tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138766242024-03-13T06:04:39.348-04:00Emergent Africa Inspired by George Ayittey's book 'Africa Unchained'.Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.comBlogger7525125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-46289762845984937012024-01-29T10:20:00.003-05:002024-01-29T10:20:58.419-05:00Vocational Education in Africa. Anyone? by Jeff MegayoJeff Megayo writes:<blockquote>...there’s been a noticeable focus in getting Africans educated, but the evolution in education hasn’t necessarily translated into tangible employment gains for people, as we can note from current employment data presented above. Unemployment and underemployment represent severe challenges for the African youth, but they also have an adverse impact on the continent’s economy...[<a href="https://gbedemegayo.medium.com/vocational-education-in-africa-anyone-ec2a99099f48">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-89952221212797267582023-10-29T19:29:00.005-04:002023-10-29T19:29:57.884-04:00A Comprehensive Strategy to Strengthen Bioimaging in Africa through the Africa Microscopy Initiative - @NatureIn <i>Nature</i>:<blockquote>The Africa Microscopy Initiative (AMI) aims to promote the use of microscopy in biomedical research through facilitated access to instruments and expertise, and via training and networking opportunities. By coupling technology dissemination with expertise and training, AMI is designed to serve as a crucible for the sustainable development of imaging expertise across Africa...[<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-023-01221-w">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-42170825585614983462023-09-06T16:23:00.002-04:002023-09-06T16:23:46.229-04:00The Developmental Role of Importers by Abel Gaiya<a href="https://africaunchained.blogspot.com/2023/09/how-can-i-liberate-slaves-neglected.html">Abel Gaiya</a> writes:<blockquote>There has been a tendency within the development literature to characterize importers ofdomestic-substitutable goods as either neutral agents (as in the neoclassical comparativeadvantage framework where comparative advantage-based imports and exports are bothwelfare-enhancing), as passive agents whose interests are inevitably and developmentally goneagainst in an import-substitution strategy, or as anti-
developmental (“comprador”) agents of
dependency...[<a href="https://www.academia.edu/40654274/The_Developmental_Role_of_Importers">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-56002179709863494532023-09-06T16:11:00.003-04:002023-09-06T16:11:37.194-04:00“How Can I Liberate the Slaves?" - The Neglected Tradition of Developmental Abolitionism - Abel GaiyaFrom <a href="https://africaunchained.blogspot.com/2020/10/rethinking-african-progress-african.html?q=republic">Abel Gaiya</a>:<blockquote><b>Abstract</b><br><br>
The abolition of slavery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was a long process. In terms of the economic views of abolitionists, there has been an excessive focus on the economic ideas of liberal abolitionists and their approach to “Civilization, Christianity, and Commerce.” However, there was a “developmental abolitionism” that has received little attention. Afro-American Martin R. Delany and Liberian James S. Payne were writers who approached abolitionism through this developmentalism. They favored more interventionist measures aimed at building the material power and national autonomy of Black nations to undercut the power of slave-using African chiefs, to provide indigenous Africans with employment, and to undermine the profitability of slave-based cotton production in the Americas. They also implicitly and indirectly approached labor scarcity with solutions ranging from promoting labor-saving technology to cultivating national prosperity that would improve emigration to Africa or increase birth rates...[<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-history-of-economic-thought/article/abs/how-can-i-liberate-the-slaves-the-neglected-tradition-of-developmental-abolitionism/2DFF7A418984B1E08F6911677CA3C079">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-46511682126003057792023-09-01T11:18:00.002-04:002023-09-01T11:18:16.375-04:00Industrialization and Democracy by Sam van Noort<blockquote>Abstract<br><br>I provide a new theory of the relationship between economic development and democ-
racy. I argue that a large share of employment in manufacturing (i.e., industrialization)
makes mass mobilization both more likely to occur and more costly to suppress. This
