An Evaluation of the Accuracy of Aggregate Performance Indicators Used in the Measurement of the Performance of Zimbabwe’s Manufacturing Sector.

Developing viable industrial policies and operational strategies depends on the availability of accurate information. A number of aggregate performance indicators are currently in use to measure the aggregate performance of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector; supplying information for decision making. The continued poor performance of the manufacturing sector despite the adoption of a succession of industrial and economic policies to promote the development of the sector brings into question the informational base used to develop, monitor and evaluate these policies. This research evaluated the accuracy of aggregate performance indicators used to measure the performance of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector, namely capacity utilisation, employment statistics and the contribution of manufacturing to Gross Domestic Product .The research finds that the metrics used to measure the performance of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector are not representative of the performance of the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe. Key words: Zimbabwe, Manufacturing, Aggregate Performance Measurement, Capacity Utilisation, Gross Domestic Product, Employment statistic

Trade Liberalisation and Imported Inputs in Nigeria: Gains or Losses?

Nigeria, just like other nations exchange goods and services with different economies around the world. Tellingly, this exchange arose because countries discover that they do not have all the material resources they need; hence bilateral or multilateral engagement with regards to foreign purchase becomes unavoidable. This study investigated whether there was growth in the importation of indispensable raw materials in Nigeria, using annual data from 1970 to 2014 taken from the World Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria. The annual time series were examined for unit root. To check for long run relationship, the Johansen cointegration test was applied. The study adopted Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation technique and an error correction modelling (ECM) approach. Findings from the study indicate a statistically significant increase in the growth of raw materials importation both in the long run and short run. Therefore, the government is advised to remove any bottleneck that impedes the imports of invaluable raw materials required for local production. When this is sincerely done, productivity gains could be maximised. Keywords: Trade Liberalisation, Imported Inputs, Raw Materials, Nigeria

Conservation status and threats for African reptiles

The assimilation of information on taxonomy, distribution, basic ecology and conservation status of Africa's reptiles lags far behind that for most other continents. Many regions of mainland Africa are rarely surveyed, resulting in severe knowledge gaps that currently limit effective conservation of African reptiles. Here, we provide a précis on the knowledge gaps and conservation status of mainland African reptiles, and quantify the main threats based on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessments using publicly available distribution data. Our results show that these data are insufficient to confidently identify areas of high biodiversity, with large gaps in knowledge in the Horn of Africa, central Africa and West Africa. There is a strong overall taxonomic bias in extinction risk with 45% of families more threatened than expected by chance. Furthermore, Amphisbaenidae, Chameleonidae, Gerrhosauridae, Testudinidae, Viperidae all have a high percentage of their constituent species at risk. Overall, land transformation for agriculture, particularly subsistence farming, constitutes the primary threat to African reptiles, and our derived Threat Index based on socio-economic traits of African countries show that risk is high in Burundi, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. These findings highlight important challenges facing the conservation of African reptiles, and we suggest that conservation priorities in mainland Africa be focussed on areas where the potential for overall loss of biodiversity is high, particularly in regions where knowledge is inadequate

Mobile Value Added Services: A Business Growth Opportunity for Women Entrepreneurs

Examines the potential for mobile value-added services adoption by women entrepreneurs in Egypt, Nigeria, and Indonesia in expanding their micro businesses; challenges, such as access to digital channels; and the need for services tailored to women

Corridors as empty signifiers : The entanglement of Mozambique’s colonial past and present in its development corridors

This article examines the infrastructural histories and legacies of three transnational corridors centered on the Mozambican cities of Maputo, Beira and Nacala. Underpinned by physical infrastructures, corridors were central to the extractive European colonial enterprise in Africa. Corridors facilitated the flows of resources, goods and knowledge between metropoles, African urban centers, and their hinterlands. Nowadays, corridors insert African cities and regions into global circuits of capital that perpetuate past extractive practices and policies. They are also powerful imaginary spaces for advancing political projects and developing specific configurations of government. Accordingly, the idea of a corridor may remain useful over time even as claims for their economic necessity ebb and flow. In this article, we examine the continuities between three contemporary Mozambican corridors and older colonial transitways that connected the three cities to British colonial interests in southern Africa. Then, drawing on Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse analysis, we suggest that corridors can serve as “empty signifiers,” becoming linked to diverse understandings, standing for fluid yet enduring ambitions of connectivity, competitiveness, and regional integration. After scrutizing recent investments in the corridors, we reflect on their role in constructing a ‘new’ Mozambican economic order that is nevertheless deeply entangled in the country’s past

"Crescimento verde inclusivo" do Banco Mundial, Rio+20 e BRICS como ameaças à justiça climática

The idea of a “green economy” is considered by many to be a clever move by Northern countries and corporations intent on saving capitalism, especiallyclimate-related catastrophes. However, as shown by World Bank proposals, by the failure of Rio+20 world summit, and by the rise of the BRICS, the problemis larger than market-oriented strategies. It is only the vision known as “climate justice” that has the potential to address society’s multiple crises.A ideia de uma “economia verde” é tida por muitos como um movimento engenhoso de países e corporações do Norte no intuito de salvar o capitalismo, especialmente no tocante às catástrofes climáticas. Todavia, como mostram as propostas do Banco Mundial, o fracasso da Conferência Rio+20 e a emergência dos BRICS, o problema ultrapassa as estratégias orientadas pelo mercado. É apenas a visão conhecida como “justiça climática” que tem o potencial de atender às múltiplas crises da sociedade

Algeria and the African Union - between security and economic integration: a neofunctionalist and regionalist reading

This thesis investigates the process of integration in the African Union (AU), and the reasons behind the slow progress of the AU to achieve the goal of deeper economic integration. In the research I explore the role of an AU member state in the process of African integration: Algeria. The research scrutinises the development of Algerian foreign policy towards the AU and highlights any changes in the Algerian FP attitudes and the reasons behind these changes. Similarly, the research unveils the reality of the decision-making process in this country, and the different agents that influence it. To achieve the main goals of the research, different theoretical choices were elaborated. This resulted in researching European integration theories; Neofunctionalism was, then, selected to study the Algerian development in the making of its foreign policy in general and towards the African Union specifically. Some concepts within the Neofunctionalist thinking were used including the principle of the shift of loyalties, the socialisation process, the spillover system, and the role of interest groups in the process of integration. Moreover, the theory of Regionalism was used to examine the process of integration in the AU discovering new reasons that led to the slow development of economic integration in Africa. Consequently, the research highlights the current obstacles and challenges that have hindered the process of economic integration in the AU, including the poverty of most of the AU member states, the limited financial budget of the Union and the instability of the majority of African countries. Furthermore, the research unveiled the lack of political will towards AU economic integration plans. Hence, this contribution extends beyond the traditional models of explanation, and discusses the situation in AU member states (in this case Algeria) and points to other factors as well such as the weakness of the lobbyist activities and business groups in Algeria specifically and Africa more generally. The thesis, then, focusses on Algeria’s supportive and active status in the AU security sector, highlighting how Algeria has been successful in pushing its own security and antiterrorism agenda to the AU level, thereby demonstrating that integration into the AU is possible, if it is backed by influential member states, and wider coalitions can be built to promote integration and cooperation