Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies最新文献

{"title":"Challenges in the Sustainable Economy of Northern Ghana– Impacts of Soybean Trade on Bambara Groundnut: A Case Study","authors":"Áron Vaskó, G. Neszmélyi","doi":"10.15170/at.2023.17.1.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2023.17.1.5","url":null,"abstract":"The global seed trade has reached and conquered Northern Ghana, squeezing out local suppliers. Considering ongoing population growth, rapidly urbanizing communities, changing diets, and vast quantities of imported food products, the endeavours of enterprises that try to reduce the local food production deficit should be more appreciated. Rice, maize, and soybeans are three types of grain that dominate the global seed trade. Furthermore, the natural conditions and vegetation of the sub-tropical region are close to optimal. While rice and maize have been cultivated for a long time, soybeans are a new crop in the semi-arid climate zone of the Guinea-Savannah.The motivations and ambitions are clear: pushing improved soybean seeds into the traditional farming system of Northern Ghana to meet the zero hunger sustainable development goal while widening the market for western seed producers. In the Ghanaian context, microfinance is built on making customers dependent on services. On the bone hand, it is a tool to extend farm sizes through mechanization, fertilizers, and modern cultivation technologies to increase yield; on the other hand, microfinance could cause financial difficulties within society and farmer associations, and it has negative effects on unsupported and unfinanced activities such as cultivating indigenous crops.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"100 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139310199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Africa’s Stance in the Russia–Ukrainian War: An Opportunity for Partnership with China and Russia","authors":"Annie Abena Aku Agyemfra","doi":"10.15170/at.2023.17.1.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2023.17.1.2","url":null,"abstract":"China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly hailed a ‘no limits’ partnership between their respective countries to the displeasure of the United States in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Therefore, it has become more apparent that the long-term goals of the Russian and Chinese foreign policies are to establish a new world order by reinstating their countries as great powers while challenging the U.S.-led global hegemony. The current geopolitical turbulence accelerated by the great power rivalry has not only shattered the international order that has existed since the end of the Cold War, but also reframed partnerships where the role of African states are becoming more prominent. Notably, while Martin Kimani, Kenya’s UN envoy, was widely praised for his powerful speech reaffirming Kenya’s respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders during the Security Council’s emergency session (21 February 2022), 25 of Africa’s 54 states abstained or did not vote to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the emergency session of the UN General Assembly (A/RES/ES-11/1) in March 2022. This equivocal reaction contrasted sharply not only with the widespread condemnation of Russia’s assault from every other region but also with African states’ official positions on preserving territorial integrity and borders within Africa. The study, therefore, seeks to explore Africa’s stance in light of the ongoing war and how the interests and (re)actions of African states contribute to furthering Russia’s goal of weakening the United States as a dominant power. The study applies a qualitative approach by drawing from literature on Africa’s relations with Russia and analyzing media and NGO reports on contemporary events, official communications of African officials, and voting patterns of African states in the UN General Assembly in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Initial findings suggest that several factors contribute to the hesitant position of some African countries. These include the legacy of colonial and imperial control, arms trading, food security, discriminatory treatment of African students in Ukraine, and the U.S. Congress’ anti-Russian legislation (H.R. 7311, the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act), which punishes African nations for their political and economic ties with Russia. These factors reinforce neocolonialism in Africa.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139309865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘We shall probably call the place Zaria, as it is such a pretty name’ – Medical discourse and town planning in Northern Nigeria, 1899–1914","authors":"László Máthé","doi":"10.15170/at.2023.17.1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2023.17.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"Early colonial administrations faced multiple challenges in their daily work. In specific areas, administrators reached out to science as a tool to understand and support their decisions. Town planning was an issue that brought together Europeans and Africans, and therefore created common living and working spaces for them. It became an important issue immediately after the conquest of Northern Nigerian territories, especially because a growing number of Europeans started living in the region on a more permanent basis. Town planning often seemed an arbitrary policy, yet, as it is demonstrated in this paper, daily administration reached out to science as helping tool to guide and validate their goals. Segregating Europeans from Africans was a question that very soon became a hotly debated topic, that was supported or rejected by some governors. This contested question shows that colonial policy was not by default racial based, let alone racist.