel distance, suggesting that situating production facilities closer to agricultural, agro-industrial, and/or forestry waste sources could be more beneficial than interregional sourcing, for example. It is also demonstrated that MCBs have the potential to be a more ecologically sustainable alternative to some conventional construction materials (e.g., concrete) over an entire life cycle. Based on the insights obtained from this LCA, some recommendations have been proposed to address potential environmental repercussions pre-emptively and proactively: this is particularly important for nations, mainly in the Global South, that exhibit low resilience to climate change due to limited economic resources. Furthermore, with the rapid expansion of mycelium composite technology, there is a need to increase awareness about its potential environmental impact and, ultimately, to mitigate its potential contribution to pressing environmental concerns (e.g., global warming and climate change). Consequently, this study also adds to the existing body of literature on LCA studies, delineating key factors for consideration in future LCA studies and providing guidance for the sustainable establishment and expansion of this technology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Rural Africa lags behind global progress to provide safe drinking water to everyone. Decades of effort and billions of dollars of investment have yielded modest gains, with high but avoidable health and economic costs borne by over 300m people lacking basic water access. We explore why rural water is different for communities, schools, and healthcare facilities across characteristics of scale, institutions, demand, and finance. The findings conclude with policy recommendations to (i) network rural services at scale, (ii) unlock rural payments by creating value, and (iii) design and test performance-based funding models at national and regional scales, with an ambition to eliminate the need for future, sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The implications of Africa's growth and urbanisation are the subject of much interest and speculation, and are central to the vision of the African Union's Agenda 2063. The purpose of this paper is to compare the dominant perspectives on urban futures in Africa to emerging directions in futures and urban thinking, suggesting alternative policy approaches for Africa's urban agenda. Design/methodology/approach: The paper scans and sorts through how Africa's growth and urbanisation are being understood and framed by various futurists and other futures-commentators. It takes the form of a discussion of the issue of how, why and by whom a series of data points, trends and their implications are being computed and combined, and with what validity, so to inform policy and planning responses. Findings: The paper argues from its findings that futuring about urban Africa has been intense, but not particularly objective, neutral or even empirically grounded. Emerging directions in anticipation theorisation and experimental approaches such as "urban tinkering" are proposed as possibly offering alternative approaches to how nations and policymakers might think and act on urban Africa's futures. Originality/value: This original interrogation of which and how actors anticipate Africa's urban futures could be used to expand beyond the urban visions, assumptions and futuring conventions reflected in Africa's Agenda 2063, as well as processes advancing the global sustainable development goals and UNHabitat's new urban agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Inland fisheries play important roles in food and economic security in the riparian countries surrounding the Great Lakes of Africa. However, the lakes are being systematically degraded by anthropogenic pressures, in combination with the huge population growth prevalent in the region. This paper summarises the outcomes of an international conference to develop a 'Strategy for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the African Great Lakes Region in a Changing Climate', held in Uganda in 2017, with particular attention on the potential for fisheries and aquaculture. The paper highlights options for addressing the problems facing the aquatic resources and specifically the importance of effective management of the fisheries and ecosystems of the Great Lakes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals to ensure food and nutritional security and sustainable livelihoods. There is need to improve fisheries assessment and determine the value of the fisheries (and aquaculture). Fisheries legislation, regulation and enforcement need revision and co‐management mechanisms require rethinking. There is considerable potential for aquaculture, and especially cage culture, to increase fish production, but there is an urgent need to address technical, social, environmental and input requirements. It is also imperative that best practices guidelines are developed that will support cage culture production practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of sustainable development, it is important that the regions of the world work in unison to realize greater welfare for humanity and the planet. To do this, persistent inequalities based on destructive power and dominance relations need to be critically illumined and brought to an end for the sake of inclusive sustainable development. This article discusses the outcomes of a narrative inquiry into the story of Africa's sustainable development as told by the global North. By means of a critical social narrative analysis of the official inaugural Sustainable Development Goals reports, the contribution sheds light on the 'implied author' and 'master narrative' behind the texts by critiquing the values, norms and ideologies evoked by the social narrative's storyworld. The article concludes by highlighting that a key opportunity is available to Africa to tell a different story and craft a new narrative in an empowering manner that advances inclusive yet authentic global sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanitation delivery in the urban areas of sub-Saharan African countries has been