Latest News: Imani to implement EU-funded technical assistance facility in Eastern and Southern Africa
Imani Development is pleased to announce the awarding of a new project and start-up of the Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies) programme. Imani Development is part of the consortium led by Landell […]
COVID-19 and Global Food Systems: Where to next? by Dr Isla Farley
Background
Global food systems are complex and have become increasingly so over recent decades. Continued population growth, higher consumption levels, inequality, ever increasing demand for processed food and the challenges of our changing climate are putting […]
The Chikolongo Livelihoods Project – Successes, Impact and Challenges by Jonathan Thorneycroft
Introduction
The origins of the Chikolongo project are in a response from IFAW to address human-wildlife conflict (HWC) with the community outside Liwonde National Park (Malawi). Through a process of adaptive management, founded on a partnership […]
Facilitating the free movement of people in Africa by Jay Grunder
Introduction
The movement of people across national borders is a vital component of any region’s economy. Whether for cross border trade, seasonal work, to establish a business, or any other economic activity, the flow of people […]
Understanding the AfCFTA: observations and opportunities by Chad Capon
Introduction
I recently completed a four day short course with TRALAC on reading International Trade Agreements, with a specific focus on the AfCFTA. In my role at Imani Development, I have been involved in work on […]
Challenge funds as a form of impact investing by Andy Simpson
Here’s my latest brain dump, borne from some significant personal and organisational experience in Challenge Funds – some of it will have wider application than just challenge funds.
So, what is a Challenge fund?
Typically, a large […]
Latest News: Eswatini Trade Information Portal (ETIP) to go live in September
Despite the challenges of getting back to business-as-usual as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the establishment of Eswatini’s first-ever trade information portal is progressing as planned and scheduled to go live at the end […]
Latest News: The AfCFTA and Compliance: lessons and innovations from an analysis of African RTAs
Imani Development has designed an innovative and bespoke Compliance Mechanism for SADC which was recently approved and adopted at the 40th Annual SADC Summit. In relation to this and leveraging on learnings and research done […]
Leveraging opportunities to accelerate Agri-tech in COVID-19 times by Caroline Kensett
Traditional aid and sustainable development
World Humanitarian day is held annually on the 19th August to pay tribute to humanitarian workers across the globe and to increase public understanding of humanitarian assistance activities. Traditionally (and correctly) […]
Unlocking MSME growth in Sub-Saharan Africa by Katlego Nkgudi
Private sector development – micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – as envisaged by SDG 8, typically follows a state-led approach, where national agencies conduct a variety of activities in order to i) improve the […]
Supporting South Sudan to cope with the trade impact of COVID-19 by Charles Data Alemi
Like every other country, the spread of COVID-19 is proving to be a double tragedy with effects on both health and economic well being. Despite taking a while to confirm its first case, which happened […]
The potential impact of COVID-19 on African trade by Andrew Parker, Nick Charalambides and Jay Grunder
There will be a number of changes to African trade due to COVID-19, but it is acknowledged that at this stage there is a very high degree of uncertainty around scenarios.
Not just global supply chain […]
Identifying additionality in an established market system: A market system review of the Avocado & Mango sector in Kenya by Martin Eichhorn
INTRODUCTION
The AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund Initiative aims to support productive and market-integrated smallholder agriculture in Kenya, improving the capacity of farmers to practice environmentally sustainable agricultural businesses in inclusive value chains (VCs). The anticipated impacts […]
Key outcomes from COMESA policy dialogue on STR implementation by Charles Data Alemi
COMESA recently held a technical policy dialogue in Nairobi Kenya on implementation of the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR) from the 8th to the 9th of October. Organized by COMESA under the 11 European Development […]
The poverty, growth and inequality triangle by Sean Schwager
Poverty, Growth and Inequality
Poverty reduction is a social imperative that society largely agrees on. From this agreement emerges two starkly divergent schools of thought which dominate news headlines and public discourse. We often hear the term “trickledown […]
A different take on Regional Integration – the ASEAN way by Keith Atkinson
The declaration of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 was the realisation of the regional economic integration of the ten economies of the ASEAN Member States, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the […]
Building a market system: A glimpse into DRC’s aquaculture industry by Dr Isla Farley
BACKGROUND
Despite the country’s economic potential, many in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain desperately poor. After many years of conflict and instability 69% of the DRC’s population lives in poverty [1]. Economic opportunities, like capitalising […]
What role will RECs have in AfCFTA implementation? by Chad Capon
With Sierra Leone and the Sahrawi Republic having deposited their domestication implements in April, the AfCFTA came into force on the 30th of May 2019. Accordingly, there have been ToRs from donors requesting the development […]
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning with Mmm… Elephants & Lions by Jonathan Thorneycroft
The Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) project is a collaborative partnership between Wild Is Life and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The project acronym – ZEN – fits perfectly with its objective to rescue […]
