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The paper examines the place and condition of Africa in the global economic index and the imperative to shift the narrative by way of changing course from the present sordid reality. The dominant absence of development in the continent remains a sore point which contemporary issues in a globalized world have further accentuated by reaffirming the continent as a laggard within the international political system. The study relied on secondary and tertiary sources for data. The study submits that despite the prospects for a more robust and sustainable contribution of the continent to the world economy, it has been unable to compete favourably in the global marketplace or even at the intra-states level within the continent because of the absence of the requisite political will and comprehensive road map to end the cycles of bad governance and economic crisis which has held the continent down for ages. Hence, this study calls on the African leaders to ensure that Agenda 2063 is vigorously implemented and thus making Africa both competitive and not falling into the tepidness which was the lot of previous continental initiatives.

In this book readers will find technological discussions on the existing and emerging technologies across the different stages of the big data value chain. They will learn about legal aspects of big data, the social impact, and about education needs and requirements. And they will discover the business perspective and how big data technology can be exploited to deliver value within different sectors of the economy. The book is structured in four parts: Part I "The Big Data Opportunity" explores the value potential of big data with a particular focus on the European context. It also describes the legal, business and social dimensions that need to be addressed, and briefly introduces the European Commission's BIG project. Part II "The Big Data Value Chain" details the complete big data lifecycle from a technical point of view, ranging from data acquisition, analysis, curation and storage, to data usage and exploitation. Next, Part III "Usage and Exploitation of Big Data" illustrates the value creation possibilities of big data applications in various sectors, including industry, healthcare, finance, energy, media and public services. Finally, Part IV "A Roadmap for Big Data Research" identifies and prioritizes the cross-sectorial requirements for big data research, and outlines the most urgent and challenging technological, economic, political and societal issues for big data in Europe. This compendium summarizes more than two years of work performed by a leading group of major European research centers and industries in the context of the BIG project. It brings together research findings, forecasts and estimates related to this challenging technological context that is becoming the major axis of the new digitally transformed business environment.

This book highlights research in flood related areas and sustainable management conducted by researchers around the world, compiling their innovative work in order to share best practices for managing floods and recommended flood solutions. The individual papers cover the fundamentals and latest advances in the areas of flood research and management, providing in-depth coverage complemented by illustrations, diagrams and tables. The book offers a valuable source of information on methods and state-of-the art technology for effective flood management

Part I provides a kaleidoscopic view of the problem of economic development and foreign policy in Nigeria. In Part II, some of the operational forces - domestic and external - that have a crucial impact on Nigeria's economic development process are analysed. The central role of Nigeria's energy sector, with particular reference to oil is treated in Part III. In Part IV, the papers dwell on the part which relevant public institutions play and should play as catalytic agents in the execution of foreign policy for domestic economic development

"Harmonising Subnational Boundaries" discusses GRID3's work to support the harmonisation, production, and use of digitised legal/administrative units, operational units, and statistical areas. GRID3's boundaries work has three primary areas of focus: improving and harmonising operational units; fostering improved collaboration on boundary harmonisation among disparate government bodies; and using boundaries harmonisation to support census efforts. The paper focuses on case studies in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. GRID3 works with countries to generate, validate and use geospatial data on population, settlements, infrastructure, and subnational boundaries. For more information, see https://grid3.org/. Keywords: administrative units; census; community health workers; digital boundaries; emergency operations; enumeration area; GIS; gridded population data; harmonisation; health catchment; microplan; operational units; points of interest; pre-enumeration area; routine operations; semi-automated delineation; settlement; settlement layer; settlement mapping; statistical areas; statistical infrastructure; subnational boundaries; sustainable development; GRID3; health zones; participatory mapping; vaccination; immunisation; CIESIN; UNFPA; Flowminder; WorldPop; polio

