Search results for:
755 results found
COVID-19 vaccine donations to Africa: increase the pledges and speed up delivery
According to data collected by Bloomberg, more than 6.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across 184 countries as of 10 October 2021. This is the biggest vaccination campaign in history – enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 42.3% of the global population – but disparities in access are still stark.… Read more, As a result, only 15 African countries met a WHO target of vaccinating 10% of their population by the end of September (Seychelles, Mauritius, Morocco, Tunisia, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe). As highlighted in the latest… Read more, COVAX misses its 2021 delivery target The latest supply forecast for COVAX suggests that accelerating vaccination in low-income countries looks unlikely. It estimates that a total of approximately 1.4 billion vaccine doses will be distributed through COVAX by the end of 2021. This is significantly lower than the 2 billion doses that… Read more, G20 needs to scale up ambition According to data collected by the Launch and Scale Speedometer, as of 8 October 2021, Group of Twenty (G20) members have pledged to donate nearly 1.97 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses. However, the doses shipped so far only amount to 16.3% (321.8 million) of their total pledge. G20: vaccine donation… Read more, By some margin, the US has shipped the most doses (177.0 million) of G20 members, as of 8 October 2021. However, 85.0% (1.0 billion) of the doses that the US has pledged have not yet been shipped. Only 8.5% (8.5 million) of the 100.0 million doses pledged by the UK have already been shipped, and China has shipped 46.3% (49.0 million) of the 105.9… Read more, With many high-income countries rolling out booster shots and vaccinating children, 98% of people in low-income countries remain unvaccinated. Sadly, vaccine inequality looks set to continue for some time. As G20 leaders converge in Rome for the conclusion of the Italian presidency at the end of this month, it is essential that… Read more
The Special Drawing Rights: radical reallocation required in Rome
On 23 August 2021, US$ 650 billion of new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) came into effect. According to the IMF, this unprecedented allocation of SDRs will provide “a significant shot in the arm for the world”. African countries are still desperately short of vaccines. Many face squeezed fiscal revenues and others are in debt distress.… Read more, What are SDRs and who gets them? SDRs are an international reserve asset issued by the IMF that function as a medium of exchange between states. SDRs are not money in the traditional sense, as SDRs cannot be spent directly on goods and services. However, SDRs can be traded for any of five currencies, widely used for payments in international… Read more, Most new SDRs are held by G20 nations At the end of this month, the G20 Summit will take place in Rome. Its members account for over 80% of the new SDR allocation, worth over $520 billion, which in most cases is significantly more than these nations require. These SDRs could be utilised in the global COVID-19 response by being donated to… Read more, The reallocation of SDRs to Africa: current proposals fall short The G7 nations have publicly declared their intention to mobilise $100 billion in SDRs for reallocation. France has committed to recycling 20% of its new allocation, while others have begun to follow suit. The IMF is working to facilitate this reallocation… Read more, However, further adjustments to the distribution mechanism will be needed for real impact. Access should be based on need rather than economic criteria. MICs must have comprehensive access in addition to LICs, while countries in debt distress should be neither excluded from the process, nor burdened with conditionalised loans. The mistakes of… Read more
Climate change drives hunger in Africa: concrete action needed at COP26
The world has made progress in fighting food insecurity and undernourishment over the last decades, however, the number of food insecure and undernourished people has started to rise again in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated an already dire situation. The world and Africa are not on track to meet the global… Read more, What are food security and hunger? Food security means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity can be experienced at different levels of severity, from mild, to… Read more, Africa is the world’s most food insecure region According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in 2020, 768 million people globally faced hunger and 2.4 billion did not have access to adequate food, 118 million and almost 320 million more, respectively, than in 2019. Around 800 million people in… Read more, In 2020, more than one-third (281.6 million) of the world’s undernourished people lived in Africa, an increase of 46.3 million since 2019. This equates to about one in five Africans (21.0%) and is more than double the proportion of any other region. In Africa, between 2017 and 2019, the costs of a healthy diet increased more than in any other… Read more, Multiplier effects are particularly felt in Africa. The continent was the only region where all three drivers (occurring individually or in combination) led to increases in undernourishment between 2017 and 2019. In addition, countries on the continent where drivers occurred in combination faced very high increases in undernourishment… Read more
Africa’s vast green potential should not be limited to renewable energy
Africa’s population is likely to double by 2050. Its energy consumption is set to surpass the European Union’s around the same time. As such, Africa’s development trajectory is central to global ambitions for a green and sustainable future. The continent’s energy consumption should be a major question for leaders at COP26. However, in a… Read more, Much of the continent still lacks access to energy. In 2019, around 55% of Africa’s population of over 1.3 billion had access to electricity, while in all other regions of the world, at least 90% of the population had access. World countries: access to electricity (2019) , In recent years, international donors have focussed overwhelmingly on investing in renewable energies in Africa. While the continent has vast potential in renewables such as hydro, solar and wind, such a ‘one size fits all’ approach does not reflect an energy landscape that varies greatly between countries. A country like Ethiopia,… Read more
