African Development ReviewEarly View INTRODUCTION The Impact of Russia–Ukraine Conflict on African Economies: An Introduction John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu [email protected] Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte D'Ivoire Correspondence: John C. Anyanwu ([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami African Development Institute, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte D'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu [email protected] Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte D'Ivoire Correspondence: John C. Anyanwu ([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami African Development Institute, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte D'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author First published: 10 January 2025 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12791Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookxLinkedInRedditWechat References African Development Bank Group. n.d. "Supporting African Countries Through a Global Food Crisis: The African Development Bank's African Emergency Food Production Facility." https://www.afdb.org/sites/default/files/news_documents/african_development_bank_group_africa_food_emergency_production_plan_summary_copy-v2.pdf. Google Scholar African Development Bank (AfDB). 2022. "African Development Bank Board Approves $1.5 billion Facility to Avert Food Crisis." https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/african-development-bank-board-approves-15-billion-facility-avert-food-crisis-51716#:~:text=The%20price%20of%20wheat%20has,bread%20and%20other%20food%20items. Google Scholar African Export-Import Bank. 2024. Burden in Africa 2024: Debt Dynamics and Mounting Vulnerability. Cairo: African Export-Import Bank. 10.1787/df06c7a4-en Google Scholar Ben Hassen, T., and H. El Bilali. 2024. "Conflict in Ukraine and the Unsettling Ripples: Implications on Food Systems and Development in North Africa." Agriculture & Food Security 13: 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-024-00467-3. 10.1186/s40066-024-00467-3 Google Scholar Chandler, B. 2022. Russia - Ukraine Crisis Impact on Africa. London and Dakar: Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Google Scholar Elbadawi, I. 2023. "Resilience Building in Africa: Navigating Shocks and Policy Implications." Presentation at Side-Event of IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings, October 10. Google Scholar Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). 2011. "Women in Agriculture; Closing Gender Gap for Development." Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. https://www.fao.org/4/i2050e/i2050e.pdf. Google Scholar Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). 2024. Committee On Commodity Problems. Rome, Italy: FAO. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/e379efe6-a955-4ffc-bb53-0c9a89f11f1a/content. Google Scholar Headey, and Hirvonen. 2022. Note That Russia and Ukraine Account for More Than 30% of Global Grain Exports, Russia Alone Provides 13% of Global Fertiliser and 11% of Oil Exports, and Ukraine Supplies Half of the World's Sunflower Oil. [Headey, D., and K. Hirvonen. 2022. "Russia's War on Ukraine Is Creating a Global Food Crisis. Here Are 3 Ways to Tackle It." March 31, World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/03/a-food-crisis-was-brewing-even-before-the-ukraine-war-but-taking-these-three-steps-could-help-the-most-vulnerable]. Google Scholar Hebebrand, C., and J. W. Glauber. 2023. " The Russia-Ukraine War After a Year: Impacts on Fertilizer Production, Prices, and Trade Flows." IFPRI Book Chapters. In The Russia-Ukraine Conflict and Global Food Security, Chapter 43, edited by J. Glauber and D. Laborde, p. 8. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), October, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar International Monetary Fund. 2023. Regional Economic Outlook. Washington, DC: IMF, Sub-Saharan Africa, April. Google Scholar International Monetary Fund. 2024. World Economic Outlook: Policy Pivot, Rising Threats. Washington, DC, October: International Monetary Fund, October. Google Scholar Laborde, D. 2023. "Food & Fertilizer Export Restrictions Tracker." https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/laborde6680/viz/ExportRestrictionsTracker/FoodExportRestrictionsTracker?publish=yes. Google Scholar Ngepah, N. 2023. Food Security Effects of Food and Agricultural Inputs Trade Shocks From the Russia-Ukraine Region in South Africa and Mozambique: Exploring the Roles of the Maputo Corridor, SADC, and Continental Sources. Nairobi: AERC Working Paper IWU-CC-003, AERC. Google Scholar Raga, S., H. Bohlmann, A. Lemma, et al. 2024. Impact of the Russia–Ukraine War on Africa: Policy Implications for Navigating Shocks and Building Resilience. London: ODI Synthesis Report. ODI. https://odi.org/en/publications/impact-of-the-russia-ukraine-war-onafrica-policy-implications-for-navigating-shocks-and-buildingresilience. Google Scholar UN Women. 2024. "Commission-on-the-Status-of-Women." https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures. Google Scholar United Nations. 2024. Unpacking Africa's Debt: Towards a Lasting and Durable Solution. New York: United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA). Google Scholar World Bank. 2024a. International Debt Report 2024. Washington, DC: World Bank. 10.1596/978-1-4648-2148-6 Google Scholar World Bank. 2024b. Commodity Price Data (Pinksheet). Washington, DC: World Bank, December. Google Scholar Zaki, C., A. Alhelo, and K. Suliman. 2023. "Trade, Food Security, and the War in Ukraine: The Cases of Egypt and Sudan." ERF Working Paper 1659, Giza. Google Scholar Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue ReferencesRelatedInformation