increases the power of the masses relative to autocratic elites, making democracy more
likely. Novel manufacturing employment data for 145 countries over 170 years (1845{
2015) supports this hypothesis. First, all highly developed countries in the West and
East Asia democratized when approximately 25% of their workforce was employed in
manufacturing, and virtually no other country has ever reached this level without even-
tually becoming a well-functioning democracy. Second, industrialization is strongly
correlated with democracy, even after accounting for two-way xed e ects and other
economic determinants of democracy (e.g., income and inequality). Last, unlike with
other economic determinants the e ect occurs on both transitions and consolidations,
and is equally large after WWII...[<a href="https://preprints.apsanet.org/engage/api-gateway/apsa/assets/orp/resource/item/61bbcb3e02c2146464287888/original/industrialization-and-democracy.pdf">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-17180701310239119622023-09-01T11:13:00.004-04:002023-09-01T11:13:36.764-04:00Coevolution of Capitalism and Political Representation: The Choice of Electoral Systems<blockquote>Abstract<br><br>
Protocorporatist West European countries in which economic interests were collectively organized adopted PR in the first quarter of the twentieth century, whereas liberal countries in which economic interests were not collectively organized did not. Political parties, as Marcus Kreuzer points out, choose electoral systems. So how do economic interests translate into party political incentives to adopt electoral reform? We argue that parties in protocorporatist countries were “representative” of and closely linked to economic interests. As electoral competition in single member districts increased sharply up to World War I, great difficulties resulted for the representative parties whose leaders were seen as interest committed. They could not credibly compete for votes outside their interest without leadership changes or reductions in interest influence. Proportional representation offered an obvious solution, allowing parties to target their own voters and their organized interest to continue effective influence in the legislature. In each respect, the opposite was true of liberal countries. Data on party preferences strongly confirm this model. (Kreuzer's historical criticisms are largely incorrect, as shown in detail in the online supplementary Appendix.)...[<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/coevolution-of-capitalism-and-political-representation-the-choice-of-electoral-systems/C2E050AB8D899CFE929A21E448E702C0">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-90413309388422905092023-09-01T11:10:00.004-04:002023-09-01T11:10:19.779-04:00The coevolution of economic and political development from monarchy to democracy Fali Huang <blockquote>Abstract<br><br>
This article establishes a unified political economy model to analyze the democratization process from monarchy to oligarchy and to democracy in the context of dynamic economic development. As the predominant source of wealth evolves from land to physical capital and finally to human capital, the relative economic and hence coercive power of land owners, capitalists, and workers shifts accordingly, inducing the transition of the political system where political power is expanded from landlords to capitalists and finally to workers. A smooth transition through political compromise facilitates efficient allocation of savings in physical capital followed by efficient investment in human capital...[<a href="https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2981&context=soe_research">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-26440360676231389862023-09-01T11:06:00.004-04:002023-09-01T11:07:30.970-04:00Culture, institutions and the industrialization process by Nouhoum Touré <blockquote>
<b>Abstract</b><br /><br /> We propose a general equilibrium model where culture and
institutions coevolve with the industrialization process. Institutions are
defined as the balance of power between two social classes: workers and
elites. Within the elite, there are two cultural groups: entrepreneurs and
nonentrepreneurs, with culture defined as the proportion of each group. The
evolution of both culture and institutions feeds back with the scope of
industrialization. This mutual interplay may lead to multiple equilibria. In
particular, an economy in which the entrepreneurial culture is not widespread
and/or workers have little power may become trapped in a preindustrial regime.
