The demographic revolution in developing countries and Africa with special regards to Zimbabwe Abstract This dissertation aimed to examine the demographic revolution in developing countries, Africa and Zimbabwe. The decline of mortality and fertility everywhere in the world demonstrates the importance of the demographic revolution as a global process. While this universality was central to classic revolution theory, for many decades, it was questioned by demographers because fertility and mortality in Africa did not seem to follow the expected pathway. In sub-Saharan Africa the demographic revolution has been characterised by lagging, discontinuation and is occurring at a faster pace against low levels of socioeconomic development than observed in Europe, which has consequences for population dynamics. Questions have emerged if Africa is indeed different and a homogenous continent regarding demographic processes? However, empirical studies that have explored the unique demographic revolution starting from developing countries, Africa and Zimbabwe are lacking. The first part of the thesis on developing countries showed variations in the reaction of fertility to mortality decrease with historically small gaps and extended gaps in more recent revolutions, plus the much faster decrease in vital rates in many...

Michaela Löfflerová Comparison of China-Angola and China-Nigeria relations in regards to energy security and Chinese investments Abstract The master thesis "Comparison of China-Angola and China-Nigeria relations in regards to energy security and Chinese investment" focuses on the analysis of Chinese activities towards Angola and Nigeria as representatives of Subsaharan oil-rich countries. The thesis aims to test two hypotheses about China's approach to Angola and Nigeria in the period 2000-2007 and 2008-2018. The first hypothesis, based on the concept of energy security, tests whether China's approach to oil-rich countries has changed over the period under review as a result of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent global trends. The second hypothesis, based on the concept of neocolonialism, tests whether Chinese activities have expanded into other sectors through oil extraction, which in turn has led to a significant dependence of states on China. The diploma thesis aims to focus on economical, security, and political aspects using quantitative and qualitative analyzes. Monitoring China's activities in these countries serve as a case study of the impact of Chinese foreign policy on resource-rich countries in the second and third world. In the last chapters, the thesis will focus on the analysis of the...

The aim of the Master's thesis is to analyze the growing interest of the global economic system centers in the region of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the account on weakening position of the West in relation to this region. The thesis will be structured into two sections. The first part will focus on the relationship between the West and countries of the African continent and the circumstances allowing not only the access of new challengers, but also alternative development models. In this respect the thesis will use the theoretical works of Adrian Leftwich and Claus Offe dealing with the issues of democratization and economic development and their mutual incompatibility. The second part of the thesis will analyze relations with these emerging, non-western power centers and their alternative development models. The research question of the thesis is formulated whether these alternative centers of the global economic system in the region of sub-Saharan Africa propagate their own conception of development models, with proclaimed respect for local conditions, as a challenger to the Western concept of development policy. The hypothesis assumes a certain degree of autonomy in case of developing countries in choosing "their" partner center. These centers are forced to offer certain...

Kuanzia mwaka 1964 hadi 1993, idara ya Kiswahili katika Shirika la Uchapishaji wa Lugha za Kigeni ilitafsiri na kuchapisha jumla ya vitabu 258 vya Kichina kwenda Kiswahili huku wasomi wa Kiswahili walitafsiri vitabu 26 vya Kiswahili kwa Kichina. Kwa kulinganisha idadi na maudhui ya vitabu hivyo katika enzi ya mapinduzi na ya mageuzi, makala hii inadhihirisha utegemezi wa tafsiri kwa sera ya serikali na mazingira ya jamii. Kwa hivyo, changamoto za kitaaluma na za kiuchumi zilizopo katika kutafsiri vitabu kwenda au kutoka Kiswahili nchini China zinakabili serikali, wachapishaji, waandishi, watafsiri na wasomaji kwa pamoja. / Between 1964 and 1993, the Kiswahili department of the Foreign Languages Press of China translated and published 258 books from Chinese into Swahili while 26 books were translated from Swahili into Chinese. This article highlights the dependency of translation processes on government policies as well as societal circumstances by comparing the number of books and their content during the periods of revolution and reform. Thus, the academic as well as economic challenges in the context of the translation of books from and into Kiswahili have to be addressed by the government, the publishers, authors, translators as well as readers.

