Geographic labour mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa

IDRC GGP working paper seriesIn recent years, globalization, with its attendant increases in trans-national capital movements and worldwide trade in goods and services, has spurred people to move, with much greater frequency, beyond Africa to industrialized countries in Europe and America. Given the link between labour mobility and development objectives, more empirical evidence is needed to further understanding of the development impact of labour mobility, and to enable African leaders to fashion the tools and instruments to manage migration for growth and sustainable development. This report sets out key considerations for filling some of these research gaps including available data and methodological issues. Analysing major migration patterns, including internal and transborder migrations within Sub-Saharan Africa, international (inter-continental) migrations, and forced migrations particularly trafficking in women and children, it assesses what we know about the nexus between migration and development and how migration policy affects poverty reduction and growth

Sources of Contraceptive Commodities for Users in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Understanding the sources of contraceptive commodities is an important aspect of the delivery of family planning services and is required by planning programme managers for strategic planning purposes. Findings from the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey have previously showed that the private sector was the most frequently reported source of contraceptive supply, providing contraception to two and a half times as many women as the public sector. We conducted a community-based study to examine further the sources of contraceptive commodity for users in Nigeria with a view to identifying their preferences for distribution centres. This information would be useful to improve commodity distribution and to build the necessary capacity for satisfactory delivery of contraceptives. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A multi-stage random sampling technique was used. A state was randomly selected to represent each of the four health zones in Nigeria. Two local government areas (LGAs) were then selected representing both urban and rural areas. Ten enumeration areas were subsequently selected from each LGA. Of the 2,001 respondents aged 15–49 years, 1,647 (82.3%) were sexually active, out of which 244 were found to be using contraceptive methods at the time of the study, giving a contraceptive prevalence of 14.8%. The commonest source of information on contraceptives was through friends (34%), followed by the radio (11.5%) and husbands (10.2%). Most respondents procured their contraceptives from chemist/patent medicine shops (19.7%), while only 0.8% obtained them from designated family planning clinics. The younger groups in this study (15–24 years), single people, Catholics, and Muslims, showed a greater preference for chemist/patent medicine shops for their sources of contraceptives. The older groups and married respondents, however, made use of government and private hospitals to obtain their contraceptives. CONCLUSION: Strategies to increase contraceptive use must take into consideration these identified sources of contraceptives with a view to enhancing the quality, quantity, and variety of methods available, and to building capacity for effective service delivery. There is also a need to encourage the establishment of adolescent-friendly clinics where young people can go for counselling and obtain contraceptives of their choice, including emergency contraceptive pills

Reproductive decision-making in Nigeria : an overview

Since 1960 the volume of research material being produced on reproductive decision-making has increased considerably. The research community now focusses on improving knowledge of specialized areas. On the other hand, unevenness of knowledge and capacity remains a major problem. Very little is known about population determinants in Northern Nigeria, where data on basic demographic indicators show growing differentials across regions in both fertility and health regimes. Very little insight has been shed on the determinants or consequences of regional differences in fertility regimes on women's lives and fertility transitions. It is becoming increasingly clear that women's position in the family and community has an important bearing on fertility regimes in Nigeria but the implications for policies and programmes remain unclear. One task for the research community in the years ahead consists in addressing the issue as to how women's position can be improved in societies that resist educating their daughters and allowing their women to work outside the home. Depuis 1960 le volume des recherches menées sur la prise de décision en ce qui concerne la reproduction a considérablement augmenté. La communauté des chercheurs est actuellement essentiellement préoccupée par l'amélioration des connaissances dans les domaines spécialisés. D'autre part, l'insuffisance des connaissances et des capacités demeure un problème majeur. On sait très peu des déterminants de la population au Nord du Nigéria, où les informations sur les indications démographiques de base ont montré des différentiels croissants selon les régions à la fois au niveau de la fécondité et des systèmes de santé. On sait très peu des déterminants ou conséquences des différences régionales au niveau de la fertilité pour la vie des femmes et des transitions qui s'opèrent au niveau de la fécondité. Il est de plus en plus clair que la position qu'occupent les femmes dans la famille et dans la communauté a un impact majeur sur la fécondité au Nigéria mais les implications au niveau des politiques et des programmes ne sont toujours pas claires. La tache de la communauté des chercheurs dans les années à venir consistera à aborder la question de savoir comment la position des femmes peut être améliorée dans les sociétés qui refusent d'éduquer leurs filles et de permettre à leurs femmes de travailler hors du domicile conjugal