Nigeria's infrastructure plans face an uphill battle

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Plans ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Telecommunications Infrastructure ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Port Harcourt ◽  
Capital Spending ◽  
The Government

Subject Outlook for the infrastructure sector in Nigeria. Significance On December 22, President Muhammadu Buhari announced he would more than triple capital spending, from 557 billion naira (2.8 billion dollars) in 2015 to 1.8 trillion in 2016. It forms part of wider plans to stimulate GDP growth (which has slumped from 6.3% in 2014 to 4.0% in 2015) by raising infrastructure investment, notably via a new dedicated 4.98-trillion-naira infrastructure fund. Impacts Airport privatisation, scheduled for 2016, will fail to improve management and funding, unless accompanied by sound business plans. Rapid urbanisation will place growing pressure on sanitation infrastructure in major urban areas such as Lagos and Port Harcourt. If the government opts to reduce cash payments to Niger Delta militants, they may resume attacks on oil pipeline infrastructure. Threats from Boko Haram in the north-east will limit prospects for expanding telecommunications infrastructure there.

Mali peace process advances despite terrorism

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Far East ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Municipal Elections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
The Government ◽  
Financial Power

Subject Progress on the peace agreement. Significance The decentralisation of political and financial power to appointed interim councils for the five regions of northern Mali is a key element of the 2015 peace deal for northern Mali. The government finally took this key step in mid-October, awarding key posts to the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), which had been fighting for autonomy. This may bind the group more strongly into implementation of the peace deal. Impacts The long delayed municipal elections will be a key test of opposition parties' political strength. Jihadist groups will continue their campaign of violence in the north-east, including raids into Niger. Community grievances and jihadism will fuel continuing local violence in Mopti region in central Mali. The UN peacekeeping force will try to strengthen manpower and equipment, but may find it hard to attract high-tech military contributors. The UN force will also open a base in Menaka, in the far east, to counter the resurgent jihadist threat in this area.

The challenges facing poverty alleviation and financial inclusion in North-East Kenya Province (NEKP)

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 2208-2223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abd elrhman Elzahi Saaid Ali
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Telecommunications Network ◽  
The Government

Purpose Poverty alleviation is one of the most compelling challenges facing Kenya today. It is not only widespread but it is also steadily rising. This highlights the need for sustainable solutions to poverty particularly through microfinance. This research investigated the case of North Eastern Kenya Province. The purpose of this paper is to explore the unique micro-level challenges that are faced by poverty alleviation programs adopted by microfinance institutions operating in this region. Design/methodology/approach The study used structured questionnaires to collect primary data. The sample covered 600 respondents randomly selected from three counties, namely, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit. Three focus group discussions comprising 24 participants held to facilitate a deeper understanding of the challenges of poverty among the North Eastern Province’s communities when alleviated through micro-finance. Findings The results reveal that the illiteracy due to the weakness of education and the unfavorable basic and financial infrastructures such as roads, telecommunications network represents the most important challenges that may affect the success of micro-finance programs. Research limitations/implications These results recommend that both conventional and Islamic micro-finance might contribute positively for poverty alleviation for the poorest Kenyan region if the challenges are mitigated. Practical implications The study provides policy recommendations for the Kenya Government and the conventional and Islamic banks in Kenya to provide the expected support for the poorest area in the country. Social implications The result of this research might help the government, micro-finance providers and the donors to assist in alleviating the poverty of the Northern Kenyan community. Originality/value To overcome the challenges of alleviating poverty in the region of Northern Kenya.

scholarly journals Generating Self-Employment Opportunities in North-East India: Challenges Faced by the Self-Help Groups

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
North East India ◽  
Cascading Effect ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Government ◽  
Self Help Groups

The Government has put in place policies and programmes to alleviate urban poverty. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are the facilitators to reduce poverty in their respective areas. Urban Self-Help Groups (SHGs) aim at sustainable employment for their members. But they face many challenges during their day-to-day activities. The present study aims at identifying the issues, challenges or problems faced by SHGs in the urban areas of the State of Tripura. It relates to urban areas of Tripura, a small hilly state in the North-East India, for which 14 ULBs out of 20 have been selected from all the eight districts. Based on a sample size of 353 SHGs, the study shows that women SHG members have to face internal or organizational challenges and external ones in running SHGs having a cascading effect to their income level, which is not sufficient enough to cross the poverty line sustainably. The paper has also recommended certain solutions to the problems.