Introduktion Afrika har haft flera utbrott av ebola (EVD). Det Västafrikanska EVD-utbrottet 2014-2016 var det mestförödande med mer än 28 000 fall och mer än 11 000 dödsfall. Utbrottet började i Guinea och spredsöver gränsen till Sierra Leone och Liberia. 2018-2020 var det ett utbrott av EVD i DemokratiskaRepubliken Kongo (DRC) som spreds till Uganda. På grund av utbrotten av EVD har de drabbadeländerna byggt upp kapacitet att hantera epidemier. Syfte Syftet med studien är att beskriva den kapacitet som byggts upp i respons till EVD-utbrott, och hurkapaciteten har varit till nytta för staterna under deras första sex månaders respons till covid-19 iLiberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda, samt DRC. Metod Studien är en systematisk litteraturstudie. Resultat De tre Västafrikanska länderna var hårt drabbade av EVD på grund av svaga hälsosystem, en historiaav interna konflikter, porösa gränser och det faktum att EVD kunde spridas till fler områden innan detupptäcktes. De Västafrikanska staterna kunde med internationell hjälp bygga upp kapacitet för atthantera epidemier, vilken har använts i arbetet mot covid-19. EVD-utbrottet i DRC hade en snabbarerespons eftersom det hade byggts upp kapacitet både på en afrikansk- och internationell nivå sedandet Västafrikanska utbrottet. Slutsats De Afrikanska länderna i denna studie har kunnat använda sig av kapacitet som de byggt upp för atthantera EVD i sin hantering av covid-19. Detta trots att de fortfarande har fortfarande svagahälsosystem och saknar resurser. / Introduction Africa has had several outbreaks of Ebola (EVD). The West African EVD outbreak 2014-2016 was themost devastating with more than 28 000 cases and more than 11 000 deaths. It started in Guinea andspilled over the border to Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 2018–2020, there was an outbreak of EVD inDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which spilled over the border to Uganda. Due to the outbreaksof EVD, the affected countries have built capacity to respond to epidemics.AimThe aim of the study is to describe the capacity that was built-up to respond to EVD outbreaks andhow the capacity has aided the countries in their first six months of response to COVID-19 in Liberia,Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda and DRC. Methods The study is a systematic literature study. Results The three West African countries were severely affected by EVD because of weak health systems, ahistory of civil conflicts, porous borders and the fact that the EVD could spread to several locationsbefore it was discovered. The West African countries have with international help built up capacityagainst epidemics that has been used in response to COVID-19. The EVD outbreak in DRC had a moreswift response since there has been capacity building on an African and International level since theWest African outbreak. Conclusion The African countries in this study have been able to use capacity that was built-up to respond to EVDin their response to COVID-19, despite of the fact that they still have weak health systems with lack ofresources.

The core theme of this diploma thesis is the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. This treaty was signed by the EU and the African Union in 2007 in order to transform mutual relations, establish partnership and cooperation in several thematic areas. Considering the partnerships between EU and Sub-Saharan countries embedded in the Cotonou Agreement and the partnership between EU and North-African states incorporated in the Mediterranean partnership as well as in the EU Neighbourhood policy, this paper examines the role and reasons for creation of the new partnership. Guidance is provided by the theory of partnerships, which defines the basic characteristics of the type of international relations called this name. To the main conclusions of this work belongs that the new partnership has brought before all the broadening of cooperation in the security area and that the main motivations for conclusion of the treaty was influence in Africa from the side of the EU and strengthening of legitimacy and position and deepening of development cooperation from the side of the AU.

This paper presents a case study of a regional integration called East African Community (EAC) that associates Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda later joined Rwanda and Burundi. The main research question is the reason for creation of the EAC. Congruence method is used to answer this question with further investigation to confirm existence of the causal relationship. There are three theories used to formulate a hypothesis concerning formation of the EAC - neofunctionalism, realism and liberal theory of international relation in the form reformulated by Andrew Moravcsik. Neofunctionalism cannot explain emergence of the EAC as strong supranational actor, key neofunctionalists feature, is not present. Spillover process also does not occur. Realism also fails to provide an explanation, although the end of the Cold War brings shift in global power structure. East Africa is also endangered by economic marginalization caused by integration of other parts of the continent. However intrastate and regional political instability and security threats were more important at that time. The EAC also does not correspond with the notion of only low politics integration. Liberalism offers most reasonable explanation that integration is based on common interest in development and fight against poverty. Common historical...

Book review: In 2004 the long awaited second edition of the Standard Swahili - Swahili Dictionary, edited by the Insitute of Kiswahili Research (TUKI) at the University of Dar es Salaam, appeared. With this publication TUKI has once again confirmed its leading role in the field of Swahili lexicography in East Africa. it is up to date, containing new words and phrases which are in use in East Africa in order to cope with the development in science and technology, society, economics and globalization.