a chronic issue, particularly difficult to tackle. Under the Millennium Development Goals, the sanitation target in urban sub-Saharan Africa was missed by a wide margin and witnessed almost no improvement. After 2 years of review, the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme published a new measure of access to sanitation as a baseline for the Sustainable Development Goals. There are a number of improvements in the new measure. However, despite the improvements, the new measure continues to be characterized by an important flaw: it continues to disregard how shared toilet facilities contribute towards the SDG sanitation target. As a result, the new measure does not indicate whether progress is being made in low-income urban areas where a large number of households rely on shared sanitation; nor does it provide a goal that can be achieved in cities of the poorest countries over the measurement period. But, its most egregious failing is that it directs resources towards investments which will often fail cost/benefit tests. In sum, it is not a surprise that a Working Group recommended that the measure should be changed to include some shared facilities. Following the Working Group's recommendation would have avoided the adverse consequences of continued reliance on a key component of the methodology used for monitoring sanitation improvements under the Millennium Development Goals. The paper discusses the limitations of this methodology in the context of urban sub-Saharan Africa, where current sanitation conditions are seriously lacking, and the significant future urban population growth will add more pressure for the delivery of vital sanitation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International Sustainable Development Goals set ambitious elimination targets for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection by 2030. We here set out to review barriers, challenges and opportunities for progress towards these goals, with a particular focus on South Africa. Although many African populations still have a high prevalence of HBV infection (defined as =8%), interventions and planning have been hampered by limited data. The majority of HBV infections (>90%) currently remain undiagnosed, and - even when a diagnosis is made - cases are not well stratified to determine prognosis, risk of transmission, and treatment eligibility. Nucleos(t)ide analogues can be successful in suppressing the virus but must generally be taken life-long, and there are concerns around the possible emergence of drug and vaccine resistance. Poor funding, lack of advocacy and education, and the stigma associated with infection represent further barriers. Despite these diverse challenges, we are in an era of opportunity to advance South Africa's progress towards elimination goals. Widespread deployment of the HBV vaccine in infancy has already markedly reduced paediatric infection, and birth dose vaccinations will further reduce the risk of vertical transmission. South Africa can capitalise on the laboratory and clinical infrastructure that already supports HIV diagnosis and treatment, by expansion of services to include HBV. HBV treatment and diagnostics are now on WHO lists of essential drugs and equipment. In the decade ahead, South Africa can make significant advances, but this will require sustained attention and investment from stakeholders in policy, public health, clinical care, and basic science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are a source of water out of which humans derive their livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are often over-utilized and expose humans to disease-causing infectious agents. This calls for an evaluation of the role of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and their effects in disease prevention and transmission in wetlands. A health risk assessment based on syndromic surveillance of self-reported abdominal complaints and fever gathered from a rural wetland in semiarid Kenya is presented with symptoms serving as proxies for real health threats in wetlands. The incidence of abdominal complaints was significantly higher for those using unimproved water sources compared to improved water users ( odds ratio 7.5; 95% CI 2.59–26.9; p = 0.001). Drainage of stagnant water near the house ( odds ratio 0.2; 95% CI 0.08–0.54; p = 0.002) and sanitary hygiene ( odds ratio 0.4; 95% CI 0.71–0.97; p = 0.056) were associated with reduced risk of abdominal complaints. Drainage of water was also associated with reduced risk of fever ( odds ratio 0.3; 95% CI 0.02–0.59; p = 0.002) and so was the use of mosquito nets ( odds ratio 0.6; 95% CI 0.39–0.02; p = 0.063). Usage of wetlands in the afternoon, e.g. for irrigated agriculture, increased the incidence of fever ( odds ratio 1.5; 95% CI 0.91–2.33; p = 0.040). Overall, there appears a greater likelihood of reducing pathogen exposure in the domestic than in the occupational domain or in the proximity to the wetland. We show that WASH, environmental hygiene and human behaviour are risk factors associated with the contraction of diseases characterized by abdominal complaints (e.g. diarrhoea) and fever (e.g. malaria) in wetlands. The same factors also have the potential to promote human health in the context of wetlands. We demonstrate the applicability of syndromic approaches in surveillance-scarce areas and emphasize the importance of adopting an integrated health-based wetland management that considers WASH and incorporates strategies based on grassroots level risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relevance of Law and Development theories to the successful implementation or attainment of goals set out in Agenda 2030 in Africa. It zeros in on Sustainable Development Goal 16 and the role of rule of law to development. This article focuses on the work of the Law and Development movement and highlights the contribution of Prof. Robert Seidman to law and development for decades in newly independent African states. It examines the application of the Institutionalist Legislative Theory and Methodology, including the strengths and flaws, and makes recommendations on relevant lessons for rule of law