A positive productivity shock makes it possible to leave this equilibrium and
generate a democratization movement. Nevertheless, depending on the initial
conditions, this movement may or may not be followed by the cultural
transformations that are required for industrialization. Finally, we discuss
England’s industrialization experiences in light of our results...[<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016726812100161X">more</a>]</blockquote>
Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-35570508291347503532023-08-23T21:56:00.002-04:002023-08-23T21:56:11.184-04:00On the Importance of African Traditional Religion for Economic Behavior - NBER<blockquote>Within the field of economics, despite being widespread, African traditional religions tend to be perceived as unimportant and ignored when studying economic decision-making. This study tests whether this presumption is correct. Using daily data on business decisions and performance of beer sellers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we study the importance of traditional religious beliefs for economic behavior and outcomes. Beer sellers perceive the risk of theft in their shops to be higher than it actually is, causing them to hold lower inventories, more frequent stock-outs, and reduced profits. We facilitate randomly-timed access to commonly-used, but typically prohibitively expensive rituals, which reduce the perceived risk of theft. We find that the rituals partially correct the beliefs about the risk of theft for sellers who report believing in the ritual’s efficacy. These sellers purchase more inventory, experience fewer stock-outs, and have larger sales, revenues, and profits. To distinguish the belief in the efficacy of the ritual from other incidental effects of participation, we analyze these outcomes for sellers who do not believe in the ritual. For these individuals, we find none of the observed effects. The findings provide evidence of the importance of African traditional religions, demonstrating that they can influence behavior and outcomes that are important for economic development...[<a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w31430">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-12748933389075304362023-08-13T21:14:00.001-04:002023-08-13T21:14:06.576-04:00The Evolution of the Aro Confederacy in Southeastern Nigeria, 1690-1720 by Apollos O. Nwauwa<blockquote><b>Abstract</b><br><br>
This work analyzes the unique evolution of the Aro state (Arochukwu) in southeastern Nigeria in ca. 1690-1720. The state emerged from the union of three distinct ethnic groups -Igbo, Ibibio, and Akpa -but the traditions have been distorted by colonial officials/anthropologists for both racial and administrative convenience. This study attempts to correct the misrepresentations and offer a more plausible analysis by correlating the process of the development of the Aro confederacy with the theories of state formation. Because of the inherent defects of the conventional assumptions, this work advances an alternative interpretation based on the judicious mix of the scarce resource, Marxist, and multiethnic hypotheses. Granted that most of the traditional theories of state formation exhibit relevance, both class and ethnicity were powerful internal forces which not only stimulated change but also determined the patterns of inter-and intragroup relations within the Aro society...[<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40463184">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-77375122391990728272023-08-12T10:54:00.003-04:002023-08-12T10:54:42.387-04:00Beyond products: The role of export activities in driving development - World Bank<blockquote>The question of what countries trade, and why, is a complex one, and it's important to understand that a country's comparative advantage doesn't always align with the types of products it exports. Comparative advantage refers to a country's relative efficiency in producing certain goods, based on factors like land, labor, capital, and technology. However, in today's globalized economy, production is often spread across multiple countries, which can make it difficult to determine what a country actually contributes to its exports...[<a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/beyond-products-role-export-activities-driving-development">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-57306376369346859512023-08-09T13:15:00.005-04:002023-08-09T13:15:24.116-04:00African needs a ton of growth to catch up - How much economic growth is necessary to reduce global poverty substantially? by Max Roser ( @MaxCRoser )Max Roser writes:<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFIueUnfTaaJI3T03OSVlOcDMECIr0KHsJpSF9mJZpZg4Gl5TCcxuo5ltt5Szzhb4QhMYsjrVEALZ9EvgWR_lBcexuardtaposzfTVN9DWYZFdnsgs4v_iYkq6lmzPWddE4wvtzxfaP6AtPBqVt84nKDL-18VQ6VhdgZgSisO63Kz4St9HfS4Zg/s1088/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-09%20at%201.12.16%20PM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="1088" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFIueUnfTaaJI3T03OSVlOcDMECIr0KHsJpSF9mJZpZg4Gl5TCcxuo5ltt5Szzhb4QhMYsjrVEALZ9EvgWR_lBcexuardtaposzfTVN9DWYZFdnsgs4v_iYkq6lmzPWddE4wvtzxfaP6AtPBqVt84nKDL-18VQ6VhdgZgSisO63Kz4St9HfS4Zg/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-09%20at%201.12.16%20PM.png"/></a></div>Billions of people in the world are living in poverty. Adjusted for the purchasing power in each country, 85% of the world population live on less than $30 per day.
