report September 23, 2021 Figure of the week: Internet freedom in sub-Saharan Africa declines On September 21, Freedom House released its 2021 Freedom on the Net report, its annual survey and analysis of internet freedom around the world. This report assesses 70 countries from various regions (13 from sub-Saharan Africa) on obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights. The 2021 edition finds that, globally, internet freedom has been on... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report September 22, 2021 What do we know about the effects of COVID-19 on girls’ return to school? At its peak in 2020, COVID-19-related school closures affected more than 1 billion learners around the world. Girls’ education advocates feared the worst: Prolonged school closures and lockdowns would harm girls’ health and well-being, not to mention the continuity of their learning. The 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa foreboded a cocktail of threats including sexual and gender-based violence,... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report September 22, 2021 Quantifying the impact on Nigeria of the African Continental Free Trade Area While there is a general optimism around the promise of the newly in-force African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), like any other free trade agreement (FTA), it will inevitably create winners and losers. This unequal distributional impact is a function of many possible factors, including manufacturing capacity, domestic costs of doing business, firm productivity, infrastructural capability, AfCFTA awareness levels,... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report September 20, 2021 How Arkansas implemented its computer science education program Computer science (CS) education helps students acquire skills such as computational thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, among others. It has been linked with higher rates of college enrollment (Brown & Brown, 2020; Salehi et al., 2020), and a recent randomized control trial study also showed that lessons in computational thinking improved student response inhibition, planning, and coding skills (Arfé et.,... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report September 18, 2021 Africa in the news: Vaccine, energy, and climate change updates New South African tech transfer hub to replicate Moderna vaccine A tech transfer hub in South Africa established in June aims to replicate, with the aid of Moderna, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, according to a senior official with the World Health Organization. Moderna said in October 2020 that it would not enforce patents on its vaccine during the pandemic, but... By Brookings Institute, Post, Uncategorized Brookings Institute
report September 16, 2021 Greening the AfCFTA: It is not too late Abstract Environmental sustainability is a key component of Africa’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. Yet, the recently launched African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) contains only minimal references to the environment. This policy brief highlights various ways in which State Parties can strengthen the linkages between the AfCFTA and the environment, with a focus on concrete approaches and strategies. With... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
report September 16, 2021 COVID-19: How can the G-20 address debt distress in sub-Saharan Africa? Kathrin BerensmannGerman Development Institute (DIE)Hopestone Kayiska ChavulaUN – Economic Commission for Africa Austin ChiumiaAfrican Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Mma Amara EkerucheCenter for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) Njuguna Ndung’uAfrican Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Aloysius Uche OrduAfrica Growth Initiative (AGI); (The Brookings Institution) Lemma W. SenbetUniversity of Maryland and Brookings AGI Distinguished Advisory Group Abebe ShimelesAfrican Economic Research Consortium (AERC)... By Brookings Institute, External Article Brookings Institute
report September 16, 2021 Liberia improves in economic opportunity but still tax mobilization, infrastructure, and business environment struggle to see gains Good governance—according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the provision of political, social and economic public goods and services that every citizen has the right to expect from their government—has been more crucial than ever before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, good governance has been vital in ensuring that citizens are protected from any devastating impacts. It includes aspects... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report September 15, 2021 How to kick-start the decoupling of emissions from economic growth in MENA The burning of organic materials (such as fossil fuels, wood, and waste) for heating/cooling, electricity, mobility, cooking, disposal, and the production of materials and goods (such as cement, metals, plastics, and food) leads to emissions. This affects local air quality and the climate. In a recent blog, we showed that the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) lags... By Brookings Institute, Post Brookings Institute
report September 15, 2021 What can social media listening tell us about the desire for education change? The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted virtually every facet of life, including schooling for young people around the world. As students, teachers, and parents coped over the last year and a half with remote learning and the closing and reopening of schools, many took to social media to share their thoughts and perspectives. These discussions were often a window into... By Brookings Institute, Report Brookings Institute