practitioners, especially in terms of developing institutions and legal frameworks, promoting law and development research and building capacity through legal education. While this article does not provide recommendations on the best law and development model or theory, it raises some pertinent issues and makes practical recommendations on the way forward in the short to medium term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of new models of development cooperation have been on the increase lately. Coupled with this are calls for use of horizontal development cooperation mechanisms such as South-South Cooperation (SSC) as a way to enhance aid effectiveness in the health sector of developing countries. In this case series, we review recent experiences in the application of SSC initiatives to two public health situations in Africa to demonstrate the veracity of this new paradigm. Our review highlight the immense benefits associated with the use of SSC for health and provide evidence for increasing use of horizontal development coordination mechanisms to strengthen public health services delivery and socioeconomic development among African countries. Opportunities for SSC among African countries include in the areas of disease prevention and control, production of medical products and essential medicines, harmonization of regulatory processes, and health workforce development among others. However, pitfalls such as poor coordination, inadequate political commitment, lack of conducive policy environments, language barrier and inadequate financing opportunities for SSC initiatives present major dilemma for the use of SSC mechanisms. We conclude that the need for a paradigm shift from vertical to horizontal development cooperation needs no further proof but a call to action. We call on the concerned stakeholders to support the establishment of a systematic approach for use of SSC mechanisms in the health sector of Africa, designation of an African Centre of Excellence for SSC in public health and development of a regional mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of SSC initiatives in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence is a major global problem with the majority of victims being women and children. Yet, domestic violence is often hidden and/or normalised, especially in 'peacetime', everyday contexts. Neoliberal development seems to go hand-in-hand with reduction in gender equality and exacerbation of domestic abuse of women. Whilst domestic violence is becoming acknowledged both as an important development issue and a crucial human rights matter, critical examination of related policy and programmes is needed. The article contributes to this, arguing that there are dangers of ethnocentricism, instrumentalism and de-politicisation in current policy and practice. The article considers critically the definition, prevalence and effects of domestic violence. Introducing perspectives on domestic violence, it goes on to stress the value of a feminist political economy approach. The article explores relevant aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals' framework and global human rights context before proceeding to look at domestic violence in the innovative African human rights arena and at selected rightsbased development education initiatives aimed at domestic violence reduction on the continent. These issues are under-researched in Africa, where domestic violence rates are said to be particularly high. The paper draws on new Sustainable Development Goal data, non-governmental organisation (NGO) material and research literature. It also offers suggestions for those engaged in development pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the challenge of offering a development perspective to a rapidly growing population, it might be tempting for Africa to pursue a strategy of fueling growth with the cheapest source of energy available and take care of the environment later. Such an approach, however, would disregard the social cost of fossil fuels, which the population would have to bear. Using the Sustainable Development Goals as a benchmark for inclusive and sustainable growth we identify the synergy effects provided by renewable energy. Already, substantial efforts of financing the additional cost of RE are under way. An analysis of possible leverage points, available instruments and involved actors shows that there remains a large additional potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunger and food insecurity have held prominent positions in the framing of both the Millennium Development Goals and the succeeding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper argues, however, that the food goal proposed within the SDGs is flawed in its approach towards achieving food security through its neglect of the urbanization of food insecurity in Africa and of the nutrition transition. The paper argues that these misalignments reflect a limited appreciation of the nature of food and nutrition insecurity in Africa and one that serves the interest of particular sets of development agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the current transition from the MDG framework to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework in the post-2015 development agenda, with specific emphasis on how the SDGs with their aim of ‘Transforming our World’ might guide economic development and policy in Africa. The aim is to investigate the scope and implications of the post-MDG Agenda for Africa against the background of distinct disparities in development progress across the African continent, rapid urbanization, the availability of new technologies, and the emergence of parallel comprehensive new frameworks for managing global climate change and for creating synergies between China’s transformation over the coming decades and Africa’s Agenda 2063. Drawing on the changing shape of development finance and new insights into the role of public entrepreneurship for development, we make proposals for advancing African agency in the context of these new frameworks, and conclude with policy recommendations for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]