African perspectives on climate change
During the course of COP26, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has published a series of research spotlights focusing on COP26 and Africa. Our first spotlight examined the link between climate change, hunger and food insecurity, while the second focussed on energy justice on the continent. This third and final spotlight examines African… Read more, COP26 aims to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement’s critical goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050. The threat is enormous: if no action is taken now, the global temperature is on track to rise by a… Read more, “The COP26 that Africa needs”: Africa’s leaders’ priorities Writing ahead of COP26, four African leaders – Akinwumi Adesina (President of the AfDB), Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (CEO of NEPAD), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Director-General of the WTO) and Vera Songwe (Executive Secretary of UNECA) – outlined a strategic financial and trade package… Read more, Are African citizens concerned about climate change? According to the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), of the 39 African countries surveyed in 2019 in the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, the highest level of climate change concern was registered in Southern African countries. Those having the highest percentage… Read more, A study using Afrobarometer and climatic data identified the following common patterns explaining perception of climate change in Africa: climate change awareness, education, online news platforms and agricultural conditions. However, for perception of risk, agricultural conditions were the most significant predictor, followed by… Read more, According to the latest Afrobarometer survey conducted in February-March 2021 in Tanzania, only about one-third (35%) of Tanzanians said they have heard of climate change, a modest increase compared to in 2017 (31%). Awareness of climate change is highest among citizens with post-secondary education (76%) and regular internet users (64… Read more, Globally, IEP has found that some of the most significant carbon emitters globally are countries where citizens are least concerned about climate change as a very serious threat. None of the four greatest carbon emitting countries (China, United States, India and Russia) were among the 68 countries where a majority of citizens felt that climate… Read more, In a poll conducted with MIF’s Now Generation Network (NGN), 94% of respondents said that African youth voices are not being heard on climate change. 100% of respondents said that they are not confident that Africa’s leaders are managing this challenge. , Without putting the most vulnerable at the centre, climate negotiations cannot succeed. However, reports that COP26 is the "whitest and most privileged" ever, with thousands from poorer countries who had planned to attend excluded, are discouraging. COP27 is due to be held in Africa at the end of 2022, but Africa’s priorities must be… Read more
The African Continental Free Trade Area: an engine of transformation
With the long-awaited launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in January 2021, trade is at the centre of the debate surrounding Africa’s COVID-19 recovery. The pandemic induced global economic slowdown has had severe ripple effects for many African economies, placing the continent’s existing trade structures under the… Read more, This flow of Africa’s abundant natural resources out of the continent provides governments with foreign exchange, but prevents local value creation for African markets, while imports often fail to make up the shortfall. This leads to paradoxical situations, such as countries abundant in oil being short of energy and countries flush with arable… Read more, The Ethiopian agricultural industry is another case in point. Ethiopia’s fertile soils are used by foreign investors to export unprocessed agri-products to Asian and European markets, where they are processed largely to feed Asian and European consumers. In 2019, the country exported $1.63 billion in agricultural commodities, with over… Read more, The AfCFTA commits signatories to the removal of tariffs on 90% of goods, to progressively liberalise trade in services and address other non-tariff barriers. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimates that through the sole removal of tariffs, the AfCFTA could boost the share of intra-African trade to over 50% by… Read more
Violence against women: the shadow pandemic for which there is no vaccine
Adopting the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly highlighted how violence against women is a fundamental obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace. With the 2003 AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of… Read more, What is violence against women? The AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa defines violence against women as “all acts perpetrated against women which cause or could cause them physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm, including the threat to take such acts; or… Read more, Violence against women in the SDGs and Agenda 2063 SDG 5 is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. It contains two targets that explicitly focus on eradicating violence: Target 5.2: “Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and… Read more, However, almost 30 years after the adoption of the UN declaration, the world is still far from being a safe place for women. Levels of gender-based violence are high and have remained largely unchanged over the last decade. The global cost of violence against women are estimated at a staggering USD 1.5 trillion. Alarmingly, the… Read more, Estimate for WHO Africa region which does not include Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia which are part of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. , The prevalence of life-time intimate partner violence in Africa is highest in DR Congo (47%), Equatorial Guinea (46%) and Uganda (45%). In only three countries (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde and Comoros) have fewer than 20% of women been subjected to intimate partner violence. African countries: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls… Read more, Tragically, such violence can lead to the killing of women. In 2017, 87,000 women were killed worldwide by an intimate partner or family member. Globally, the risk for women of being killed by a partner or a family member is highest in Africa, with a homicide rate of 3.1 per 100,000 women. More than two-thirds (69%) of all women… Read more, These figures predate the impact of COVID-19. Recent research by UN Women shows that in Eswatini, South Africa and Uganda, at least 70% of women have felt an increase in violence since the start of the pandemic. