May 2022

The State of Democracy in Africa and The Middle East 2021

There has been a gradual decline in democratic quality in Africa for the first time in almost a decade and the Middle East are not exempt. Recent declines in democracy have undermined some of the remarkable progress made in Africa and middle East over the past three decades, although bright spots remain. The Covid-19 pandemic, though seemingly less damaging to public health than elsewhere in the world, has added pressure on governance, rights and social inequality.

The Africa Governance Report (AGR) 2021. “Africa’s Governance Futures for The Africa We Want.”

The AGR 2021 signals important ways Africa can harness incoming changes and direct the trajectory of national, regional and global governance, economic development, and environmentally sustainable practices. Furthermore, technological advances and evolving political economies have spurred a burst of interest in Africa’s futures.

Agenda 2063 And The Role of Africa’s Overlapping Regional Organisations

Regional organisations (ROs) play a critical role in achieving the African Union (AU)’s Agenda 2063, the continent’s master plan for development. This report identifies the regional organizations in Africa and explore how they can help address the current and future development challenges facing the continent in realizing the objectives of the Agenda 2063.

World Bank Group Climate Change Action Plan 2021–2025: Supporting Green, Resilient, And Inclusive Development.

The Climate Change Action Plan 2021–2025 aims to advance the climate change aspects of the WBG’s Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach, which pursues poverty eradication and shared prosperity with a sustainability lens. The new Action Plan represents a shift from efforts to “green” projects, to greening entire economies, and from focusing on inputs, to focusing on impacts.

Trading Up: Harnessing the AfCFTA for Growth in Uganda

AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of the first ten-year implementation plan (2014-2023) under the AU’s Agenda 2063. It emphasises the reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and the facilitation of free movement of people and labour, right of residence, right of establishment and investment. If implemented fully, this agreement will become the largest trade agreement in the world with potential to create a continental free-trade zone with a combined GDP of USD $3.4 trillion.

How Currency Fluctuations Affect SME Access to Credit and Investment Decisions: The Case Study of Uganda, Kenya and Ghana

Financial instability is not good news for any business, even if they are not trading overseas, but small businesses feel the impact of currency instability most noticeably. Compared to larger businesses, small businesses often lack the back-up finances to enable them to manage through periods of decline.

This brief illustrates how currency fluctuations affect SMEs’ investment decisions and access to credit. This relationship is stronger especially with SMEs in the manufacturing sector that mainly use imported inputs.

The State of Information and Communication Technology in Uganda

The digital revolution in Uganda poses positive indicators as a platform for achieving the goals of universal inclusion, sustainable development, economic progress and poverty eradication through digital innovation. Uganda has made significant strides in creating an environment that enables ICT adoption and utilisation. This has resulted in increased mobile phone usage, internet penetration and use of information and communication technologies.

Financing Infrastructure Development in Uganda

This policy brief explores innovative options available for infrastructure development financing in Uganda amidst the limited budget and competing demands in other sectors. It reveals that limited legal and regulatory frameworks, narrow tax base and a large informal sector as some of the impediments to revenue mobilization and as such pose financing challenges to infrastructure development in the country.

How Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Births

This policy brief provides a snapshot on the effects of COVID-19 on the fertility rates. Based on available reported data from UNFPA and the Short Term Fertility Fluctuation (STFF) study, the brief indicates that there were no signs of dramatic increases or decreases in fertility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Short term effects were observed in a range of highly developed countries but these reverted to pre-pandemic levels and trends shortly after.

Saving Lives and Improving Health Outcomes Through Increased Access to Contraceptives

This policy brief gives an insight on how USAID ensures an uninterrupted supply of quality Family Planning commodities through the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. Having a choice of modern contraceptives allows couples to plan and space births, ensuring families to have means to properly care for their children. Access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services is vital for safe motherhood and healthy families.

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