<br><br>
In an earlier post I said that ‘if we want global poverty to decline substantially then the economies that are home to the poorest billions of people need to grow.’ In this post I want to make this statement more concrete. I will look at the depth of global poverty today to get a quantitative sense of just how much the global income distribution would need to change to reduce global poverty substantially...[<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/poverty-minimum-growth-needed">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-23372490649504142172023-08-08T22:14:00.005-04:002023-08-08T22:14:55.028-04:00The Industrial Revolution That Almost Was - Everything you never thought of asking about the proto-industrialization of Bengal by Étienne Fortier-Dubois Étienne Fortier-Dubois writes:<blockquote>History is gigantic along multiple dimensions, so it’s hardly surprising that there are countless combinations of time and place that you or I have never considered. Occasionally, though, I come across a blindspot that is perplexing: an event that seems significant, but that almost no one seems to be thinking about.
<br><br>
The proto-industrialized period of Bengal is one such blindspot. I’m guessing that, unless you come from South Asia or are a really big history nerd, you probably have no idea what I even mean by “the proto-industrialized period of Bengal.”...[<a href="https://etiennefd.substack.com/p/the-industrial-revolution-that-almost">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-90164730206745297072023-08-07T15:06:00.003-04:002023-08-07T15:06:38.616-04:00Why Economics Alone Cannot Explain West Africa’s Slow Development - Abel Gaiya<a href="https://africaunchained.blogspot.com/2020/10/rethinking-african-progress-african.html?q=republic">Abel Gaiya</a> writes:<blockquote>Many West African countries have disparities between their northern and southern regions that conventional economic literature can neither explain nor solve. Across West Africa, there is a growing case for thinking about these shared disparities from a regional lens. ...[<a href="https://republic.com.ng/february-march-2023/the-malformation-of-west-africa/">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-70965989357162884472023-08-03T09:34:00.001-04:002023-08-03T09:34:09.191-04:00An Opportunity for Africa? - Scientific discovery in the age of artificial intelligence<blockquote><b>Abstract</b><br><br>
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly integrated into scientific discovery to augment and accelerate research, helping scientists to generate hypotheses, design experiments, collect and interpret large datasets, and gain insights that might not have been possible using traditional scientific methods alone. Here we examine breakthroughs over the past decade that include self-supervised learning, which allows models to be trained on vast amounts of unlabelled data, and geometric deep learning, which leverages knowledge about the structure of scientific data to enhance model accuracy and efficiency. Generative AI methods can create designs, such as small-molecule drugs and proteins, by analysing diverse data modalities, including images and sequences. We discuss how these methods can help scientists throughout the scientific process and the central issues that remain despite such advances. Both developers and users of AI toolsneed a better understanding of when such approaches need improvement, and challenges posed by poor data quality and stewardship remain. These issues cut across scientific disciplines and require developing foundational algorithmic approaches that can contribute to scientific understanding or acquire it autonomously, making them critical areas of focus for AI innovation...[<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06221-2">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-77548791325152444932023-07-29T18:59:00.005-04:002023-07-29T19:05:53.904-04:00A Colossal mistake? - keeping Africa's Colonial Borders - "Why Redraw the Map of Africa? - A Moral and Legal Inquiry" by Makau wa Mutua (@makaumutua)A 1995 paper from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makau_Mutua">Makau wa Mutua</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>INTRODUCTION</b> <br /><br />The last decade of the twentieth century has seen a sharp increase in the number of new states, many of them a result of the end of the Cold War and the demise of European communism.' Not since decolonization have sovereignty and self-determination been such powerful currencies in international discourse. Now the protracted problems of the postcolonial African state have raised anew the meaning of state legitimacy and brought forward disturbing questions about the concepts of territorial sovereignty and statehood. The juridical statehood attained with the decolonization of the colonial state has in the last four decades proven inadequate.It is becoming increasingly apparent that these concepts and principles may have trapped Africa in a detrimental time capsule; they now seem to be straightjackets with timebombs ready to explode. The imposition of the nation-state through colonization balkanized Africa into ahistorical units and forcibly yanked it into the Age of Europe,permanently disfiguring it.6 Unlike their European counterparts, African states and borders are distinctly artificial and are not "'the visible expression of the age-long efforts of [the indigenous] peoples to achieve political adjustment between themselves and the physical conditions in which they live.' "' Colonization interrupted that historical and evolutionary process. Since then Africa has attempted, often unsuccessfully, to live up to and within these new formulations; all too frequently the consequences have been disastrous...