Market assessment of photovoltaic power systems for agricultural applications in Nigeria

The market potential for stand-alone photovoltaic systems in agriculture was studied. Information is presented on technical and economically feasible applications, and assessments of the business, government and financial climate for photovoltaic sales. It is concluded that the market for stand-alone systems will be large because of the availability of captial and the high premium placed on high reliability, low maintenance power systems. Various specific applications are described, mostly related to agriculture

ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF WOMEN FOR INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN NIGERIA MAIN-STREAMING AGRICULTURE: A RE-DESIGNING OF STRATEGIES

Africa is a region of female farming compared with other regions of the world where women have the responsibility for food production, processing, marking, cooking, child care and other home related activities. It is argued that women account for 70-80 percent of household food production in sub-Sahara Africa. However, case studies in Nigerian and in most Africa countries tend to point to the fact that women who have been described as the hidden productive force in the countryside have not fully benefited from food production development planning strategies, despite their increased involvement in agricultural production. The food production development programme has often focused in the designing of effective packages for generating surpluses in agriculture without particular focus on women. The basic needs approach which emphasis the expansion of people’s capabilities therefore points to the importance of re-examining the strategies for promoting participation in agricultural production with specific focus on women. Food development planning and execution strategies need to be re-oriented and re-designed to ensure that development packages reach women farmers as well as stimulate them to participate more actively to increase output though technology and other incentives. This paper therefore focuses on the importance of women’s participation in Nigerian agricultural production and its implications for national development. The neglect of women’s roles in agriculture and factors that have adversely affected rural women’s agricultural production is also reviewed. Finally, the paper proposes some socio-economic, socio-cultural and institutional structures that must be re-examined and redesigned to facilitate the increase women participation in Nigeria main streaming agriculture.Labor and Human Capital,

Reducing the Cost of Technical and Vocational Education

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Implementing e-Services in Lagos State, Nigeria: the interplay of Cultural Perceptions and Working Practices during an automation initiative : Nigeria e-government culture and working practices

Accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of Government Information Quarterly.The public sector’s adoption of Information and Communication Technologies is often seen as a way of increasing efficiency. However, developing public e-Services involves a series of organisational and social complexities. In this paper, we examine the organisational issues of implementing an ERP system, which was designed and developed within the context of Lagos State’s e-Services project. By doing so, we showcase the impact of organisational cultural perceptions and working practices of individuals. Our findings illustrate the strong role of cultural dimensions, particularly those pertaining to religion and multi-ethnicity. Our study provides insights to international organisations and governments alike toward project policy formulation within the context of ICT-based initiatives and reforms that aim to bring forward developmental progress.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Rough Road to Market: Institutional Barriers to Innovations in Africa

Translating R&D and inventive efforts into a market product is characterized by significant financial skills, and the ability to overcome technical and instititonal barriers. Research into and translation of new technologies such as biotechnology products to the market requires even greater resources. This paper aims to understand the key factors that foster or hinder the complex process of translating R&D efforts into innovative products. Different pathways exist in developed countries such as firm-level efforts, the use of IPs, the spin-off of new firms that develop new products, or a mixture of these. Developing countries differ substantially in the kinds of instruments they use because of their considerably weaker institutional environment and for this reason our framework takes a systemic and institutional perspective. The paper comtributes to this issue by examining systemic institutional barriers to commercializing biotechnology in a develping context within a systems of innovation framework.research and development, biotechnology, commercialization, innovation, Africa, learning, institution building

Attitude of Civil Servants Towards the Use of Research Information in Policymaking in Selected Ministries in Lagos State, Nigeria

Information is very essential in any organization especially in a government based environment where information are needed for policy making. However, some of the instruments used for getting information are not well managed by the civil servants who are the custodian of this research information. This study investigated the attitude of policymakers in terms of the types, availability and accessibility of research information in making policy. Focusing particularly on the types of research information needed by senior civil servants in making policies, frequency of use of research information source, accessibility of information for decision making and the challenges encountered in the course of using them. The descriptive research method was adopted, using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire to gather information from 166 senior civil servants randomly selected from selected ministries in Lagos state, as data collection instrument. Results indicated that information provided by ones ministry, information on project implemented by ones ministry , information on infrastructural development and information on human resources and skills available at ones ministry are the most used information by policymakers in making policy. The study also showed that internal files, colleagues or superior, newspaper, government publication and internet are the most frequently used and accessible information sources for policymaking. Impracticability of research recommendation politically and financially, too much information to absorb and contradictions in information from different researchers are the major constraints to research output. The study recommended among other suggestions that policymakers must consider wider ranges of research information sources for effective policy making

Incentive Structure, Civil Service Efficiency and the Hidden Economy in Nigeria

Nigeria, Oil boom, Civil service reform, Corruption

Intergovernmental relations in Nigeria: improving service delivery in core sectors

According to the Nigerian constitution, main public sector responsibilities are split across various government levels. Thus, no sole government could deliver radical improvements in service delivery on its own, which means that coordination and cooperation are pre-requisites. However, the existing mechanisms and institutions for inter-governmental policy coordination are weak and need strengthening. This paper suggests the following priority directions for reforming inter-governmental financing arrangements in Nigeria: a. more attention to the equity dimension of revenue sharing b. strengthening government accountability for utilization of public money in general, and for use of a common pool of funds such as the Federation Account in particular, and c. introduction of specific grant schemes directly linked to expansion of sub-national government financing in key sectorsNigeria, Fiscal federalism, Policy coordination, Horizontal inequality, conditional grants

Planning and Financing Sustainable Education Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

International migration and national development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Viewpoints and policy initiatives in the countries of origin

Zoomers A, van Naerssen T. International migration and national development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Viewpoints and policy initiatives in the countries of origin. COMCAD Arbeitspapiere - working papers, 32. Bielefeld: COMCAD - Center on Migration, Citizenship and Development; 2007