DevDispatch Recommends: April 2023 Publications
It’s always interesting to track which themes take centre stage in the global development space each month, and for the month of April, the conversation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) caught our attention. Our April DevDispatch Recommends draws attention to some of the world’s most pressing matters including climate change, digital transformation, debt financing and migration.
Happy reading!
State of the Global Climate 2022
By World Meteorological Organization
A year after the State of the Global Climate 2021 report was released, this year’s edition paints another bleak picture. It gives an overview on key climate indicators including greenhouse gases, temperatures, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification, sea ice and glaciers. The publication states that the global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15 [1.02 — 1.28] °C above the 1850–1900 average, and that the years 2015 to 2022 were the eight warmest in the 173-year instrumental record. It also asserts that global mean sea level continued to rise in 2022, reaching a new record high for the satellite altimeter record (1993–2022), and that In East Africa, rainfall has been below average for five consecutive wet seasons, the longest sequence of this manner in 40 years. This bears socio-economic impacts including food insecurity and population displacements and sadly, vulnerable communities pay the highest price.
Meteorological and environmental departments as well as Ministries need to take heed of the indicators in this 55 paged report, in order to help minimise the grave impacts of climate change.
Powering Mobility: The rise of digital transportation in Africa
By GSMA
This 21 paged brief by GSMA puts forward a case for efficient transport systems as integral to growth and development, and how challenges in this sector are hindering the economic potential of African cities. The publication suggests that digital solutions play a key role in ensuring that transport services are affordable, effective, reliable and safe, and pave way for opportunities for public-private collaboration, such as data-sharing partnerships.
The report takes readers through challenges of Africa’s urban transport systems, offers digital transport solutions on the continent and shares case studies including digitalised payments in Kigali, data for planning by GoMetro, and e-mobility solutions by Ampersand, an energy and mobility start-up based in Rwanda.
All hands on deck are needed for African cities to make these transitions and we recommend this report for ICT Ministries, city councils, private sector and startups looking to offer solutions to develop digital transport solutions in their cities.
Migrants, Refugees, and Society
By The World Bank Group
Buckle up for this lengthy but groundbreaking work by the World Bank making a comprehensive analysis of international migration and its potential to serve as a force for growth and shared prosperity in all countries. The report offers a framework to manage the economic, societal, and human impacts of migration. It gives insight into the layered scope of migration by breaking down migration statistics including who moves, where to and why, and the changing patterns and risks of migration.
Some of the key takeaways of the report are that origin countries should actively manage migration for development, destination countries can also manage migration more strategically, and International cooperation is essential to turn migration into a strong force for development.
Home affairs and immigration policy makers will find 348 pages worth of valuable migration recommendations in this publication.
Reducing the cost of Finance for Africa: The Role of Sovereign Credit Ratings
By UNDP Africa
The report is centred on sovereign credit ratings assigned by The Big Three Credit Rating Agencies namely Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch and the role they play in facilitating realisation of sustainable development goals in emerging economies. The publication was pursued on the premise of African countries being hesitant to sign up for debt services due to fear of their countries’ sovereign credit rating being downgraded if they take on a significant amount of loans.
It gives an overview of sovereign credit ratings and the development process, the role of multinational organisations in assisting African countries with credit ratings, African sovereign borrowers and the international credit ratings, and presents a comparative analysis of sovereign debt ratings in Sub-Saharan African economies.
If you work in Economics and Finance, more importantly as a regulator, this publication is a great resource.
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Artificial Intelligence Practitioners Guide: Kenya
By GIZ and Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
For quick reads, check out these blog posts
Artificial Intelligence, dubbed a key driver for the fourth industrial revolution, has raised some concerns about what incorporation of the new technology means for job security. This publication features guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (AI) practitioners co-developed by GIZ and the AI community in Kenya. The guidelines work to offer an understanding of the AI landscape.
Some key recommendations of the report are that:
- AI policies should strive to provide for the rights of both individuals and communities
- Governments should encourage AI innovation by implementing policies that promote the establishment of regulatory sandboxes, provide tax incentives on AI investment, and provide scholarships to AI training institutions.
- There is a need for consultations, e.g., through public surveys, to find out possible areas of AI use and the impact of AI on citizens, and encourage workshops, public debates, and training with multiple AI experts and stakeholders.