Start-up motives and challenges facing female entrepreneurs in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nsubili Isaga
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Research on women-owned business is more extensive in developed countries than in developing countries and such one cannot compare the results. This paper aims to examine the motives of women in Tanzania (a less developed country) to start their own businesses and the challenges they faced in running their businesses. Design/methodology/approach Based on 400 response to a semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interview with 20 female entrepreneurs. Subsequently, descriptive and factors analysis were performed to analyze the data Findings Based on survey responses, the primary reason for starting a business was to create employment for the woman herself. Other motives include supplementing income and enabling women to be able to do the kind of work they wanted to do. According to the factor analysis, female entrepreneurs are driven more by push factors than pull factors. The most serious problems faced by female entrepreneurs are lack of access to finance, gender-related problems and social and cultural commitments. Research limitations/implications The sample was selected from urban areas of only three regions, out of 26 regions in Tanzania. Researchers may extend the study to other regions; also, the non-probability sampling method used in this study essentially means that there is a limitation to the extent to which the research findings can be generalized to the rest of the population of female entrepreneurs in Tanzania. Practical implications Policy makers, financial institutions and all organization that have a stake on development on female entrepreneurs in Tanzania should design policies and programs that encourage and promote the creation and growth of businesses. Collective efforts from the government, public and private institutions and NGOs are needed to eliminate the challenges, especially gender-related problems. Practical implications By studying female owner-managers’ motivations and constraints, the author suggests that to a greater extent, gender-related problems, social and cultural commitments and access to finance and networks are the constraints faced by female entrepreneurs. Originality/value The research on female entrepreneurs in the context of Tanzania is scarce, this study responds to a need of better understanding women motivations and constraints. By studying these factors, this study shows that startup motives and constraints faced by female entrepreneurs are unique to different contexts.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Security Architecture of North East Asia

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 273
Author(s):  
Michael J Kelly ◽  
Sean Watts
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
East Asia ◽  
North Korea ◽  
The United States ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
Collective Security ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cold War

In the aftermath of the Cold War, many began to question the continuing efficacy, or at least call for reform, of collective security structures such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations Security Council. Yet, North East Asia never enjoyed a formal, institutionalised collective security structure. As Russia and the United States recede and China emerges in North East Asia, this article questions whether now is the time to consider such an arrangement. Financially, Japan and South Korea are locked into a symbiotic relationship with China (as is the United States), while the government in Beijing continues to militarise and lay territorial and maritime claims to large areas of the region. Moreover, the regime in North Korea, with its new nuclear capabilities, remains unpredictable. Consequently, central components to the question of collective security in North East Asia are the equally vexing questions of what to do about North Korea and whether a new formalised security arrangement would include or exclude the People's Republic of China.

Addressing the “gender gap” in the managerial labour market

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 942-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooran Wynarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Glass Ceiling ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Model Platform

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the “gender management gap” in the scientific labour market in the North East of England. The paper seeks to compare and contrast employment, ownership, management structure and capacity between men and women in the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) sector.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical investigation is based on a survey of 60 SET‐based small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), operating in the North East of England.FindingsThe results show that women are particularly under‐represented in managerial and senior positions of scientific nature in the private sector in the North East of England. The “glass ceiling” effect appears to be widespread.Research limitations/implicationsThere are very limited empirical data and research on the nature and level of participation of women in the scientific managerial labour market at firm level in the UK. There is a need for more rigorous research at firm and regional levels to examine the cumulative effects of underlying factors that prevent women from progression, beyond the “glass ceiling”, in the scientific labour market.Practical implicationsThis paper builds upon a research project funded by the ESRC Science in Society Programme. The key findings have resulted in a subsequent award from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Grants to establish the “North East Role Model Platform for Innovative Women” in the light of the Science City Initiative.Originality/valueThe “gender management gap” in the scientific labour market in the North East of England has not, empirically, been investigated before and appears to be a highly neglected area of public policy and research.

scholarly journals “The way things get done around here…” Exploring spatial biographies, social policy and governance in the North East of England

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 655-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Warren
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Health Related

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to argue that the application of social policy in the North East of England is often characterised by tension and conflict. The agencies and professionals charged with implementation of Westminster driven policies constantly seek to deploy their knowledge of local conditions in order to make them both practical and palatable. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the region via established literature from history, geography, sociology and social policy. The paper gives illustrations via empirical work which has evaluated initiatives to improve the health of long term health-related benefit recipients and to sustain individuals in employment in the region. Findings Central to the paper’s argument is the notion of “biographies of place”. The core of this idea is that places have biographies in the same way as individuals and possess specific identities. These biographies have been shaped by the intersections between environment, history, culture and economic and social policy. The paper identifies the region’s economic development, subsequent decline and the alliance of labour politics and industrial employers around a common consensus that sought economic prosperity and social progress via a vision of “modernisation” as a key component of this biography. Originality/value The paper argues that an appreciation of these spatial biographies can result in innovative and more effective social policy interventions with the potential to address issues that affect entire localities.

