Africa is Rising - Presentation at IMANI Ghana annual lecture -SYPALA 2015metisdecisions
Africa is rising- where is the evidence? This presentation provides just that; evidence, to support the proposition that indeed, Africa has made progress, albeit more needs to be done several fronts. The text also focus on what the roe of entrepreneurship ought to be given the stark evidence of inequality and poverty that still pertains.
Our next two papers consider two aspects of public sector audit. The first by Hussein Mohamed El-Nafabi considers the issue of corruption in Sudan and the important role of the Auditor General in the fight against it. The objective of this study is to address the perverse incentives for financial corruption and try to provide practical solutions. It is recognised that, as in many countries, financial corruption is deeply rooted and institutionalized and the fight against it is likely to be long and difficult. However, the paper ends with a series of recommendations to assist with this struggle.
Africa is Rising - Presentation at IMANI Ghana annual lecture -SYPALA 2015metisdecisions
Africa is rising- where is the evidence? This presentation provides just that; evidence, to support the proposition that indeed, Africa has made progress, albeit more needs to be done several fronts. The text also focus on what the roe of entrepreneurship ought to be given the stark evidence of inequality and poverty that still pertains.
Our next two papers consider two aspects of public sector audit. The first by Hussein Mohamed El-Nafabi considers the issue of corruption in Sudan and the important role of the Auditor General in the fight against it. The objective of this study is to address the perverse incentives for financial corruption and try to provide practical solutions. It is recognised that, as in many countries, financial corruption is deeply rooted and institutionalized and the fight against it is likely to be long and difficult. However, the paper ends with a series of recommendations to assist with this struggle.
Financial literacy is a major determinant of demand for financial services. This study sought to
determine the levels of financial literacy of informal Enterprise owners and to establish the link with Enterprise
usage of financial services, and at the same time to determine socio-demographic and Enterprise characteristics
that may affect levels of financial literacy, and Enterprises’ usage of financial services
This presentation was delivered by Ian Durant, Deputy Director, Economics Department at the Governors Roundtable at CDB's 46th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors. The event took place on May 19, 2016, Jamaica. For more information about the Caribbean Development Bank’s work, visit www.caribank.org.
CDB's Deputy Director in the Economics Department, Ian Durant looks at the role of competitiveness in achieving sustainable growth in the Region, during the Governors' Roundtable discussion at the 46th Annual Meeting of CDB's Board of Governors in Montego Bay, Jamaica on May 19, 2016.
THE IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH; THE CASE OF SUB-SAHARA...AkashSharma618775
The main aim of this research is to explore the effect of trade liberalization on economic growth in subSaharan Africa by analyzing certain macro-economic indicators using Ordinary Least Squares approach to
estimate regression equations. Many developing countries have substantially liberalized their trade regime over the
past three decades, either unilaterally or as part of multilateral initiatives. Nevertheless, trade barriers remain
high in many developing countries. One of the concerns that attributes to the reluctance of many of these countries
to liberalize their trade regime is the possible worsening of the trade balance.
This research paper is meant to give a recommendation on which macro-economic indicators sub-Saharan African
countries should pay particular attention to, implementing the necessary policies to ensure its effectiveness thereby
ensuring a step-up in those aspects of the economy in order to promote development. It considers 46 different
countries with different economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa for a 14-year period. Most papers considering
sub-Saharan African region consider a selected few countries based on certain economic reasons of their choice,
and those who consider most countries in the region have different macroeconomic indicators they employ for their
modeling. This paper considers if not all, almost all sub-Saharan African countries regardless of their economic
status.
Making myanmar national land use policy and legal framework workThynZOo
MAKING MYANMAR NATIONAL LAND USE POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK WORK: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE FOR MYANMAR'S INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
By Thyn Zar Oo
Public Legal Aid Network (The PLAN)
Union of the Republic of Myanmar
legalaidnetwork.myanmar@gmail.com
Paper prepared for presentation at the
“2019 WORLD BANK CONFERENCE ON LAND AND POVERTY”
The World Bank - Washington DC, March 25-29, 2019
Copyright 2019 by author(s). All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies.
