THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE IN KENYA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE STANDARD GAUGE RAILWAY (SGR), ITS EFFECTS AND THE RESPONSE OF KENYANS TO IT.

China has sought to strengthen ties with many countries in the Global South, and many African countries have signed Memorandum of Agreements(MoU) with China leading to trade treaties, foreign direct investments, loans and grants flowing into the African continent from China. This aggressive push by China into Africa has come under intense scrutiny with different actors, scholars and powers having mixed takes on the move. In my thesis, I look at the ways in which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been undertaken in Africa. I use Kenya as a main case study in looking at the ways in which the Belt and Road Initiative has gained ground in Africa and specifically look to see whether the move by China into Africa is a predatory move or one that bears with it a mutually beneficial making

China's special economic zones in Africa: context, motivations and progress

As more and more countries set foot in Africa, there is a growing attention on China’s role and engagement in the region. The approaches are very diverse and if some are more skeptical, others praise factors that particularly shape China’s current move to Africa such as a focus on development cooperation and on establishing strategic partnerships. These would also add that China has had a very positive and influential role in Africa through aiding many countries to solve imminent problems and to assist with knowledge transfer. In this paper, we first discuss the context of the launching of Special Economic Zones in Africa by examining the historic development of the Sino-Africa relationship, and analyze China’s motivations for establishing the Special Economic Zones in the continent. Finally, we present the latest progress of the Special Economic Zones’ development and discuss how they contribute toward the presence of China in Africa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From the Singular to the Plural: Exploring Diversities in Contemporary Childhoods in sub-Saharan Africa

The challenges that sub-Saharan Africa has faced in the post-colonial period have come to characterise the way the region is perceived. These narratives are especially evident in the various ways children’s lives are discussed, leading to a particular focus on childhoods in difficult circumstances or at the margins. This has eclipsed the mundanities of everyday life for many children whose lives are not characterised by ‘lacks’. This article seeks to move beyond an overwhelming focus on childhoods defined by what they lack by illustrating the multitude of childhoods which exist in the continent

Redefining Europe-Africa Relations

The European Union's (EU) relations with the African continent are facing a distinct set of challenges. Contrary to the expectations of both African and European governments, the pending negotiations between the partners are now being put to the test like never before. The global spread of Covid-19 has led to economic crises throughout the world - and the African continent is no exception. International organisations, the EU, and African institutions alike consider the economic and health crisis to be more serious than the 2008/2009 global financial crisis. This new economic crisis also impacts Europe's relations with Africa. The EU-African Union Summit, originally scheduled for October 2020 but now postponed until 2021, will be overshadowed by the global coronavirus crisis. There is a significant risk that Africa-Europe relations will not attract as much interest as other global developments, with the USA, Europe and China too busy dealing with their own challenges. The crisis has shown that the prevailing asymmetry is no longer acceptable as we move into the future. Now is the time for both sides to work together on finalising the much-needed reform packages and to recalibrate Europe’s cooperation with Africa. To pave the way for these reforms, the EU Commission’s plans for negotiations on future cooperation must be overhauled, particularly in relation to trade and economic relations, value chain integration, and the focus on job creation and poverty alleviation. Last but not least, cooperation on the issue of sustainability must be adjusted, especially against the backdrop of the climate catastrophe, which, besides hindering growth and causing job losses, poses a threat to agriculture and food supply on the African continent. The concepts presented by the EU in March 2020 do not adequately address the challenges on the African continent and are not in Europe's strategic interest. Instead, what in fact needs to happen is for the EU to anticipate the developments on the African continent and recognise just how urgent it is to change course. Whether or not the German (and Portuguese) EU Council Presidency along with the other Member States and the EU Commission will be able to give this discussion the requisite impetus will only become clear in the coming months leading up to the EU-Africa Summit

No. 17: International Migration and Good Governance in the Southern African Region

