The Nordic Africa Institute
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Towards an African feminist institutionalism for women’s political representation
No full textA new book, Gendered Institutions and Women’s Political Representation in Africa calls for a focus on institutional barriers to women in politics – formal and informal – as an introduction of isolated formal gender equality reforms have provided mixed results. Despite this, African countries without quotas are still looking towards these reforms as the main model for promoting political empowerment. This policy note argues that these need to be combined with a regendering of institutions working against more women in politics and suggests steps towards an African feminist institutionalism for women in politics
Insécurité au Burkina Faso – au-delà des minerais de conflit : les liens complexes entre l’exploitation aurifere artisanale et la violence
No full textL’exploitation aurifère artisanale au Burkina Faso a augmenté ces dernières années, de même que les attaques violentes de groupes armés non étatiques. Il est cependant trop simpliste de supposer qu’il existe un lien de causalité naturel entre les deux. L’escalade de la violence doit plutôt être considérée comme le résultat de tendances de longue date, telles que le désengagement de l’État, la dépendance croissante à l’or et la privatisation progressive de la sécurité. Pour freiner la violence, nous recommandons aux décideurs politiques d’éviter d’adopter une approche répressive à l’égard de l’extraction minière artisanale et de repenser la gouvernance du secteur en concertation avec les mineurs et les communautés rurales.Traduction du titre Insecurity in Burkina Faso – beyond conflict minerals : the complex links between artisanal gold mining and violence, NAI Policy Notes, 2021:3.</p
Nordic Africa Institute : strategy 2022 to 2026
No full textContents: NAI’s vision, mission and theory of change -- The Institute -- Organisational structure -- Fulfilling NAI’s mission -- Operational objectives -- Impact areas -- Organisational monitoring, evaluation and learning</p
Taxation for inclusive development : challenges across Africa
No full textHow can African governments mobilise additional tax revenue in support of an inclusive development agenda? Improved tax revenue performance goes hand-in-hand with broader development of the economy. A well-designed tax system can support a structural transformation process that includes job creation and higher incomes. Conversely, poor tax system design can tilt this process towards generating low-paid jobs. In order to ensure that social protection programmes can be sustained over time, with less dependence on aid, this report recommends a systematic approach to tax design reform. While heterogeneity between African countries, both in terms of administrative structure and fiscal capacity, means that tax policy advice must be highly contextualised, there are a number of lessons to be learnt from past successes and mistakes.Contents: Introduction -- Financing for Development -- How Much Tax Revenue Do Countries Collect? -- Taxing Firms -- Taxing Individuals -- Redistribution: The Role of Taxation and Public Spending -- Conclusions and Recommendations</p
Ten new insights in climate science 2021 : a horizon scan
No full textNon-technical summary We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding about the remaining options to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, through overcoming political barriers to carbon pricing, taking into account non-CO2 factors, a well-designed implementation of demand-side and nature-based solutions, resilience building of ecosystems and the recognition that climate change mitigation costs can be justified by benefits to the health of humans and nature alone. We consider new insights about what to expect if we fail to include a new dimension of fire extremes and the prospect of cascading climate tipping elements
Adapting to Climate Change Through Conservation Agriculture : A Gendered Analysis of Eastern Zambia
No full textThis study explored the use of conservation agriculture (CA) as a climate adaptationstrategy among smallholder farmers in Eastern Zambia. Using 761 household interviewsand 33 focus group discussions (FGDs) with smallholder farmers from six districts, datawas collected on how smallholder farmers in the region experience climate change,what CA practices they had adopted, and benefits and challenges associated withCA practice. Results show that men and women farmers had similar experiences ofclimate change, namely late onset of a shortened rainy season, intra-seasonal droughtand higher temperatures. Farmers’ perceptions of gender-mediated effects of climatechange had important nuances. The three most cited effects of climate change onwomen mentioned by women were lower crop yields, outbreaks of armyworms andreduced livestock fodder. The men thought women were most affected by increasedhunger, lower crop yields