Chikolongo Farm Project – Creating sustainable livelihoods by David Bargh
Background to Chikolongo
A quick search on google will tell you everything you need to know about “human-wildlife conflict zones”. The world wildlife fund (WWF) defines this issue as “any interaction between humans and wildlife that […]
AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund – agribusiness support programme by Martin Eichhorn
Imani Development and Self-Help Africa have partnered to develop and manage the AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund, which is the flagship output of the Kenyan Initiative for Long-term Integration of Market Operators in Value Chains – […]
Reflections into the year that was
British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once said, “A week is a long time in politics”; well it is only fair to say then that a year in politics is a very, very long time. What […]
What is the value of social entrepreneurship for a non-profit organisation working for social development and justice? by Elena Mancebo
While social entrepreneurship is still a relatively new concept in South Africa, most social development sector commentators agree that traditional non-profit funding is shrinking ever year, and most funders increasingly expect some form of financial […]
Design and build or build and make do? Insights into effective OSBP implementation by Katlego Nkgudi
The One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) concept is one that has been adopted and implemented across the African continent with some degree of success. While frameworks and guidelines for its implementation exist, the challenges met when […]
EU prepares industry for Brexit: Shouldn’t SADC be doing so? by Mirabel Bausinger
Imani Development recently completed a poverty assessment on the effects of Brexit on EU-SADC trade under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Our analysis of specific priority sectors under the SADC EPA such as wine, horticulture […]
Interview with Dr. Nicholas Charalambides on M&E in Trade Agreements
Imani Development recently designed a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between six SADC member states and the EU, known as the SADC-EU EPA. Elena Mancebo, M&E specialist at Imani […]
Chikolongo Farm Project by Regine Ankoma-Bempong
Located in Southern Malawi, on the border of the Liwonde National Park, a community of humans and animals exist side by side. Liwonde National Park is home to a rich array of wildlife, including elephant, […]
Effective Implementation of SADC’s STR by Mirabel Bausinger
First Steps towards Facilitating Trade for Women and Small-Scale Traders in SADC
Small-scale, often informal, cross-border trade (CBT) plays a significant role in Africa’s trade environment; informal trade represents over a third of SADC’s intra-regional trade […]
Evaluation in the 21st Century by Elena Mancebo
Development practitioners – donors, designers, policy shapers and implementers – across the globe agree that evaluation must play a stronger role in shaping development efforts. For some time now, we have heard calls for “evidence-based” […]
Photos: Border Visits – Nyamapanda/Cochemane
Imani Development has been undertaking a range of border assessments as part of our Development of the SADC Simplified Trade Regime. The primary focus of this is supporting the SADC Secretariat and SADC Member States in drafting, […]
Managing Risk in Development by Andy Simpson, MD
Development agencies, philanthropists, charities and to a lesser extent even corporates are all active social change agents – whether they explicitly focus on health, education, agriculture, enterprise, the arts or any of a myriad of […]
Effective, Accessible Transport in Cape Town: What can be done?
Martin Eichhorn
In recognition of the daily transport difficulties faced by People with Disabilities in Cape Town, the DG Murray Trust commissioned Imani Development to conduct research into the issue and draw up potential solutions. With […]
Informal Cross-Border Trade – Innovative Interventions Achieve Positive Results
Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) throughout the EAC makes up a significant part of the trade conducted within the region and neighbouring countries – 80% of those participating are women. ICBT refers to traders operating entirely outside of […]
Malawi Innovation Challenge Fund Portfolio
The Malawi Innovation Challenge Fund (MICF), supported by UNDP and UKAid, is a US$8 million competitive, transparent mechanism that provides grant finance for innovative projects proposed by private sector firms active in Malawi’s agriculture and […]
Black Holes in African Trade Data by Cyril Prinsloo
Imani colleague, Cyril Prinsloo, recently collaborated with Ron Sandrey from the Trade Law Centre (tralac) on an article investigating “black holes” in trade data, with a key focus on intra-African trade. A black hole is defined […]
Trading costs inhibits intra-regional trade by Jandre Conradie
The cost of trade has generally been seen as an inhibiting factor of intra-regional trade in Africa. Considering the export characteristics of South Africa, one of the continent’s largest exporters both regionally and internationally, and […]
The Role of FDI in Development by Khwima Singini
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is by far the largest and most stable source of capital for developing countries. However, the distribution of FDI has been uneven across different regions and countries.
Since 1992, China has attracted […]
Value Chains in SSA – The Way Forward by Francois van Heerden
Value chains have changed the world and are rapidly changing and evolving due to the increasing rate of technology innovation, communication technology, and computer integrated technology. UNCTAD defines a global/regional value chain as, ‘the sequence […]
The World Isn’t As Broken As You Think by Jaco Slabbert
When you’ve been working in development for a long time, you can easily become a little pessimistic about the state of the world. It could seem as if your actions are in vain especially when looking […]