Southern Africa has a long history of intra-regional migration, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. Migration was probably the single most important factor tying together all of the various colonies and countries of the sub-continent into a single regional labour market during the twentieth century. However, entrenched patterns of migration have undergone major restructuring in the last two decades. Southern Africa is now a region on the move (McDonald 2000). Several broader changes underly this shift towards greater and greater intra-regional mobility. First, the end of apartheid, a system designed to control movement and exclude outsiders, produced new opportunities for internal and cross-border mobility and new incentives for moving. The ensuing integration of South Africa with the SADC region brought a major increase in legal and undocumented cross-border flows and new forms of mobility. Second, the region’s reconnection with the global economy has opened it up to forms of migration commonly associated with globalization (Crush and McDonald 2002). Third, growing rural and urban poverty and unemployment have pushed more people out of households in search of a livelihood. One aspect of this has been a significant gender reconfiguration of migration streams (Dodson 1998). Fourth, HIV/AIDS has also impacted considerably on migration. Not only is the rapid diffusion of the epidemic inexplicable without reference to human mobility but new forms of migration are emerging in response (Williams et al. 2003; IOM 2003a). Finally, the countries of the SADC are still dealing with the legacy of mass displacement and forced migration. The impact of the Mozambican and Angolan civil wars continue to reverberate. Recurrent civil strife in the rest of Africa has generated mass refugee movements and new kinds of asylum seeker to and within the region. The cessation of hostilities and threat has confronted countries of asylum with issues of repatriation and integration. Policy responses as the local, national, regional and continental scale must take into account the extraordinary dynamism and instability of migration forms and patterns in the region. Governments wedded to legal frameworks of control and exclusion are finding it increasingly difficult to cope. The fundamental policy challenge is to move the states of Southern Africa to a regionally-harmonized and consistent set of policies that emphasize good governance, sound management and client-centred service delivery (Klaaren and Rutinwa 2004). In addition, because migration is a cross-cutting phenomenon, it needs to be integrated into all facets of state policymaking and planning, including programs and strategies to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. For this to happen, migration’s key role needs to be documented by researchers and recognized by policy-makers

Understanding the African Continental Free Trade Area: Beyond “Single Market” to “Africa’s Rejuvenation” Analysis

While global trends continue to move from integration towards heightened protectionism, and retaliatory trade measures, African countries improved their intra-regional trade levels and deepened their regional integration by launching the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA seeks to deepen Africa’s market integration at regional and continental levels; smash down tariff barriers within Africa; boost intra-Africa trade; promote regional and continental value chains; and hopefully deliver Africa’s rejuvenation. However, Africa as a continent is facing many challenges, especially its notions and concepts of development, plus the complications caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, questions are being aroused on whether African policy makers are prepared enough to overcome the AfCFTA related challenges. This article examines the mechanisms needed to fully implement the recently signed continental free trade area deal, its impact on Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and what’s in it for Africa’s major economic partners. In this article, the author will also point out existing daunting challenges and give a series of policy recommendations

Strategic Options for the Expansion of South African Retail Businesses within Africa: Consequences on Operational Management

The expansion of retail companies across national borders is a global phenomenon that is becoming a reality in Africa. This phenomenon is led largely by South African retailers as they seek new markets in Africa. The continent presents both market opportunities as well as challenges. Yet there has been limited academic research on the management of the complexities faced by these retail companies. This paper examines the strategic options available to senior retail management regarding entry mode choices and the possible factors that influence management decisions as they expand their business activities into Africa. The paper also attempts to echo the consequences of such strategic decisions on operational management when it comes to managing operations abroad. It does so by employing mixed method approaches which include analysis of in-depth interviews with senior managers of five major South African retailers, and results of an online survey of retail workers in Cape Town, using the Principal Component (factor) Analysis technique in SPSS. This resulted in six broad factors which appear to provide unique insight on issues that affect the entry mode choices of South African retailers seeking new markets in Africa. The paper concludes that retail managements making this move are often caught up between management self-confidence and their ability to manage risk

Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 8

The phenomenon of indecent workplaces poses serious existential threats to profits plants and people including the attainment of sustainable development goal SDG in Sub-Saharan Africa This chapter discusses the imperative of transition to decent work and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa a move that is expected to lead to the attainment of SDG 8 Using a mixed research method with preference for secondary data the paper provides richer findings on the subject of inquiry It was found that the per capita GDPs of Sub-Saharan Africa a period of 10 years 2000-2019 are very low when compared with the minimum per capita GDP of 3996 for the Upper-Middle Income countries Also the continent manifested a low tendency towards decent work because of worsening unemployment rates and higher vulnerable employment in the labour force With regards to practical and managerial implications the study validates the United Nations targets on economic growth and decent work which explicates that to sustain per capita economic growth the least developed countries must have at least 7 percent gross domestic product growth per annum including providing decent work for all women and me