The precarious nature of climate change and its consequences on the resilience of economies require examination. This study investigated climate change resilience in the "big three" economies in Africa-Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa-using macroeconomic data. Results indicated that Nigeria had the highest vulnerability score and South Africa had the highest resilience score. Readiness for climate change was low in all countries, especially in Nigeria. Climate vulnerability had a significant dampening effect on per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the three economies. In addition, reducing inflation is associated with increased welfare and resilience by raising per capita GDP, although the effect needs to be magnified with sound economic policies. The low adaptive capacity presents policy direction to develop human resource capacities, improve safety net delivery, and ensure effective early warning systems.

African Development ReviewVolume 34, Issue S1 p. S1-S7 INTRODUCTION Financing Africa's post-COVID-19 development: An introduction John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu anyanwujc@yahoo.com Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence John C. Anyanwu, Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: anyanwujc@yahoo.comSearch for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this authorAdamon N. Mukasa, Adamon N. Mukasa Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu anyanwujc@yahoo.com Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence John C. Anyanwu, Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: anyanwujc@yahoo.comSearch for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this authorAdamon N. Mukasa, Adamon N. Mukasa Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research Department, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 August 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12662Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume34, IssueS1Supplement: Special Issue on The African Economic Conference 2021: “Financing Africa's Post-COVID-19 Development”June/Juin 2022Pages S1-S7 RelatedInformation

The COVID-19 pandemic comes as Africa still struggles to ensure its population's food security and erad-icate malnutrition, hunger, and starvation. Africa significantly lags other regions in turning its agri-food trade into a catalyst for economic growth and structural transformation. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing economic disruptions offer opportunities that African countries could leverage by promoting a vibrant intra-African food trade and market integration. In particular, commitments to harmonizing food trade rules and policies and both tariff and non-tariff barriers by coordinating policies across Africa's Regional Economic Communities could prove to be game-changers. The recently ratified African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) offers an excellent opportunity to enhance food mar-ket integration and boost intra-African food trade. (c) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

African Development ReviewVolume 33, Issue S1 p. S1-S16 INTRODUCTION The impact of COVID-19 on African economies: An introduction John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu [email protected] Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence John C. Anyanwu, Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan 01 BP 1387 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author John C. Anyanwu, Corresponding Author John C. Anyanwu [email protected] Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence John C. Anyanwu, Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan 01 BP 1387 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAdeleke O. Salami, Adeleke O. Salami Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 May 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12531Citations: 22Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat REFERENCES African Development Bank (2020). African Economic Outlook 2020-Supplement: Amid COVID-19, African Development Bank, Abidjan. Google Scholar African Development Bank (2021a, February 7). Weekly Data Flash on COVID-19 in Africa1: The situation as of Sunday. Statistics Department (ECST), African Development Bank, Abidjan. Google Scholar African Development Bank (2021b, March 28). Weekly Data Flash on COVID-19 in Africa1: The situation as of Sunday. Statistics Department (ECST), African Development Bank, Abidjan. Google Scholar African Development Bank (2021c). African Economic Outlook 2021—from debt resolution to growth: The road ahead for Africa. African Development Bank, Abidjan. Google Scholar African Markets (Online) (2021). African stock markets performance. https://www.african-markets.com/en/ Google Scholar Binggeli, U., Constantin, M., & Pollack, E. (2020, October 20). COVID-19 tourism spend recovery in numbers. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-transport-infrastructure/our-insights/covid-19-tourism-spend-recovery-in-numbers Google Scholar International Civil Aviation Organization (Online) Air traffic dashboards. https://www.icao.int/sustainability/Pages/COVID-19-Air-Traffic-Dashboard.aspx Google Scholar International Labor Organization (2020, May 20). ILO-UNESCO-WBG Joint Survey on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Skills Development during the time of COVID-19. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/genericdocument/wcms_742817.pdf Google Scholar International Monetary Fund (Online) (2021a, March 5). Primary commodity prices updated. International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC. https://www.imf.org/en/Research/commodity-prices Google Scholar International Monetary Fund. (2021b, January). Fiscal monitor update. International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC. Google Scholar Lakner, C., Yonzan, N., Mahler, D. G., Aguilar, R. A. C., & Wu, H. (2021). Updated estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global poverty: Looking back at 2020 and the Outlook for 2021. 11 January 2021. Washington, DC: World Bank. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-looking-back-2020-and-outlook-2021?cid=ECR_E_NewsletterWeekly_EN_EXT%26deliveryName=DM90562 Google Scholar PriceWatersCoopers Incorporated (2021, February). African capital markets watch 2020. Waterfall City, Jukskei Wiew, South Africa. Google Scholar United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2020a). World Investment Report 2020: International production beyond the pandemic. UNCTAD. 10.18356/920f7642-en Google Scholar United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2020b, December 8). Global merchandise trade nowcast December 2020. UNCTAD/GDS/DSI/MISC/2020/8 Google Scholar United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2021, January 24). Global FDI down 42% in 2020: Further weaknesses expected in 2021. Risking sustainable recovery (Investment Trends Monitor). Geneva: UNCTAD. Google Scholar United Nations World Tourism Organization. (2021a, 28 January). 2020: Worst year in tourism history with 1 billion fewer international arrivals. News Release. UNWTO, Madrid. Google Scholar United Nations World Tourism Organization (2021b, January). COVID-19 and tourism 2020: A year in review. UNWTO, Madrid. Google Scholar World Health Organization Online. (2021) WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard (Online). https://covid19.who.int/ Google Scholar World Bank. (2020, October). Phase II: COVID-19 crisis through a migration lens (Migration and Development Brief 33). Washington, DC: World Bank. Google Scholar World Bank (2021a). Global economic prospects. World Bank. Google Scholar World Bank (2021b, January 22). Urgent, effective action required to quell the impact of COVID-19 on education worldwide. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2021/01/22/urgent-effective-action-required-to-quell-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-education-worldwide?cid=ECR_E_NewsletterWeekly_EN_EXT%26deliveryName=DM91493 Google Scholar Citing Literature Volume33, IssueS1Supplement: Special Issue on The impact of COVID‐19 on African EconomiesApril/avril 2021Pages S1-S16 ReferencesRelatedInformation