Abstract:
"There is no compensation for inaction and lack of policies", warned a panelist in "Leveraging Policies for Sustainable Development Goals", one of the seminars in 2018 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Bali, urging governments' immediate actions to address global issues highlighting the only alternative be the devastating crises. In light of #AM2018Bali agendas, the paper explores the context of Myanmar's challenges and opportunities: how Myanmar could make its National Land Use Policy and Legal Framework work for all its populations, including the vulnerable and marginalized by fostering inclusion, equality, rule-of-law and ensuring leveled playing field for free and fair competition. By honestly looking deep into realities of the illicit unaccounted-for economies and their thriving financing models, could the country capture and incorporate correct data to formulate comprehensive policy and regulatory frameworks. Harnessing technology, innovation and investing in the future will help Myanmar achieve its full potential.
Key words: Land, Governance, Policy, Poverty, Trafficking, Refugees, Migration, Development, Innovation, Technology, Human Capital, Investment, Economy, Financing, Legal Framework, Legislation, Legislative Drafting
Nigeria and Global Competitiveness: Imperative for International Trade a Comp...inventionjournals
This study is aimed at examining the level of Nigeria’s global competitiveness in relation to some selected economies in Africa and to establish the links between international trade and global competitiveness. In conducting the study secondary data were sourced from the Africa Competitiveness report 2015 and the Global Competitiveness report 2014- 2015 as point of reference and in providing the data necessary for the analysis. Descriptive statistics was used in analyzing the data provided by the insight reports while comparison was made with six African oil exporting countries. Findings showed that Nigeria is having a weak performance in almost all the factors considered with a very dismal performance in its institutions, health and primary education and infrastructure to change this position to a positive one, the Nigeria economy should be transformed by diversifying the economy from crude oil dependence to a multi sector driven economy.
Are there enough resources for financing an Arab Development Transformation?UNDP Policy Centre
The fundamental development challenge in the Arab region is one of economic transformation or, more pertinent, a lack thereof. Heavy sectoral weights of extractive industries lead to dependence on global oil prices, even in oil-producing countries. The structure of production limits employment generation for skilled and semi-skilled labour. Low-skill services and informal activities then absorb the labour force, with corresponding harm to aggregate productivity and living standards. The slow emergence of manufacturing capacities distinguishes the economies of the Arab region from other developing countries. Compared to suitable aggregates or, more poignant, the successful Asian emerging economies, manufacturing exports from the Arab region do not contribute sufficiently to growth. Concurrently, growth is volatile and saving and investment rates are significantly below what is required to undertake this economic transition. This paper by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) approaches fiscal space by asking: What barriers to the creation and use of such fiscal space must be removed in order to undertake such a transformation? In posing this question, the paper seeks to clearly demarcate its treatment of the fiscal space issue from that of the fiscal fundamentalist: its concern is to ensure that fiscal space is created
not in the abstract for an unspecified purpose.
Seven Key Findings from the Youth Governance SurveyOECD Governance
This brochure presents the preliminary findings from a large-scale survey which was sent to nine countries in the MENA region.The surveys explore the opportunities for young people to engage in public life and analyses the efforts undertaken by
governments and public administrations to deliver policies and
services that are responsive to their specific needs from a public
governance perspective.
Financial literacy is a major determinant of demand for financial services. This study sought to
determine the levels of financial literacy of informal Enterprise owners and to establish the link with Enterprise
usage of financial services, and at the same time to determine socio-demographic and Enterprise characteristics
that may affect levels of financial literacy, and Enterprises’ usage of financial services
This presentation was delivered by Ian Durant, Deputy Director, Economics Department at the Governors Roundtable at CDB's 46th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors. The event took place on May 19, 2016, Jamaica. For more information about the Caribbean Development Bank’s work, visit www.caribank.org.
