DevDispatch Recommends: July 2021 Publications

Welcome to another exciting edition of DevDispatch Recommends (DDR). This has been an interesting month with the Olympics taking front stage in the global arena. However, the global development sector has not slowed down one bit. This month we cover topics from the global state of the HIV epidemic, sustainable agriculture to the status of connectivity in Africa.

Enjoy tucking into our July selection!

Talent on the Move: Listening to children and young people on the move to unlock their potential

By UNICEF

There are many drivers which impact the global immigration crisis including economic desperation, conflict, violence, political persecution and disaster. With an estimated 281 million migrants worldwide, 1 in 5 are young people and over 36 million are children. Finding employment is already difficult enough without the added stress of one’s legal status, unrecognised credentials and lack of peer support. This large and growing number of young migrants creates a pool of untapped potential of individuals who are highly motivated and are resilient after facing many hardships.

This report takes a look at all the factors that force young people to migrate and the barriers they face in host countries. The profiles of a diverse group of young migrants are shared from the DRC to Iraq. These profiles highlight the fields these young people are qualified to work in and are interested in to further their education. The report highlights that there is a lack of accessible information for refugees in schools and universities about the various paths that are available for them to secure employment.

This report is a quick read at 21 pages and is the perfect read for those who work with displaced individuals and communities as well as employers in the medical, tech and language fields.

Development Perspectives on Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) in Africa: Lessons from experiences

By AfDB

The AfDB has developed Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) which form an integrated agro-industrial ecosystem. The AfDB conceptualised and created SAPZ because this was a strong route to create sustainable development in Africa by transforming the agricultural sector including fisheries. Despite agriculture providing for the livelihoods of two-thirds of the continent, it has not made a significant contribution to economic transformation and sustainable development on the continent. In light of this, SAPZ is meant to serve as a strategic spatial solution for transforming Africa’s agriculture into a high value-added industry.

The report contextualises SAPZ within AfDB’s institutional mandate and sets out the model’s operational framework. Case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa are used to show insights into the contributions of integrated Agro-Industrial parks to structural transformation, opportunities for export-orientation and local economic development through agriculture.

This report is 114 pages and is an interesting read for anyone involved in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and horticulture.

Confronting Inequalities: Lessons for pandemic responses from 40 years of AIDS

By UNAIDS

COVID-19 has predominantly posed a greater risk to those with pre-existing conditions and this is true for those living with HIV. Studies from South Africa and England have shown that people with HIV are twice as likely to die of COVID-19 complications, than those who do not have HIV. This comes at a time when access to HIV services has also deteriorated due to lockdown restrictions and the slow movement of medical supplies such as HIV testing kits and medication.

This year’s Global AIDS report looks at how rates of diagnosis have plummeted due to restricted mobility and many clinics being overwhelmed with COVID-19 related cases, this is particularly noticed in Southern Africa, home to 67% of the world’s HIV positive population. In South Africa, HIV testing went down by as much as 48% during the first lockdown.

The report assesses the success and challenges faced by countries in providing HIV services and then looks at how social inequalities lead to different outcomes for different groups of people. Stigma continues to follow those who are HIV positive and deters many from getting tested. The publication looks at how community leadership can be harnessed to fight stigma and shares regional profiles with specific statistics.

This report is quite lengthy at 386 pages but it is organised in a way that makes it easy to find relevant focus areas. We recommend this report for all HIV/AIDS initiatives, policy makers and community health practitioners.

State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World

By FAO, WFP, IFAD, UNICEF and WHO

The world was already in a dire situation in regards to world hunger prior to COVID-19, but like many other issues, the pandemic has exacerbated the matter. Globally, up to 811 million people will face hunger issues in 2020. Existing regional inequalities are growing with Africa bearing the brunt of the issue with 1 in 5 people facing hunger, this is more than double that faced in any other region.

This report is a global assessment of food insecurity and malnutrition and asks the million dollar question, “How did the world get to this critical point?” The report aggregates data from the past four years to analyse the six major drivers of recent food security and nutrition trends, and looks at what needs to be done to sustain food systems.