Nigeria's security chiefs may not ease north-east woes

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Displaced Persons ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North West ◽  
Border Regions ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
General Elections

Significance Although many recent jihadist attacks have occurred in border regions with Niger (to the north of Borno State) or Cameroon (to the east of Borno and neighbouring Adamawa State), the Maiduguri attack underscores that security in Borno’s major towns is tenuous. Impacts Already faltering efforts to resettle displaced persons could be further complicated if the security situation degrades in Maiduguri. The new service chiefs’ attention will be overstretched as they also attempt to respond to worsening insecurity in the north-west. With general elections in 2023, there is no immediate political outlet for public frustration with authorities’ poor handling of security.

Evaluation of access to electricity and the socioeconomic effects in rural and urban expanses of Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toluwalope Ogunro ◽  
Luqman Afolabi
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Government ◽  
Electricity Access

PurposeRecently, multidimensional aspects of poverty has been increasingly focused on which includes education, economy and health, while access to modern energy such as stable electricity is also one of the possible solution; thus, this article aims to divulge the relation between access to electricity and progression in socioeconomic status in urban and rural areas of Nigeria in an attempt to propose a sustainable framework for access to electricity.Design/methodology/approachDemographic and health survey data are collected using four categories of model of questionnaires. A standard questionnaire was designed to gather information on features of the household's dwelling element and attributes of visitors and usual residents between the 2018 period. Biomarker questionnaire was used to gather biomarker data on men, women and children. Logistic model estimation technique was employed to estimate the socioeconomic factors affecting access to electricity in Nigeria.FindingsThese studies discovered that there are diverse set of factors affecting access to electricity in Nigeria especially in the rural areas. However, respondent residing in rural areas are still largely deprived access to electricity; most importantly, households with no access to electricity are more likely to use self-generating sets as revealed. Additionally, empirical findings indicated that the higher the level of your education and wealth, the higher the likelihood of having access to electricity in Nigeria. These factors included political will to connect the rural areas to the national grid, development of other infrastructures in those deprived areas and others.Practical implicationsThe problem confronting access to electricity in Nigeria has three components. The first is the significance of those deprived access to electricity in the rural areas and the physical resources needed to connect them to the national grid. The second is the political willingness of the government to have equitable distribution of public goods evenly between rural and urban areas especially on electricity access which will go a long way in reducing poverty in Nigeria. The third is lack of robust national development plans and strategy to tackle the problems facing electricity access in Nigeria.Social implicationsAs the rate of socioeconomic status/development increases, access to electricity is anticipated to rise up in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe findings can be used by the policy makers to address problems facing access to electricity in Nigeria.

Gilberto Freyre and the Politics of Culture, 1930–1980

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lúcia Pallares-Burke
Keyword(s):  
Political Career ◽  
American Experience ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Constituent Assembly ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The Government ◽  
Brazilian Identity ◽  
Brazilian Culture

Although his views on the subject were changeable and difficult to define, Gilberto Freyre was interested in politics from his youth onwards. He had a brief political career as assistant to the Governor of Pernambuco (1926–1930) and as a deputy in the Constituent Assembly (1946–1950), where he spoke for the North East. He had what he called a “quasi-political” career as a journalist for most of his long life and he was also a cultural manager who founded or supported institutions that spread the ideas he believed in. More importantly, his central interests and ideas had political implications. He was accused of “Bolshevism” for his emphasis on the African element in Brazilian culture. His regionalism embodied a protest against centralization and standardization. His lifelong interest in architecture included a concern with housing for the poor that was hygienic and environmentally friendly, and also with the conservation of colonial buildings to serve as an inspiration for a Brazilian style of modern architecture. As a scholar, Freyre supported what he called the “tropicalization” of the social sciences, freeing them from generalizations based simply on European and North American experience. His view of Brazil in terms of culture instead of race implied that the government should be concerned with the health and education of the poor rather than with “whitening” the country by encouraging immigration from Europe. His idea that mixture was the core of Brazilian identity was taken up by governments from Vargas to Lula, while his idea of “Luso-Tropicalism,” claiming that the Portuguese were more flexible and benevolent colonizers than other nations, was used as a defense against critics of colonialism by the Salazar regime.

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