African Development ReviewVolume 32, Issue S1 p. S1-S4 INTRODUCTION Fostering jobs, entrepreneurship and capacity development for African youths: An introduction Adeleke O. Salami, Corresponding Author Adeleke O. Salami a.salami@afdb.org Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence Adeleke O. Salami, Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Avenue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan, 01, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: a.salami@afdb.orgSearch for more papers by this authorAdamon N. Mukasa, Adamon N. Mukasa Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author Adeleke O. Salami, Corresponding Author Adeleke O. Salami a.salami@afdb.org Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Correspondence Adeleke O. Salami, Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Avenue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan, 01, Côte d'Ivoire. Email: a.salami@afdb.orgSearch for more papers by this authorAdamon N. Mukasa, Adamon N. Mukasa Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department, African Development Bank Group, Abidjan, Côte d'IvoireSearch for more papers by this author First published: 04 January 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12492Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume32, IssueS1Supplement: Special Issue on Jobs, Entrepreneurship and Capacity Development for African YouthsNovember/Novembre 2020Pages S1-S4 RelatedInformation

Employing cross-sectional data from 360 rice farmers selected from three states in South West Nigeria, the study analyzes the impact of credit demand on the productivity of rice farmers. An Endogenous Switching Regression Model (ESRM) that accounts for both heterogeneity and sample selection biases were used to estimate the impact of credit demand on rice productivity in South West Nigeria. In addition, a Tobit regression model was employed to measure the level of participation of rice farmers in the credit market. The result of the first stage (probit model) of the ESRM revealed that household assets, access to service, climate variables, regional variables, and transaction cost are statistically significant in influencing farmers’ credit demand decision. The results of the second stage of the ESRM indicate factors such as household assets and access to service were statistically significant in explaining variations in rice productivity among participants and non-participants in the credit market. Furthermore, the results of the Tobit model showed that the farmers’ location income from rice farming experience, interest rate, and distance to the source of credit are statistically significant determinants of the amount of credit received. These findings suggest that facilitating farmers’ access to credit will improve rice productivity. Therefore, it is imperative for government and development partner to work together in order to improve the conditions for suitable agricultural credit access to rice farmers, especially a review of interest rates. A necessary addition should be developed to the assistance already being provided under Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in the form of loan guarantees and other risk-sharing incentives, such as a regulatory environment that supports the modern contractual obligations that are characteristic of well-functioning agricultural financing. This would not only contribute to the intensification of rice production in Nigeria to meet its increasing rice demand, but also improve rice farmers’ productivity and their households’ incomes.