and reduced domestic water sources. According to the womenFGDs, men were most affected through reduced crop yields, increases in livestockdiseases and increased hunger. The men self-reported reduced crop yields, reducedwater for livestock and outbreaks of armyworms. Both men and women saw CA ashaving climate change adaptation benefits. For the women, men most benefitted fromCA through the high moisture holding capacity of basins, higher crop yields and reducedlabor requirements through use of oxen ripping. The men most appreciated the highcrop yields, improved soil fertility and reduced costs as less fertilizer is used. The womencited the high moisture holding capacity of basins, high crop yields and improved soilfertility as benefits they most commonly derived from CA, while the men thought thewomen most benefitted from CA through the higher crop yields, improved soil fertilityand crop tolerance to droughts. The study concludes that there is room for CA to serveas a climate smart agricultural system for both men and women smallholder farmers inEastern Zambia. However, this will require addressing important challenges of high weedpressure, high labor demands, and low access to manure, and CA farming implements.The CA package for Zambia should include access to timely climate information andclimate informed crop choice
Covid reveals flaws in the protection of girls in Uganda : recommendations on how to tackle sexual and gender-based violence
No full textRates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are high in Uganda, by both global and African comparison, and the Covid-19 pandemic has made things even worse. Breaking the cultural, religious and social norms that perpetuate and trivialise SGBV is key to improve the situation. However, there are also other measures, such as communication channels for reporting and following up on SGBV, safe shelters and support for girls threatened by perpetrators, and improved sexual education in schools.Writing this policy note was supported by the Belmont Forum and NORFACE Joint Research Programme on Transformations to Sustainability, co-funded by DLR/BMBF, ESRC, FAPESP, ISC, NWO, VR, and the EC through Horizon 2020 (grant number: 462.17.201).</p
Mining ‘Waste’ : Repurposing Residues in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
No full textGold mining, like all other forms of mining, is strongly associated with the production of a wide range of residues, whether this concerns (toxic) waste materials or the environments transformed in pursuit of gold. Frequently, these residual products, such as soil, mud, rocks, and water, as well as the environments from which they are extracted or where they are deposited, appear as waste, cast aside or abandoned, rendered as useless by-products or destroyed lands. In this photographic essay, we build on recent insight regarding the fluid character of waste by extending analysis into both the domains of materials and of space because not only can specific materials be repurposed as resources, but also specific spaces can be transformed from sites of abandonment to sites of production (or vice versa), whether for mining or other activities. These photographic series show how different actors repurpose material and spatial residues. By centralising images of processes of repurposing, this essay nuances and offers a counterweight to dominant visual narratives. These typically focus on environmental and social damage, and often take a perspective ‘from above’ as they largely draw on aerial images. In doing so, these narratives tend to flatten or even erase local complexity and heterogeneity, and risk reproducing received negative stereotypes about artisanal and small-scale mining and miners. Importantly, as will transpire throughout the essay, the phenomena and processes depicted in our images shape and are shaped by different social, political, economic, technological, environmental, and historical relations and dynamics. These include, for example, former mining trajectories, gendered production relations, miners’ socio-economic positions, the involvement of external actors, and the introduction of new capital, knowledge and technologies. Ultimately, this illuminates the necessity of approaching ‘waste’ in fluid, relational, and transformative terms as material and spatial endings are turned into new beginnings.Funders: Belmont Forum, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe).Gold Matter
Democratic backsliding in Côte d'Ivoire : legislative elections tighten Ouattara's grip on power
No full textThe ruling RHDP's victory in legislative elections in March 2021 has tightened incumbent President Alassane Ouattara's grip on political power in Côte d'Ivoire. Though Ouattara has taken a conciliatory stance towards the opposition since his re-election, his control of political institutions, low voter turnout, electoral violence and the president’s international status heighten the risk of further democratic backsliding in Côte d'Ivoire