CDB's Deputy Director in the Economics Department, Ian Durant looks at the role of competitiveness in achieving sustainable growth in the Region, during the Governors' Roundtable discussion at the 46th Annual Meeting of CDB's Board of Governors in Montego Bay, Jamaica on May 19, 2016.
THE IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH; THE CASE OF SUB-SAHARA...AkashSharma618775
The main aim of this research is to explore the effect of trade liberalization on economic growth in subSaharan Africa by analyzing certain macro-economic indicators using Ordinary Least Squares approach to
estimate regression equations. Many developing countries have substantially liberalized their trade regime over the
past three decades, either unilaterally or as part of multilateral initiatives. Nevertheless, trade barriers remain
high in many developing countries. One of the concerns that attributes to the reluctance of many of these countries
to liberalize their trade regime is the possible worsening of the trade balance.
This research paper is meant to give a recommendation on which macro-economic indicators sub-Saharan African
countries should pay particular attention to, implementing the necessary policies to ensure its effectiveness thereby
ensuring a step-up in those aspects of the economy in order to promote development. It considers 46 different
countries with different economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa for a 14-year period. Most papers considering
sub-Saharan African region consider a selected few countries based on certain economic reasons of their choice,
and those who consider most countries in the region have different macroeconomic indicators they employ for their
modeling. This paper considers if not all, almost all sub-Saharan African countries regardless of their economic
status.
Making myanmar national land use policy and legal framework workThynZOo
MAKING MYANMAR NATIONAL LAND USE POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK WORK: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE FOR MYANMAR'S INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
By Thyn Zar Oo
Public Legal Aid Network (The PLAN)
Union of the Republic of Myanmar
legalaidnetwork.myanmar@gmail.com
Paper prepared for presentation at the
“2019 WORLD BANK CONFERENCE ON LAND AND POVERTY”
The World Bank - Washington DC, March 25-29, 2019
Copyright 2019 by author(s). All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies.
Abstract:
"There is no compensation for inaction and lack of policies", warned a panelist in "Leveraging Policies for Sustainable Development Goals", one of the seminars in 2018 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Bali, urging governments' immediate actions to address global issues highlighting the only alternative be the devastating crises. In light of #AM2018Bali agendas, the paper explores the context of Myanmar's challenges and opportunities: how Myanmar could make its National Land Use Policy and Legal Framework work for all its populations, including the vulnerable and marginalized by fostering inclusion, equality, rule-of-law and ensuring leveled playing field for free and fair competition. By honestly looking deep into realities of the illicit unaccounted-for economies and their thriving financing models, could the country capture and incorporate correct data to formulate comprehensive policy and regulatory frameworks. Harnessing technology, innovation and investing in the future will help Myanmar achieve its full potential.
Key words: Land, Governance, Policy, Poverty, Trafficking, Refugees, Migration, Development, Innovation, Technology, Human Capital, Investment, Economy, Financing, Legal Framework, Legislation, Legislative Drafting
Nigeria and Global Competitiveness: Imperative for International Trade a Comp...inventionjournals
This study is aimed at examining the level of Nigeria’s global competitiveness in relation to some selected economies in Africa and to establish the links between international trade and global competitiveness. In conducting the study secondary data were sourced from the Africa Competitiveness report 2015 and the Global Competitiveness report 2014- 2015 as point of reference and in providing the data necessary for the analysis. Descriptive statistics was used in analyzing the data provided by the insight reports while comparison was made with six African oil exporting countries. Findings showed that Nigeria is having a weak performance in almost all the factors considered with a very dismal performance in its institutions, health and primary education and infrastructure to change this position to a positive one, the Nigeria economy should be transformed by diversifying the economy from crude oil dependence to a multi sector driven economy.