This study provides empirical insights on the functioning of regional trade agreements within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by identifying bilateral trade barriers that affect the extent of trade flows among member countries. Also, it highlights some trade barrier indicators that are rarely covered in extant studies, such as the multilateral resistance term, the extent of trade complementarity, and the presence of economic integration agreements among ECOWAS member countries. We then provide augmented gravity model estimation on the determinants of bilateral trade in the region. We find, among other things, that trade complementarity had a positive and significant effect on bilateral trade within the sub‐region region. Other important determinants of intra‐regional trade include multilateral trade resistance and economic integration agreements — meaning that countries with some kind of agreement like the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) tend to trade more among themselves than other member countries.

Africa has achieved unprecedented economic growth over the past two decades and is experiencing its longest period of sustained economic growth since the 1960s. The growth rate has not only accelerated, but also spread geographically. In 2015, average real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.5 percent, higher than the global average of 3.1 percent, and the Eurozone average of 1.5 percent (Figure 1). During the same year, five African countries were among the world’s 10 fastest-growing countries with real GDP growth of 7 percent or higher2. In spite of global and regional headwinds that have characterized the recent global economic landscape, Africa’s economic performance has remained resilient and its mid-term prospects appear favorable. This has ushered in hopes for the continent's development prospects and its place as a new driving force of world’s growth.

Economic growth in Africa has been accelerating for the past two decades. The continent enjoyed sustained economic growth registering an annual average growth of more than 5 percent. This episode of rapid economic growth, where four out of ten fastest growing economies in the world in the past ten years were African countries, undoubtedly kindled high hopes for a continent, which had been painted as hopeless and backward just two decades ago. Instead, the recent discourse has been dominated by the “Africa Rising” narrative, with significant shift in the sentiment towards the prospect of prosperous Africa. This episode of economic expansion was primarily driven by favorable commodity prices, particularly of oil, minerals, and agricultural products. For a continent whose extractive sector constitutes one-third of the GDP and oil exporting countries account for over half of the GDP, this has indeed been a favorable period. What is more encouraging is that, driven by non-traditional sectors, such as manufacturing and services, growth has also been relatively balanced in many African countries. In addition to the extractive industry and quarrying, agriculture, services, and to some extent manufacturing played significant roles in the buoyant economic performance registered in the past decade and half. Amid the optimism, however, there is a subtle cautionary tale. Growth has been jobless, poverty remains stubbornly high, and the benefits of growth have not been shared equally among Africans as high and widespread inequalities persist. Growth in Africa has been largely without jobs. Studies find that even in the fastest growing countries, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, the responsiveness of formal employment to growth is very low with 1 percent GDP growth having resulted in less than 0.4 percent growth in total employment (Figure 1). Although, poverty rate declined from 56.7 percent in 1990 to 42.7 percent in 2012, the absolute number of poor people living below the poverty line of US$ 1.25 per day increased from 330 million to 390 million. For 24 African countries, for instance, poverty decreased by an average of about only 0.77 percentage points per annum. Similarly, inequality has been pervasive, ranging from an estimated Gini coefficient of 30 to 60. In addition, statistics show that among 28 Sub-Saharan African countries, more than 40 percent of total income is controlled by the richest 20 percent of the population while the poorest 20 percent gets less than 9 percent. Moreover, owing mainly to global headwinds,

The impact of development aid on employment in Africa is investigated using a set of projects implemented by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the last 20 years. The results indicate a heterogeneous effect of aid. Projects directed at productive sectors, mainly those that focus on financing small-scale enterprises and microcredit institutions, tend to have the largest employment impact than those focusing on health and education. More importantly, the implied employment effect of AfDB projects is much larger than the potential employment that could be deduced from the aid-growth-employment nexus using macro data, particularly in the last decade. This could be due to the shift in the focus of development assistance away from productive sectors over this period. If inclusive development is the overarching objective of development assistance, then there may be a need to revisit the current allocation of aid to different uses.

With a large part of the population not having access to modern energy services in their daily life, energy poverty remains one of the most pressing development challenges on the African continent.Africa's fossil fuel resources as well as its renewable energy potential can serve as the means to achieve this.For Africa's social and economic development in the 21 st century, however, the benchmark for these sources is to deliver energy that is affordable, reliable and sustainable.The following study offers a comparison between the two energy sources according to economic, social and environmental indicators.As the analysis shows, renewable energy technologies increasingly become the preferred option for Africa's energy challenge.The study then concludes with a description of policies for African countries to realize the up-scaling of these technologies.