[<a href="https://repository.law.umich.edu/context/mjil/article/1522/viewcontent">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-17272522311716173382023-07-28T22:38:00.003-04:002023-07-28T22:38:16.053-04:00Industrial Transformations by Isabel Estevez<blockquote>
The latest US experiment with industrial policy—comprised primarily by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—has sparked outright opposition and pleas for restraint, but also calls for far more ambitious action...[<a href="https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/industrial-transformations/">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-574468383237469982023-07-26T12:13:00.004-04:002023-07-26T12:13:35.036-04:00Why Private Entrepreneurs need Capable Governments by Sérgio G. Lazzarini <blockquote>The public debate is rife with polarized views of how to deliver essential services such as education, health, and security. While some tout private innovation and operation as a way to supplant bad governments, others warn that private firms maximize profits at the expense of socially oriented service attributes. Many cross-sector collaborations, which arguably mix public and private objectives, have also been short-lived and insufficient to address pressing problems that require scalable solutions...[<a href="https://ssir.org/books/excerpts/entry/private_firms_public_initiatives#">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-19341730377910021092023-07-26T11:44:00.007-04:002023-07-26T11:44:40.930-04:00Shifting Sands of Supply: Africa, China, and the Global Race for Rare Earth Elements by Shane Tews and Nii SimmondsShane Tews and Nii Simmonds write:<blockquote>When did you last think about what materials went into the screen you’re reading this on? Rare earth elements (REEs) are truly the magic that powers our modern world.
<br><br>
REEs are 17 elements essential for producing more than 200 high-tech products such as batteries, magnets, screen displays, semiconductors, and other electronic devices. They are particularly important to today’s global communications, or information and communications technology (ICT), as they are essential for the fiber optic cables, lasers, and other components used in telecommunications and internet connectivity...[<a href="https://www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/shifting-sands-of-supply-africa-china-and-the-global-race-for-rare-earth-elements/">more</a>]
</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-11214032676162263342023-07-16T11:36:00.002-04:002023-07-16T11:36:08.564-04:00Why India’s success shames the history of the West - Minhaz Merchant Minhaz Merchant writes:<blockquote>India was not supposed to be a success story. China, yes. Western think tanks knew as far back as the 1990s that the Communist giant would, as one recent book (The World in 2050: How to Think About the Future) by Hamish McRae put it, claim its rightful place in the world...[<a href="https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/head-on-why-indias-success-shames-the-history-of-the-west-12848882.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FFirstpost">more</a>]</blockquote>
Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-22930685184795074522023-07-06T06:07:00.000-04:002023-07-06T06:07:01.820-04:00Why Nigerian agbada fabric is (often) imported, while Indian sari fabric is local: a comparative history of textile manufacturing - Yarri B. KamaraA paper by Yarri B. Kamara<blockquote>Abstract<br><br>
In the 1980s, both India and Nigeria had textile sectors that satisfied their large domestic demand. Today, however, Nigeria imports most of its textiles, including identity-imbued fabrics, while India is a major textiles producer. This article proposes three explanatory factors for this divergence based on a review of secondary sources. From independence, Indian policy placed greater emphasis on supporting craft and small-scale textile production, whereas the craft sector in Nigeria was neglected. Nigeria’s indigenisation of industry strategies failed to achieve endogenous processes in the textile industry, whereas the Indian textile sector was characterised by high Indian ownership and endogenous skills and technologies that rendered the sector resilient to shocks. Lastly, while both countries adopted import-substituting industrialisation strategies, the Nigerian textile sector benefited from little trade protection as smuggling greatly undermined the protection in place...