The article deals with the problem of new, non-military challenges for the US in Europe. Previously Washington saw the main regional risks in the military-political sphere. Now serious challenges are emerging in issues of trade, technological and information security. It also appears to lack initiative for regional development. To a large extent, the risks can be associated with the activities of the PRC. The study analyzes the American policy in specific areas (trade, 5G networks, energy exports, relations between allies). The main approaches that Washington can apply to protect its regional interests are as follows: attempts to put pressure on allies by introducing new tariffs and reducing cooperation in several areas; the desire of the US to provide an alternative to the projects of the PRC in the region; deliberate militarization of several topics by the US. But still, the universal instrument is the emphasis on shared values and the issue of human rights. The resolution of bilateral problems between the US and the EU will not fully deal with new risks. Trying to fend off the challenges emanating from the PRC, the US has to partially repeat and duplicate Beijing's policy, creating alternative infrastructure projects or trying to promote its LNG instead of Russian gas.

This is the third book in the series Shared Responsibility in International Law, which examines the problem of distribution of responsibilities among multiple states and other actors. In its work on the responsibility of states and international organisations, the International Law Commission recognised that attribution of acts to one actor does not exclude possible attribution of the same act to another state or organisation. Recognising that the applicable rules and procedures for shared responsibility may differ between particular issue areas, this volume reviews the practice of states, international organisations, courts and other bodies that have dealt with the issue of international responsibility of multiple wrongdoing actors in a wide range of issue areas, including energy, extradition, investment law, NATO-led operations and fisheries. These analyses jointly assess the fit of the prevailing principles of international responsibility and provide a basis for reform and further development of international law.

This is the third book in the series Shared Responsibility in International Law, which examines the problem of distribution of responsibilities among multiple states and other actors. In its work on the responsibility of states and international organisations, the International Law Commission recognised that attribution of acts to one actor does not exclude possible attribution of the same act to another state or organisation. Recognising that the applicable rules and procedures for shared responsibility may differ between particular issue areas, this volume reviews the practice of states, international organisations, courts and other bodies that have dealt with the issue of international responsibility of multiple wrongdoing actors in a wide range of issue areas, including energy, extradition, investment law, NATO-led operations and fisheries. These analyses jointly assess the fit of the prevailing principles of international responsibility and provide a basis for reform and further development of international law

In the quest for sustainable solutions to record global displacement, promoting displaced persons' self-reliance and supporting them alongside host communities in regions of displacement have become buzzwords in global and European policy discussions. But despite such pledges, TRAFIG research in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) finds that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in urban settings are largely ignored and unassisted by the state and international humanitarian and development interventions - and are proactively seeking their own solutions. The lack of institutionalised assistance means that IDPs mostly depend on the solidarity of others to be or become self-reliant. In this context, networks are a particularly important source of support and include assistance with locating housing and finding a job in Bukavu and with maintaining and harvesting crops in communities of origin. However, even with the benefits that these connections can bring, IDPs face serious challenges related to their displacement and contend with multiple types of limbo, making it difficult for many to truly overcome situations of protracted displacement. Findings thus point to the need for policies and practices that support urban IDPs in the DRC by helping them nurture and leverage their networks to unlock opportunities.

This report is intended to provide guidance on best practices in mining licensing, based on examples from low, middle and high income countries in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. It is not a 'how-to guide' or a licensing implementation toolkit, but rather identifies certain common features of successful mining licensing regimes worldwide that other national or sub-national jurisdictions might usefully incorporate in new mining laws and regulations or revisions or existing ones. The case studies and other examples of good and bad practice are intended to provide a cross-section by geography and by income level, and they demonstrate that the prevalence of good and bad practices is not simply a function of income level. Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world, has in many respects a better licensing regime than either South Africa or the U.S. State of Wisconsin. In considering these complex issues, it has proven difficult to confine the discussion purely to questions of licensing. Discussion of licensing invariably invokes reference to overall policy and investment climate issues, environmental protection, labor law, taxation, national and sub-national jurisdiction, land tenure, and much more. This report makes no attempt to address all of these in detail but refers to them in reference to their interactions with and effect on, licensing itself. Far more detailed research on mineral policy, taxation, investment climate, and other issues has been carried out, some of it referred to in this report and cited in the footnotes and bibliography.