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139309636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leadership, Education and Training for Youth in Contemporary African Union Programs","authors":"L. Cole","doi":"10.15170/at.2023.17.1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2023.17.1.4","url":null,"abstract":"From September 16–19, 2022, the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted the Transforming Education Summit at U.N. Headquarters in New York on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly. This summit mobilized stakeholders to act and collaborate in solidarity to find solutions for transforming education by 2030. This summit’s outcomes were national and international commitments to transform education with increased public engagement and support. Before the conference, the African Union had just concluded its fourth Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science, and Technology with the theme of utilizing education, science, technology, and innovation to foster recovery in Africa and respond to, strengthen, and build resilience in a post-COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, there was a need to enhance the response from the science, technology, and innovation sectors. Growing globalization and faster technological progress have created many new social, economic, environmental, and COVID-19 problems. Because of this, the Coalition on Media and Education for Development Africa Forum (CAFOR) and its partners have been looking at the needs and opportunities that come from these changes. CAFOR and its partners are also determined to look beyond Africa’s Continental Education Strategy (CESA 16–25) and examine how schools can prepare children in Africa for jobs and technologies that have yet to be created to solve future problems with innovation. CAFOR is forwardlooking and works towards building stronger partnerships on the continent, ensuring a shared responsibility to identify new opportunities and solutions.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139311058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Tale of Two “Sisikus”: The Evolving Trajectory of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon","authors":"N. Fon, Collins Nkapnwo Formella, Nancy Ngum Achu","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.1","url":null,"abstract":"Cameroon has been plunged into a devastating civil conflict since December 2017 when President Paul Biya declared war on secessionists after the killing of four soldiers and two police officers in the South West Region. This paper approaches the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis from the theoretical premise of remedial secession. It argues that the evolution of the crisis from a moderate return to federalism pursued by “Sisiku” Agbor Felix Nkongho to the radical secession espoused by “Sisiku” Julius Ayuk Tabe can be understood within the framework of remedial secession. The cogency of this argument is examined against efforts made by the Cameroon government to tackle the crisis and the concept of territorial integrity. This paper concludes that the protracted nature of the conflict reflects the theoretical impasse between remedial secession and territorial integrity.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114592013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Terrorism on the rise – What can WCA countries do to combat difficulties with international trade?","authors":"G. Neszmélyi, Dorottya Hrabovszki, Ágnes Zsuzsa Hrabovszki","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.2","url":null,"abstract":"In the last 5 years, the center of gravity of terrorism has shifted from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2018, this region had the highest number of fatalities and the greatest material damage. This paper assesses the situation of the countries most affected by terrorism in the WCA (West and Central-Africa) region by examining economic complexity, the costs of cross-border trade and corruption. The AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) program is a means of ensuring the security of international supply chains while simultaneously facilitating the cross-border flow of goods. By 2020, 97 countries in the world had operational AEO programs, but only one country in the WCO (World Customs Organization) WCA region had implemented one. The threat of terrorism is very high in seven countries of the region: Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Chad and Mali. As a result of the evaluation, it can be concluded that these countries need mechanisms to facilitate international trade and would benefit from the implementation of the AEO program.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130355641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enrollment of Households in Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in Ethiopia: The Case of the Aleltu District","authors":"Gutama Namomsa Daraje","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.3","url":null,"abstract":"In developing countries, people’s attitude about their health is very poor. People visit health institutions only when they are sick. This trend is especially common in rural areas. For the majority of people, health care is accessed and covered by money sourced from their existing funds or assets, which frequently results in citizens not using health care services. Poor health care financing remains a major challenge for the health system in Ethiopia. It leaves households vulnerable to impoverishment from high health expenditures and slows progress towards health improvements such as the Sustainable Development Goals, limiting access to essential health services among citizens with lower socio-economic status. Important barriers to improved health care financing include low government spending on the health sector, strong reliance on out-of-pocket expenditure, inefficient and inequitable utilization of resources, and poorly harmonized and unpredictable donor funding. Different studies illustrated that in developing countries the majority of people from poor families cover health care costs with out-of-pocket funding. As a result, many fall into debt, which aggravates the severe poverty conditions. This study revealed that all households (n=150) are aware. This awareness has positive contribution on enrollment and sustainability of the scheme by minimizing the drop out of the member. The major benefit the households experienced by enrolling in Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is that it saves people from having unplanned health costs. Eighty percent of the respondents stated that their health status improved and that their families were insured. Currently, both premiums were paid and Poor members of the scheme are enrolling in the Aleltu district because they understand the advantages of being members of CBHI.