The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to arguably the most challenging global health crisis in modern times. Its impact has been felt by most sectors of the global economy, resulting in economic decline around the world. Governments have committed at least $12 trillion towards a recovery stimulus with a focus on immediate needs, including healthcare, job security and food security. However, studies show that the economic response to the COVID-19 crisis has also reinforced negative environmental trends, as few governments have used COVID-19 stimulus packages to transform the economic trajectory of their countries in a way that responds positively to climate change and enhances environmental sustainability. This despite the fact that climate change is one of the biggest threats facing humanity today. With properly designed stimulus packages that are climate friendly, countries can build back in a way that is more sustainable, resilient and inclusive.

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This article was first published by SAIIA

This study discusses the transformative impact of technology on society and on understanding how technological innovation in the public sector is driving citizens’ participation in governance.The study also examines the roles of technology and governance in sustainable development. It highlights the importance of promoting an institutional framework that fosters digital evolution. The authors argue it is the key to inclusive and sustainable growth, improved governance, and responsive service delivery.The paper focuses on three sub-Saharan countries—Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. It evaluates the contexts of digital transformation and governance to link the two, and develops a framework to guide the discussion on inclusive digital transformation in government. In addition, a rigorous evaluation of current policies, combined with expert interviews, was conducted to highlight how these issues interact to attain sustainable development. 

This paper was originally published on Southern Voice

As we approach the midpoint of the timeline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is more important than ever to prioritise the contributions of the Global South’s fast-growing youth population in shaping its future. Young researchers and policy advocates within think tanks in the Global South, in particular, need to be more actively included. Think tanks occupy an important space in the Global South, bringing evidence-based interventions and advocacy to relevant global spaces. While collaboration in research and policy work is generally agreed to have numerous benefits, not enough attention has been given to improving it within the Global South.

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This policy brief was written by Tikristini Olawale, Zamiyat Abubakar and Tracy Mamoun, and first published by the Southern Voice

This paper examines in great detail the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the Nigerian economy for the purpose of informing experts and non-experts alongside providing recommendations to the government. Specifically, it evaluates the trade, monetary, fiscal and macroeconomic conditions of the economy since the war began, as well as debt vulnerabilities, whilst discussing the official response so far, and seeking to forge a path for the government and its international partners.

Nigeria’s monetary and fiscal conditions have deteriorated since the war began. As a major oil producer, one could expect that Nigeria would benefit, without nuance, from higher energy prices. This has not been the case: declining oil production at a time when oil prices led to less of an export boost than expected. Moreover, the rise in the global price of food and fertilisers has translated to higher input costs for households and firms. Meanwhile, spending on oil imports and other merchandise imports, as well as various services (for instance, medical payments and tuition fees) are significant enough to have increased the demand for foreign exchange, consuming most of the increase in income associated with being an oil-exporter and causing a depreciation of the naira.

On monetary policy, the CBN’s financing of the government deficit has also created a weakness that has questioned its independence and made the naira increasingly vulnerable to speculation. Put together, tolerating these domestic economic weaknesses has contributed to the depreciation of the naira, which is not completely reflected in the official foreign exchange market. With stagnation in non-oil revenues and continuous increase in public spending, the government has had to increasingly turn to debt to finance its development needs. The IMF classified Nigeria’s debt as sustainable but points out that threats exist over the medium run, due to the high ratio of interest payments to public revenue.

The analysis presented in the paper shows that war will have a positive impact on real income at the macro level. Considering the increase in prices experienced in the first half of 2022, real income at the macro level is expected to increase by 3.6% in 2022 while multi-year simulations find that real income will increase by 3.9% in 2023 and 2024, as Nigeria gains from being a net exporter of fuel and natural gas and loses on the basis that it is a net importer of food commodities such as wheat.

However, the results at the household level are quite different: the ultra-poor households are worst hit by the war – food expenses are taking a higher share of their income. Further analysis shows that all households experience a decline in average real income (welfare gains are negative). But the lowest quintile households suffer the most from higher expenditure, (3.3% relative to 1.4% for the top quintile) while they experience a decline in average real income (-0.4%).

This publication was first published by the Finance for Development Lab. Click to read more here

Tobacco use kills primary and secondary smokers. While 7 million primary smokers die annually from tobacco use, more than 1.2 million non-smokers also die annually from being exposed to second-hand smoke[1]. Tobacco contains many cancer-causing toxins that harm every organ of the body. Smoking tobacco introduces nicotine and other chemicals, including numerous carcinogens, into the lungs, blood and organs, which causes coronary and non-coronary heart diseases; cerebrovascular disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); pneumonia and cancers[2]. 

Most diseases caused by tobacco smoking cannot be managed by smokers alone. They require treatment by specialized healthcare providers such as a cardiologist, lung specialist, an oncologist and an informal caregiver. Social support from patients’ informal caregivers is indispensable during and after treatment.

The informal caregiver is defined as a care provider that bears the burden of assisting the patient with physical, psychological and emotional support from the time of diagnosis, during the treatment period, and after treatment[3]. While caregiving may impact positively on the patient, it could also impact negatively on the caregiver who endures the physical, psychological, and emotional costs of care. The caregiver burden may lead to anxiety, depression and impaired quality of life. Although evidence on the health and economic burden of primary smokers has been widely documented, only a few attempts have evaluated the ‘caregiver burden’. In the present study, we assessed the types of burden perceived by informal caregivers and the factors associated with the caregiving burden.