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that COVID-19 is likely to cause a one-third reduction… Read more, However, even in these two cases, the legal framework does not take a comprehensive approach to protecting women. For example, in CAR the law does not include provisions for the prevention of domestic violence. In the majority of African countries (31), the legal framework does not encompass all forms of violence. In 21 African… Read more
Business and economic findings from the IIAG
The global economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic has sent the African continent into a historic recession, with 41 countries experiencing a decline in their gross domestic product (GDP) across 2020. However, simultaneously the historic launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is the cause of much optimism,… Read more, Growth of digital and communications infrastructure, but concerning trends for labour relations Infrastructure (+12.8) has been the main driver of improvement, thanks to the proliferation of accessible and affordable mobile phones and internet, and an increasing share of households with a computer and secure, fast internet access. Provision of… Read more, On the flipside, progress in the Public Administration (+0.1) sub-category has almost stalled, with a decline in budgetary and financial management, as well as the capacity of national statistics systems offsetting progress in other areas such as taxation capacity. Across all four sub-categories, the most concerning trends relate to the labour… Read more, All countries but three improved between 2010 and 2019 Between 2010 and 2019, 50 countries improved their score in Foundations for Economic Opportunity, more than in any other IIAG category. For 22 countries, the rate of improvement has even increased since 2015, again more than in any other category. Only Libya (-4.4), Central African… Read more, West African governments show most active integration efforts prior to AfCFTA launch The Regional Integration indicator provides an oversight of regional integration efforts prior to the launch of the AfCFTA. The data show that between 2010 and 2019, African governments on average increased their regional integration efforts. In 2019,… Read more
The Climate Crisis and Food Insecurity in Africa
Food insecurity and undernourishment have been rising constantly in Africa since 2014, reaching a peak of almost 800 million food insecure and almost 300 million undernourished people on the continent in 2021. Besides conflict and economic slowdowns, climate change is a key driver of food insecurity on the continent, shrinking… Read more, Compared to 2021, cereal production in Africa is down by -4.0% in 2022 – largely caused by droughts in Northern Africa. , Food insecurity and undernourishment in Africa are increasing In 2021, 794.7 million people in Africa, equivalent to almost 60% of the continent’s population, experienced moderate or severe food insecurity and 278.0 million people in Africa were undernourished, equivalent to more than one-fifth of the continent’s population.… Read more, Highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (2019-2021) Highest prevalence of undernourishment (2019-2021) Largest increase in moderate or severe food insecurity (since 2014-2016) Largest increase in undernourishment (since 2014-2016) Congo Republic… Read more, What are food security and hunger? Food security means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity can be experienced at different levels of severity, from mild to… Read more, Over 100 million people in Africa are facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity Estimations conducted throughout 2022 show that across 32 African countries, at least 107.3 million people are facing crisis levels or worse of acute food insecurity. On top of this, in Ethiopia 20.4 million people are estimated to… Read more, Of the 32 countries with data on acute food insecurity: 20 countries have faced at least one national disaster event in 2022 with more than half of them (11) being affected by a drought. 15 have already seen at least 100 violent events in 2022. Three of the countries among those with the highest number… Read more, Price increases from January to May 2022 over January to May 2021 , The war in Ukraine is exacerbating the food security crisis in Africa Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had an impact on global wheat supply chains, exacerbating food security concerns, particularly for Africa. FAO’s Food Price Index reached an all-time high both globally and in Africa following Russia’s invasion of… Read more
Environmental findings from the IIAG
The 2020 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) assesses environmental governance in 54 African countries in the Sustainable Environment sub-category, across five indicators: Promotion of Environmental Sustainability, Enforcement of Environmental Policies, Air Quality, Sustainable Management of Land & Forests and Land & Water… Read more, Improvements across the board, but biggest strides in air quality All underlying indicators of the sub-category have improved both over the ten-year and five-year period. Sustainable Environment is the only sub-category of the 16 in the IIAG to achieve this. The continent has on average stepped up in promoting environmental sustainability… Read more, Between 2010 and 2019, 46 countries have improved their score in Sustainable Environment, the third most of any IIAG sub-category, while a further 20 countries have seen their rate of improvement accelerate since 2015. Only seven countries have seen their score decline between 2010 and 2019, however, this number has more than doubled in the second… Read more