This report is 236 pages and is a vital read for policy makers and humanitarian aid workers who are working towards ending world hunger.

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.

Moving Toward an Interconnected Africa: The 80/20 Initiative

By Internet Society

For quick reads, check out these blog posts

With the launch of the AfCFTA this year, a large spotlight has been put on the digitalisation of Africa’s economy. A key factor of digital advancement is the status of internet accessibility, which for many African countries still leaves a lot to be desired. For the last ten years, the Africa Regional Bureau of the Internet Society has had an Interconnection and Traffic Exchange (ITE) unit which set to increase internet access in Africa by 80% in 2020. Internet exchange points (IXPs) in the region have been largely supported and this paper takes stock of the status of IXPs in Africa.

This report shows that Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa have the largest number of IXP members with at least 50 members. The number of members indicates the state of the country’s internet ecosystem by reflecting a significant amount of diversity of networks. There have been great strides towards internet connectivity and more than half of the countries on the continent have an IXPs, however there is still a lot of work to be done as the 80/20 goal was not reached on target. The report gives recommendations on a country by country basis to move forward and reach the goal as soon as possible.

This is a quick read at 67 pages and is interesting for any stakeholders in the communication and digital connectivity sectors.

Transit Oriented Development in practice.

Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing

Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?

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.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021

By GSMA

With digital transformation taking shape around the world, access to mobile phones and the internet continue to prove to be the gate key into the new digital era. Mobile phones are the primary way for most of the population to access the internet in low and middle income countries. More and more people are getting connected everyday however there is a noticeable gender gap as women are getting left behind due to various reasons such as lower incomes, lower literacy rates. Even women who have experienced similar levels of education and income too. Men are still less likely to own a mobile phone.

This report reviews the barriers women face in adopting the internet and owning a mobile phone compared to the barriers faced by men. This topic is of importance as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to be digitally connected for work, education and social wellbeing. There is a clear need to focus on gender equality when reaching women at an organisational and policy level.

This report lays out recommendations for mobile operators, internet companies, policymakers and regulators as well as the development community at large, and should be a quick read for all at only 63 pages.

Global SDG Accountability Report

By the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network.

This report serves to ascertain the level of accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals at a subnational, national and international level. Information gathered from the SDG Accountability Survey serves as the basis of this report by collecting reflections and inputs from stakeholders around the world.

Split into four sections the report looks at:

1. The foundations of the 2030 Agenda – which explains and contextualises the SDGs;

2. A snapshot of SDG accountability – which outlines the challenges being faced by stakeholders in implementing the SDGs especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

3. Building a Global Multistakeholder Movement for SDG Accountability – which focuses on case studies of different stakeholders and their role in accountability and how they can improve accountability

4. Recommendations to Advance Accountability for the SDGs & the 2030 Agenda – which summarises the findings of the report and provides recommendations for specific stakeholders.

This report is an asset for the media, parliamentarians and national human rights institutions. It’s 101 pages but is organised such that it can be read in sections relevant to the information you are looking for.

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Education, Livelihoods & Food Security Status: Policy Implications For Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

By P. Tamasiga, A.T. Guta, H. Onyeaka, H. Nkoutchou and M.S. Kalane.

Sub-Saharan countries were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 as they were already experiencing weak health care systems, low financing for testing and very few resources for response measures. This data-driven report outlines the key trends of the COVID-19 pandemic by region, highlighting case trajectories, lockdown and containment measures, economic impacts, education impacts and health impacts. South Africa still accounts for the highest number of cases and deaths followed by Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Along with containing COVID-19, Central Africa is still facing the additional challenges of pre-existing health concerns, especially malaria.

The policy implications are focussed on supply chains, trade and market access, food and agricultural production, misinformation and the media, health, education and strategic communication. Sub-Saharan Africa has already been deemed to be the most at risk for food insecurity and this is expected to increase 2.5 fold.

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.