Are there enough resources for financing an Arab Development Transformation?UNDP Policy Centre
The fundamental development challenge in the Arab region is one of economic transformation or, more pertinent, a lack thereof. Heavy sectoral weights of extractive industries lead to dependence on global oil prices, even in oil-producing countries. The structure of production limits employment generation for skilled and semi-skilled labour. Low-skill services and informal activities then absorb the labour force, with corresponding harm to aggregate productivity and living standards. The slow emergence of manufacturing capacities distinguishes the economies of the Arab region from other developing countries. Compared to suitable aggregates or, more poignant, the successful Asian emerging economies, manufacturing exports from the Arab region do not contribute sufficiently to growth. Concurrently, growth is volatile and saving and investment rates are significantly below what is required to undertake this economic transition. This paper by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) approaches fiscal space by asking: What barriers to the creation and use of such fiscal space must be removed in order to undertake such a transformation? In posing this question, the paper seeks to clearly demarcate its treatment of the fiscal space issue from that of the fiscal fundamentalist: its concern is to ensure that fiscal space is created
not in the abstract for an unspecified purpose.
Seven Key Findings from the Youth Governance SurveyOECD Governance
This brochure presents the preliminary findings from a large-scale survey which was sent to nine countries in the MENA region.The surveys explore the opportunities for young people to engage in public life and analyses the efforts undertaken by
governments and public administrations to deliver policies and
services that are responsive to their specific needs from a public
governance perspective.
Measuring of informal sector and informal employment in st lucia
MENA Land Governance NY
1. 1
Main characteristics of land administration in MENA countries
by Rafic Khouri
Advisor to the President of the Arab Union of Surveyors
New York 2 June 2016
MENA Population
The second half of the 20th century—particularly the last quarter of the 20th
century—has witnessed
an explosive population growth throughout the MENA region. The region’s population growth rate
has reached a peak of 3 percent per year around 1980. Currently, the population of MENA is
growing at nearly 2 percent, still higher than the world average. Today, with half of its population
under age 25, MENA has the second youngest population among world regions, after sub-Saharan
Africa1
. However, the average of arable land per person in this area is only 0.1ha, and 60% of the
MENA population lives in cities (World Bank data). There is therefore a very serious scarcity of arable
land. One of the consequences of these facts is that the MENA region has the highest youth
unemployment rate in the world: the Middle East and North Africa regions continue to show by far
the highest youth unemployment rates – 28.2 and 30.5 per cent, respectively, in 2014 – and rates
have continued to worsen since 2012, particularly for young women2
.
The resulting high cost of land and poor public land management, coupled with the high price of
housing available in the formal sector, has contributed to the proliferation of slums and
informal/squatter settlements in cities throughout the region. Over 50% of Egypt’s urban population
lives in such conditions of limited, if any, tenure security and poor access to basic infrastructure
services. Amman (capital of Jordan) stands out as one example of a city that is taking a proactive
approach and recently received a World Leadership Award (2007) in the planning division for its
visionary master plan (World Bank 2008)
The overall lack of secure property rights, particularly concerning land and real estate, and difficulties
in accessing land have been identified by firms in most MENA countries as a constraint to investment
(Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, and Syria). The lack of secure property rights severely hinders the ability
to use land and real estate as collateral to access finance, which in large part explains why housing
mortgage finance markets in the region remain undeveloped (Jordan and Tunisia are exceptions)
(WB 2008).
In December 2015, Mr. Sherif Samy, chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority,
declared that more than 90 per cent of the units in Egypt still do not have proper titles. “The title
registration regime is very antique, time consuming and cumbersome,” he says3
.
1
Farzaneh Roudi, United Nations Expert Group Meeting On Adolescents, Youth And Development, YOUTH
POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: OPPORTUNITY OR CHALLENGE?,
New York, 2011
2
ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015, p.6
3
The National newspaper, UAE, December 9, 2015
2. 2
Main characteristics of land administration in MENA countries:
Of course, such a tense socio economic situation requires high standards in land governance, which
would guarantee transparency as well as all citizens’ land rights, providing clear identification of the
owner(s) and the rule of law, but most of MENA countries haven’t engaged enough yet in this
process.