The collection of papers in this volume arose from a workshop held in Maiduguri in February 1993. The workshop reviewed research on fadama (wetland) land use and the impacts of previous developments in Northern Nigeria. One of the common findings is that previous approaches to development in the dry zone of Northern Nigeria have been a failure. The construction of large dams for large-scale irrigation has not realised the benefits promised by the planners, low economic returns, negative environmental impacts and increased differentiation among rural producers have combined with downstream impacts that have undermined the indigenous system of floodplain farming and pastoral use in the fadama areas. The papers in this volume offer alternative proposals for a sustainable agriculture in fadama areas. (DÜI-Hff)

This report summarizes the experiences of 19 companies from across the region. Each of the case studies highlights the key corporate governance changes made and the positive impacts that resulted, as reported by the company. The companies represent various countries, sectors, types, and sizes. All of the companies featured are former IFC Advisory Services clients. Some are IFC Investment clients as well. IFC conducted an in-depth corporate governance assessment for each of these companies using IFC's Corporate Governance Methodology. The assessments resulted in specific recommendations on ways to improve each company's governance framework and identified implementation plans. The assessments were conducted at various points over the past few years. The time taken to implement changes and realize benefits varied. However, all companies reported that governance changes are continuous and the corresponding benefits manifest themselves in different forms over time. This report provides examples of companies in various stages of change – from recent changes (e.g., Medgulf) to ongoing, longer-term changes (e.g., Bank Audi). This report also includes testimony from three MENA private equity firms (all IFC investment clients). Collectively, these firms have worked with 72 investee companies (past and present funds). Selected based on their association with IFC and their willingness to share their insight and experiences, these firms offer a valuable window into the importance of corporate governance from an investor's perspective. The material in this report is based on feedback gathered through individual interviews with each organization featured, resulting in well-considered responses. The achievements highlighted are all the more notable given that the interviews and information gathering process took place in in late 2009 (first edition) and 2013 (for current edition), when the region was still under the stress of the crisis.

"This report focuses on recalibrating U.S. Army forces in Europe in light of the security challenges posed by a resurgent Russia and offers 37 recommendations for building and a credible and sustainable deterrence posture in Europe over the next decade. This report opens with a broad overview of the challenges posed by Russia and reviews past and current U.S. Army force posture in Europe. It then identifies and offers recommendations to address sustainment challenges for ongoing U.S. deterrence and reassurance efforts; tackling key military capability areas and gaps; realigning U.S. force posture in Europe; and strengthening civilian efforts and civil-military cooperation"--Publisher's web site

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the Treaty) was adopted in 2001, after eight years of negotiation, and came into force in 2004. Its objectives are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Treaty creates the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing (multilateral system), through which contracting parties agree to provide facilitated access to genetic resources of sixty-four crops and forages that are crucial for food security worldwide. The multilateral system can be seen as the most advanced expression of countries' intention to co-operate in the conservation, distribution and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and it constitutes a central element in a global system in which different types of users around the world share both responsibilities and benefits in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources. The multilateral system can be implemented only if countries' governments, international organizations and individual users worldwide embrace its collaborative spirit and approach plant genetic resources conservation and use as a joint international effort. Effective collaboration depends upon understanding the perspectives of the different stakeholders. The four national case studies presented in this volume – focusing on Kenya, Morocco, Peru and the Philippines – were commissioned as part of an effort of the centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to better appreciate the incentives and disincentives that countries and their constituent interest groups have to engage (or not) in the multilateral system. They are expected to help the CGIAR centres and other international organizations to orient their support towards the implementation of the global system, and the Treaty, in particular, with a wider vision of countries' expectations and constraints for international co-operation in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. These case studies should also be useful for other countries that are engaged in implementing the multilateral system domestically in order to see how the four countries highlighted in the volume 'frame' the challenges and identify options for effective participation in the system.