The challenge to obtain early-stage funding for small ventures is especially pronounced in Africa, where traditional funding sources are available only to a small extent. This lack, combined with the diffusion of mobile phones and internet access, enabled the unprecedented rise of mobile payments on a personal level in Africa in recent years. On a commercial level, ICT-enabled crowdfunding is given the potential to mitigate the early-stage funding gap for African entrepreneurs. Using exploratory research, the dissertation provides initial empirical evidence on crowdfunding in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, it is shown that African entrepreneurs across the continent can raise substantial amounts of money by tapping into the global funding community. Moreover, empirical evidence is provided, that the basic economic constructs, institutions and infrastructure appear to play a decisive role for African crowdfunding and that their effect size depends on the respective institutional setting.:1. Introduction 2. Prevailing Forms of Funding for African Entrepreneurs 2.1 Informal Funding 2.2 Government Funding 2.3 Business Angels 2.4 Venture Capital 2.5 Factoring and Leasing 2.6 Banking Loans 2.7 Mobile Money 2.8 Microfinance 2.9 Summary 3. Crowdfunding 3.1 Definition of Crowdfunding 3.2 Taxonomy of Crowdfunding 3.3 Donation-based Crowdfunding 3.3.1 Characteristics 3.3.2 Platforms 3.3.3 Empirical Research 3.4 Reward-based Crowdfunding 3.4.1 Characteristics 3.4.2 Platforms 3.4.3 Empirical Research 3.5 Debt-based Crowdfunding 3.5.1 Characteristics 3.5.2 Platforms 3.5.3 Empirical Research 3.6 Equity-based Crowdfunding 3.6.1 Characteristics 3.6.2 Platforms 3.6.3 Empirical Research 3.7 The Emergence of Crowdfunding 3.8 The Worldwide Crowdfunding Market 3.9 The African Crowdfunding Market 4. Evidence on the Use of Reward-based Crowdfunding in Africa 4.1 Research Objective 4.2 Research Design and Methodology 4.3 Data Sample 4.3.1 Data Set Construction 4.3.2 Variables 4.4 Results 4.4.1 Project and Platform Results 4.4.2 Category Results 4.4.3 Country Results 4.5 Summary and Critical Reflection 5. National Competitiveness 5.1 What is National Competitiveness? 5.2 The Global Competitiveness Report 5.3 The Global Competitiveness Index 6. Evidence on Enabling Economic Factors for the Usage of Reward-based Crowdfunding in Africa 6.1 Research Objective 6.2 Research Design and Methodology 6.3 Data Sample 6.3.1 Data Set Construction 6.3.2 Variables 6.4 Results 6.4.1 Total Sample 6.4.2 Low-Income Countries 6.4.3 Middle-Income Countries 6.4.4 Below-Median Crowdfunding Activity Countries 6.4.5 Above-Median Crowdfunding Activity Countries 6.5 The Role of Productivity and Basic Requirements 6.6 Discussion and Connection of the Results 6.7 Summary and Critical Reflection 7. Summary and Implications 7.1 Executive Summary 7.2 Theoretical Implications 7.3 Implications for Policymakers 7.4 Implications for African Entrepreneurs 7.5 Implications for Other Stakeholders 7.6 Limitations and Avenues for Future Research 7.7 Concluding Remarks References Appendices

This study examines the current socio-economic status of the ex-combatants 10 years after the conflict in Sierra Leone. It examines the job opportunities, political space, relationship with community members, challenges faced, social networks involved in, relationship with former colleagues, access to land and other issues that are significant in the reintegration process of ex-combatants. It further studies the national socio-economic environment and how ex-combatants are faring in the overall post-war recovery process in Sierra Leone. Special focus lies on the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants (DDR) programme which was part of the Lome Peace Agreement signed in 1999. The study also comes up with recommendations as to how the challenges currently faced by ex-combatants could be overcome.:1. Introduction … 8 2. Theoretical Framework … 11 3. Context … 25 3.1 Origins of the war in Sierra Leone … 25 3.2 Factions involved in the conflict … 31 3.3 Recruitment patterns … 37 3.4 Peace Agreements … 39 3.5 Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-combatants … 46 4. Research Methodology … 58 4.1 Research Question … 58 4.2 Conceptual Scheme … 59 4.3 Operationalization of Major Concepts … 60 4.4 Methodology … 62 4.5 Location of the Research ... 63 4.6 Unit of Analysis … 64 5. Findings … 66 5.1.1 Current social status of former male combatants … 71 5.1.2 Current social status of former female combatants … 76 5.1.2 Conclusion … 83 5.2. Current economic status of former combatants … 85 5.2.1 Former Male Combatants … 85 5.2.2 Former Female Combatants … 94 5.2.3 Conclusion … 102 6. Conclusions and recommendations … 105 6.1 Final Conclusions … 105 6.2 Recommendations … 109 7. Bibliography … 116 8. Annex ... 123