This paper compares countries' performance in the water and sanitation sector and analyzes how effectively they used the development aid targeted for this sector. These analyses are validated by presentation of the water and sanitation situation of four case-study countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and Uganda. The paper also utilizes the innovative Watsan Index of Development Effectiveness, which compares drivers of progress with results achieved and ranks African countries by the level of outcome obtained per unit of available input in the four case-study countries.

Despite recent interest in the interplay between institutions and economic growth, country studies in developing countries particularly relating to planning has not been given considerable attention. This forms the main motivation for this study, which evaluates the economic planning in Nigeria and discusses how institutions play influential roles on the kind of economic outcomes emanating from planning. It draws comparative analyses from Botswana and South Korea based on the fact that Nigeria had similar planning trajectory as they all had regular fixed-term development plans in the 1960s and 1970s. Nigeria had her five-year development plans the same time with South Korea starting with the 1st phase (1962-1966). Whereas South Korea’s five-year plans continued, that of Nigeria was truncated in 1985 with the advent of Structural Adjustment Programme. Institutions in Botswana and South Korea have also been noted as key for their economic development. The study underscores the need for Nigeria to pursue the improvement her institutions that will provide supportive role to planning as any planning void of adequate institutional ‘pillars’ will not deliver the expected development outcomes irrespective of the coverage and how well nuanced. Thus, it is not that Nigeria planned to fail nor failed to plan but the failure associated with her planning paradigms is weak institutions, among others.

OBJECTIVE:The objective was to determine the incidence of bladder stones in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess if catheter encrustation or positive urinary culture of Proteus mirabilis is predictive of bladder stones. BACKGROUND:Bladder stones are common urological complication in those with SCI managed with indwelling urinary catheter. Detection and removal of bladder stones are important to prevent possible further complications. DESIGN:This was a prospective cohort study. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Ultrasound scan was performed in persons with SCI seen from 1st January to 31st December 2009 who had indwelling urethral catheter for at least 3-month post-injury. Indwelling urethral catheters were examined for encrustation at the time of removal, urine culture taken specifically for P. mirabilis and ultrasound scan done to detect bladder stones. RESULTS:There were 89 patients with spinal cord injury and 68 (76.4%) patients were evaluated during the review period. Twenty-nine (42.6%) patients had bladder stones and 22 (32.3%) patients had catheter encrustation. Of the 22 patients with catheter encrustation, 19 (86.3%) also had bladder stones. Forty-six (67.6%) patients had no catheter encrustation. Of these, 7 (14.7%) were found to have bladder stones. Thirty-seven (38.2%) urine cultures were positive for P. mirabilis. Of these 37 (54.4%) patients, 27 also had bladder stones. Catheter encrustation (P = 0.004) and a positive urine culture of P. mirabilis (P = 0.007) in patients with indwelling urinary catheter is highly predictive of the presence of bladder stone. CONCLUSIONS:This study shows that a large number of SCI patients have an indwelling urethral catheter and suggests that ultrasound scan for the presence of stone should be schedule in a catheterized SCI patient if catheter encrustation or a positive urine culture of P. mirabilis is noted.

Africa’s growth outlook remains optimistic after the strong economic rebound from the global financial crisis. The region experienced an increase in annual GDP growth to 4.8% in 2010 from 3.1% in the previous year and is expected to average over 5% in 2011. The soaring global demand for commodities is arguably a key driver of the enhanced GDP growth during 2010. Prices for oil, minerals, grain and other raw materials continue to rise. In February 2011, the IMF commodity index increased by 4.5% over the previous month, spurred by energy and metal prices. Due to the endowment of such natural resources, many African countries have enjoyed short run gains from these price increases. On the contrary, rising global food prices continue to be a major concern for inflationary trends and increased food insecurity for most countries in the region particularly for net food importing countries.

The health care sector depends to a large extent on human labour. Poor workers’ motivation can greatly affect health outcomes and patient safety. This study examines the influences of motivation on the performance of health care workers using University of llorin Teaching Hospital as case study. 150 questionnaires were administered out which 105 were returned. 59.05% of the workers experienced general satisfaction with their current jobs. The effect of compensation system on staff performance was determined using Tobit regression analysis and it was deduced that motivational indexes like age and management-staff relationship positively affected the performance of the workers with coefficients of 0.305, 0.157 and 0.156 respectively while years of experience and gender have negative relationships with performance with coefficients of -0.806, 0.003 and -0.022 respectively. The result of f-ratio for Tobit regression model was 4.38 at 1% significant level which shows that motivational system positively affect performance of health care workers. It was concluded that motivation systems [monetary and non-monetary] would increase health workers performance if it is well implemented.