This edition of Perspectives contributes to the ongoing debate on infrastructure development in Africa by sharing snapshots of experience from around the continent, exploring questions about democratic participation, the role of human and environmental rights, and economic transformation.
What frustrations are causing the youth to turn to the streets? How do they mobilise today? Are conventional politics and parties able to attract young people or do they seek alternative ways to engage? How does their political participation manifest? Have they been successful? Are the youth a political force?
Building on the 2010 publication, Sudan – No Easy Ways Ahead, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung brought together a new group of authors to reflect on the challenges of the post-separation era.
What in your opinion is the state of the Somaliland and Somalia talks with regards to its timeliness, Somaliland preparedness, Process transparency, usefulness, the possible scenarios of its outcome? What are the complexities surrounding the Somaliland recognition and the way forward?
The articles in this issue of Perspectives seek to reflect on the extent to which African legislatures have taken steps that mark their shift from being the “weakest link” of government to stronger, independent institutions. In essence, we ask – do African Parliaments really occupy the privileged position accorded to them in representational democracies
Although there continues to be widespread popular support across the African continent for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its mandate to prosecute high-level individuals accused of perpetrating international crimes, strong anti-ICC sentiments are brewing among parts of Africa’s political elite and state actors.
This publication not only highlight regression in the various thematic spaces; reproductive health, religion, media, social and political movements as well as the state of constitutionalism, but also recommend interventions and concepts that can gear states towards an inclusive democracy.
Edited by Nanjala Nyabola and Marie- Emmanuelle Pommerolle, this collection captures some of the stories and experiences of women who particiapetd in the heated 2017 general election in Kenya. The stories shed light on the nuances and complexities facing women who choose to enter electoral politics in Kenya.
This issue of Perspectives provides insight into country-specific challenges and controversies with regards to women’s access to justice in selected sub-Saharan African states.
The manual enhances men’s knowledge on the link between masculinities, GBV and the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as equips them with practical skills for training other men on combating GBV and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Out of the eleven elections that have been held in Kenya since independence, the 2013 election will remain significant in Kenya’s electoral history. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 set the legal framework for promoting gender equality, which has seen a record eighty six woman elected and nominated to the eleventh Parliament. This number surpasses the total number of women representatives in the fifty years of independence combined. In the last ten parliaments, Kenya has had a total of eventy five women, fifty of them elected while the other 25 were nominated. With an increase from 9.8% to 19% representation, Kenya is now ranked 76th of the top 100 countries in the World Classification of Women in National Parliaments. The marked
Progress, a result of years of hard work by different stakeholders in the women’s movement, deserves celebration.
Despite global advances recognizing the principle of women’s political, economic and social equality, Kenyan women continue to be marginalized in many areas of society, especially in the sphere of leadership and decision making.
Kenya is a growing market for pesticides. According to the Agrochemical Association of Kenya (AAK), pesticide imports more than doubled between 2015 and 2018. Sales data shows that 76 percent of the total volume of pesticides used in the country contain one or more active ingredients that are categorized as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). Pesticides are classified as highly hazardous if they pose serious health risks or irreversible damage to the environment. Their potential to cause cancer, disrupt hormonal and nervous systems, lead to genetic defects or harm unborn children, are among the list of human health concerns being raised by civil society organizations.
The publication Meat Atlas sheds light on the impacts of meat and dairy production, and aims to catalyse the debate over the need for better, safer and more sustainable food and farming.
In view of the renaissance that fertilizer subsidies are experiencing in many tropical and subtropical countries, this study provides an overview of the economic and ecological barriers and of the potential for using mineral fertilizers in such regions.
The idea of growth as the way to end poverty and escape economic and financial crisis remains largely undisputed and is currently reflected in the concept of the green economy. But not everything that is “green” and efficient is also environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. This essay outlines a policy of less, of wealth in moderation, to enable the Earth’s resources to make a life of dignity and without need possible for all.
Although the world's population has reached seven billion people, there is sufficient food in the world to feed the global population. Still about 1 billion are undernourished. How can we feed the world? And what role do environmental issues in agriculture play?
The 2007–2008 world food price crisis caused political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. This was only the latest example for a functioning food system being an indispensable pillar of a stable economy and a society capable of reproducing itself. A new study outlines steps how the intergovernmental Committee on World Food Security could be expanded towards a politically relevant international steering committee.
“People and Power: Stories of Small Scale Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs in Kenya” documents 11 renewable energy projects that highlight the uptake of renewable energy in Kenya.
This edition of the Perspective brings with it a wealth of facts on renewable energy, green economies, climate change and reflects on the challenges different African nations and entities are faced with, in their quest for a self-sufficient and sustainable green society. It is a rich compilation of expert commentaries and contributions coming from different parts of Africa, telling African stories.
PIDA, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, is poised to be a game changer for the transformation of Africa. This publication describes PIDA's plan to double levels of investment in energy, water, and transportation mega-projects and the opportunities and risks these projects present, asking the big question: will PIDA accelerate the colonial patterns of resource extraction or foster the economic diversification required for Africa to prosper?
Finding a sustainable and affordable solution to the continent’s energy crisis, Africa has the chance to leapfrog dirty development pathways and power its economies and societies through renewable energy. The East African launch of this study on Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariffs comes at a time when Governments are directing their attention towards fossil fuels, neglecting the potential of renewable energy resources to profoundly transform societies and economies in the region.
This edition of Perspectives asks, “What are sustainable African cities?”. In so doing, it offers a snapshot of Africa’s urban sustainability challenges, ranging from tensions between heritage and urban renewal.
Drought-induced reduction in hydropower generation has become a persistent feature in the region’s electricity generation. Expanding decentralized renewable energies for electricity generation provides an important and cost-effective measure of adapation to climate change.