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127796445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoloniality in danger or being boosted? An exploration of ECOWAS positions and conflict management in the Western African region","authors":"D. Stoica","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.5","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to explore the notion of decoloniality by examining the decisions and actions of the ECOWAS in response to the coup d’état in Burkina Faso in 2022, as well as other comparable sanctions imposed on Mali and Guinea during internal crisis challenges. These topics were raised and debated in various mass media outlets. For this purpose, readers are invited to imagine, based on ideas interpreted from official positions of the ECOWAS, or perceptions of them, expressed in academic narratives and the media, if decoloniality could be boosted or is in danger, following the decisions, actions, and positions of the ECOWAS. The interpretations through the lens of decoloniality portrayed in African narratives, and these explorations are characteristic of qualitative analysis. In examining how ECOWAS manages potential crises in the region, particularly in the cases of Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso, we can identify basic features of decoloniality. Taking a social-constructivist perspective, we can explore how African narratives of development can inspire critical resistance. Specifically, we must consider how power and relationships based on power can be decolonized to prioritize a people-centric view of development. In analyzing the use of violence and safety in the actions of the ECOWAS, we can determine whether they boost or endanger decoloniality. The academic community has shown considerable interest in the impact of the ECOWAS on the political climate of Western African states. However, it is important to consider the philosophical perspective on how the portrayal of ECOWAS actions and decisions can affect the narratives of opposition, anti-ism, and power dynamics. Specifically, in the case of internal conflicts, these portrayals can direct the debate on whether decolonization, as a theory, cultural movement, or process, can continue the work of African resistance initiated during the decolonization process which remains unfinished.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130909040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Some Issues with Higher Education in Africa","authors":"L. Cole","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.4","url":null,"abstract":"This policy paper highlights several macro issues with African higher education, including inadequate funding, governance challenges, and a lack of access to digital infrastructure compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also notes the historical and continuing impact of colonialism on Africa’s education systems and women’s challenges in accessing higher education. The author emphasizes the importance of investing in human capital and improving the quality of primary education to strengthen Africa’s human resource base and advance economic development. The paper calls for a paradigm shift in education policy and practice, underscoring pragmatism over ideology and focusing on building the capacity for sustained development through training in science, engineering, medicine, and agriculture. The author also highlights the need to address gender inequalities in access to higher education and diversify institutional models to meet the demands of the digital age. Ultimately, the paper calls for a concerted effort to improve funding, governance, and quality across African higher education institutions, leveraging partnerships and innovations to expand access and promote excellence.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"195 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132519367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"State-Building/State-Destroying in Ethiopia – A Backdrop to the Tigray Genocide","authors":"Alemseged Abbay","doi":"10.15170/at.2022.16.3.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15170/at.2022.16.3.6","url":null,"abstract":"Federalist Tigray and unitarian Amhara have been historical rivals in the daunting task of state-building in Ethiopia. To neutralize Tigray and its de facto federalism (1872–89), Amhara found a formidable ally in Italy, which colluded with Britian to have “a place in the sun.” Amhara rewarded Italy with half of Tigray, which was christened “Eritrea,” and imposed the unitarian system in the country. Worse still, in the middle of the 1950s, Amhara annexed the western and southern parts of Tigray. Tigray and Eritrea (which returned to Ethiopia in 1952) were suffocated by amharanization and political centralization, the twin pillars of the unitarian system. Military insurgencies brought the system to an end in 1991 and the Tigrayans who assumed the reins of power introduced de jure federalism, to the chagrin of the Amhara. The paper offers a critical historical analysis of state-building and state-destroying in Ethiopia, with particular attention given to the Amhara return to power in 2018 and humanity’s newest genocide in Tigray.","PeriodicalId":246647,"journal":{"name":"Afrika Tanulmányok / Hungarian Journal of African Studies","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116559043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}