[<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369490247_Why_Nigerian_agbada_fabric_is_often_imported_while_Indian_sari_fabric_is_local_a_comparative_history_of_textile_manufacturing">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-21112118367479981392023-07-02T18:20:00.005-04:002023-07-02T18:25:35.682-04:00Africa's Entrepreneurs: The Igbos of Nigeria - Mises WireLipton Matthews writes:<blockquote>The Igbos are one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria and are celebrated for their successes in entrepreneurship and academia. The Igbos’ success extends outside the borders of Nigeria and cannot be considered a fluke. To account for their accomplishments, anthropologists have conducted several studies to ascertain the factors responsible for the outlier performance among the Igbos. Interestingly, cultural profiles often reveal the Igbos to be an achievement-oriented, individualistic, and adaptable group. Combined, these traits best explain the Igbos’ progress...[<a href="https://mises.org/wire/africas-entrepreneurs-igbos-nigeria">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-65720476221694140172023-06-23T15:28:00.005-04:002023-06-23T15:28:57.328-04:00Grant Management Systems in Africa - Nature<blockquote>Grants are like golden tickets for researchers. They open doors to new possibilities and enable researchers to bring their ideas to life and propel scientific discoveries forward. But sometimes, accessing grants can feel like navigating a maze.In this podcast we share some advice about how to find your way to the grants you need to carry out your research...[<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d44148-023-00130-2?utm_medium=paid_social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=null&utm_term=null&utm_campaign=CONR_NAFRC_ENGM_EU_CEEU_NAFRC_TW_June2023&twclid=2-3ax9d896arsxlvvk28zwuivtt">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-11677115637750875412023-06-23T15:04:00.003-04:002023-06-23T15:04:50.263-04:00Characterization of Nkalagu Obukpa Clay Deposits for Industrial Uses <blockquote><b>Abstract</b><br><br> Characterization of Nkalagu Obukpa clay deposit has been successfully investigated. The chemical analysis was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) and ultra-violet visible Range spectroscopy (Uv-vis). Particle size analysis and other physical properties tests such as bulk density, water absorptions, moisture content, plasticity, apparent porosity, shrinkage, modulus of rupture, cold crushing strength, thermal shock resistance and refractoriness were carried out using international accepted standard techniques. The result of the chemical analysis shows that the clay has alumina Al2O3 (24.63%), calcium oxide CaO (1.15%), silica SiO2 (50.21%), Iron oxide Fe2O3 (1.03%), sodium oxide Na2O (2.11%), potassium oxide K2O (2.03%), magnesium oxide MgO (2.32%), manganese oxide MnO (0.31%), Titanium oxide TiO2 (0.9) and oxide of P, Ni as trace. The results of the physical properties tests conducted at firing temperatures of 9000C, 10000C, 11000C and 12000C respectively indicated as follows; bulk density (1.670g/cm3),water absorption (674%),moisture content (4.20%), plasticity (3.20), apparent porosity (33.08%), shrinkage (7.44%) and thermal shock resistance (28cycles), at 12000C with an estimated refractoriness of (1647.540C). The clay deposit therefore can be used for the production of refractory bricks for lining of furnaces for ferrous and non-ferrous metals, low melting point alloys, re-heating furnaces, kilns and other foundry heating equipment that require medium duty refractory bricks. As a result of its low iron oxide and Titania contents, the deposit has whitish colour and can be used by paint, ceramics, and chalk industries...[<a href="https://www.allsubjectjournal.com/assets/archives/2015/vol2issue8/88.pdf">more</a>] </blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13876624.post-80010358988782239642023-06-23T09:19:00.000-04:002023-06-23T09:19:01.310-04:00The African Strategic State by @mwiyasMwiya writes:<blockquote>My my prior essay, On the African State, explored how a lack of strategic consensus building among elites has hamstrung the ability of African countries to develop "developmental states" similar to those in East Asia. This essay explores the question of what it would take to build strategic consensus, and more importantly how to build a "strategic state" in an African context.
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The central core of developing strategy is the notion of intent, more specifically clarity with respect to desired outcome/s. Strategy is merely a means of achieving a desired outcome. In the context of nation building, this is sometimes called "national interest."...[<a href="https://www.mwiya.com/the-strategic-state/">more</a>]</blockquote>Emeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.com0