- AI policies should provide for the rights of individuals and remedies for persons whose rights are violated due to AI systems, who miss out on opportunities and access to fundamental services, and who are generally negatively impacted by AI systems.
This insightful report contains 78 pages worth of important information for African ICT regulators
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Malawi Economic Monitor, December 2020 : Doing More with Less - Improving Service Delivery in Energy and Water
By the World Bank
The pandemic has induced a sharp recession in many countries across the globe. Malawi’s economy has been heavily affected, with growth projected at 1.0 percent in 2020, down from earlier projections of 4.8 percent. With population growth around 3.0 percent, this represents a 2.0 percent contraction in per capita GDP. Political stability has returned following the June 2020 Presidential elections, which should support investment. However, global and domestic factors emanating from the pandemic are affecting Malawi’s economy, including: 1) disruption in global value chains and trade and logistics; 2) decrease in tourism; and 3) decrease in remittances. This has combined with social distancing policies and behavior to also reduce domestic demand. The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) provides an analysis of economic and structural development issues in Malawi. The publication intends to foster better-informed policy analysis and debate regarding the key challenges that Malawi faces in its endeavor to achieve high rates of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Energizing health: accelerating electricity access in health-care facilities
By the World Health Organization (WHO), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), World Bank Group
This 240 paged report makes a case for renewable energy as a catalyst for universal health coverage, highlighting how access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, particularly electricity in health facilities, is critical to meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. It delves into what delivering healthcare in the climate change era looks like, techno-economic considerations for electrification of health-care facilities and shares case studies on India, Uganda and Nepal, to assess the state of electrification in the three countries.
Practitioners interested in energizing health will find this report insightful.
AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa
By the World Economic Forum, AfCFTA Secretariat
The report details how public-private partnerships can support the implementation of the AfCFTA. It outlines high-potential sectors eyed to facilitate the AfCFTA through high trade volumes including the automotive industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics. For each one, it highlights key trends and opportunities. One of the report’s go to chapters is an offering of operational tools for companies wishing to conduct operations in Africa.
Businesses within the continent and those wishing to invest in Africa should get hold of this 37 paged report.
Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021
By WHO
This report looks into how effective the strategies planned for 2016-2021 have been in the fight against HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. Progress has indeed been made despite the disruption of the global pandemic but in the same breath, there are still many targets that have not been reached. The number of new HIV infections has fallen by 23% to its lowest rate since 2010 with 1.7 million new infections in 2019 however this is far from the target of only 500 000 new infections.
Stigma and lack of resources to implement people-centred policies and services still remain the largest hindrance. COVID-19 severely affected the ability for people to get tested easily. This report analyses the success and shortfalls of each WHO region. The report recommends that the only way to try and get back on track is for governments to collaborate their efforts into universal health care systems beneficial for the most vulnerable.
This report is targeted at anyone who works with marginalised communities of people infected by HIV, hepatitis or any STIs and is also a good read for health care workers and policy makers. It is moderately long at 108 pages.
Mainstreaming gender in urban public transport
By Stockholm Environment Institute
Africa is the fastest urbanizing continent, yet walking still remains the most affordable mode of transport in urban areas. This is due to a lack of service provision. There is also a large gender inequality problem when it comes to transport both in operation and in use. This report seeks to shed light on the under researched matter of women’s participation in transport decision making and their use of public transport systems.
The report uses the case studies of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala by interviewing all members of society from taxi drivers to policy makers in the ministries of transport and transport planners. The report identifies accessibility and safety of public transport systems, sexual assault and harassment, lack of integrated and gender sensitive urban planning and underrepresentation as larger barriers towards gene=der mainstreaming in transport.
This report is the perfect short read for city and transport planners at only 40 pages.
Terrorism in the Sahel Facts and Figures
By NATO Strategic Direction- South, ACSRT
The fight against terrorism in the Sahel is still a major issue that deserves attention as the number of terrorist attacks has increased by 18.5% in 2020. This report analyses current and past data to show a conclusive analysis on the rate of terrorism. The largest threats come from the following terrorist groups Boko Haram, ISGS, JNIM and ISWAP and the most affected countries are Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
This analysis is taken in the form of quantitative analysis with a lot of informative graphs and infographics as well as qualitatively by looking at the types of attacks. The report concludes that 2020 has been the most intense year in terms of terrorism in the Sahel.
This report is target to all members defence ministries and counter-terrorism organisations. It is a very brief read with only 37 pages.