One of the most important sources of indicators about land administration is the World Bank’s Doing
Business project. It monitors on a yearly basis the procedures, the duration of the registration
process as well as the reliability of this process. It also monitors the reforms in which the countries
are engaged. The general ideal of the Doing Business project is that registering property should be
short, with a minimum number of procedures, and should require the cheapest possible cost. It is
globally admitted that the registration complexity and its high cost are obstacles to property
registration, particularly for the disadvantaged sectors of the population.
On the other hand, complex procedures are often a source of corruption, entailing additional costs, a
situation detrimental to the rule of law and to the State’s image. In addition to the two criteria of
duration and cost of the registration process, the Doing Business team computes an interesting index
measuring the quality of land administration. This index puts greater focus on the qualitative aspects
of land registration: i.e. reliability, transparency, coverage, and dispute prevention.
The Doing Business reports have computed the following average indicators of land registration in
the MENA region:
• Registering Property MENA average index 61.43 (0=very bad and 100=very good)
• Procedures (number) 5.7
• Time (days) 29.6
• Cost (% of property value) 5.6
• Quality of the land administration index (0-30) 12.5
These figures show that registering property remains a risky issue, with a poor quality of land
administration index (12.5/30), and a global average index of 61.43 (max 100), at least in some MENA
countries.
However, the Doing Business has been a powerful global tool able to foster progress in the field of
land administration. The following table monitors the progress of the different regions of the world,
including MENA from 2005 to 20164
:
4
World Bank, How Innovation in Land Administration Reform Improve on Doing Business, Washington, 2015,
p.3
3. 2
Main characteristics of land administration in MENA countries:
Of course, such a tense socio economic situation requires high standards in land governance, which
would guarantee transparency as well as all citizens’ land rights, providing clear identification of the
owner(s) and the rule of law, but most of MENA countries haven’t engaged enough yet in this
process.
One of the most important sources of indicators about land administration is the World Bank’s Doing
Business project. It monitors on a yearly basis the procedures, the duration of the registration
process as well as the reliability of this process. It also monitors the reforms in which the countries
are engaged. The general ideal of the Doing Business project is that registering property should be
short, with a minimum number of procedures, and should require the cheapest possible cost. It is
globally admitted that the registration complexity and its high cost are obstacles to property
registration, particularly for the disadvantaged sectors of the population.
On the other hand, complex procedures are often a source of corruption, entailing additional costs, a
situation detrimental to the rule of law and to the State’s image. In addition to the two criteria of
duration and cost of the registration process, the Doing Business team computes an interesting index
measuring the quality of land administration. This index puts greater focus on the qualitative aspects
of land registration: i.e. reliability, transparency, coverage, and dispute prevention.
The Doing Business reports have computed the following average indicators of land registration in
the MENA region:
• Registering Property MENA average index 61.43 (0=very bad and 100=very good)
• Procedures (number) 5.7
• Time (days) 29.6
• Cost (% of property value) 5.6
• Quality of the land administration index (0-30) 12.5
These figures show that registering property remains a risky issue, with a poor quality of land
administration index (12.5/30), and a global average index of 61.43 (max 100), at least in some MENA
countries.
However, the Doing Business has been a powerful global tool able to foster progress in the field of
land administration. The following table monitors the progress of the different regions of the world,
including MENA from 2005 to 20164
:
4
World Bank, How Innovation in Land Administration Reform Improve on Doing Business, Washington, 2015,
p.3
4. 4
Moreover, Doing Business has published the following table which computes the number of reforms
in the field of land administration from 2006 to 2013.
5. 5
The table shows that, while sub-Saharan Africa is the region which has implemented the biggest
number of reforms between 2005 and 2012 (52 reforms for 46 economies; average per economy
1.13), MENA’s 19 economies have implemented 12 reforms, with an average of 0.63 reform per
economy, thus highlighting the urgent need to trigger land administration reforms in a number of
MENA region countries.
Another problem in the region is corruption related to land. A survey about corruption in this sector,
as perceived in MENA countries, has been published in FAO’s Land Tenure Journal in 2011. Here are
some of the conclusions published:
“Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) 2009 presents the main findings of
a public opinion survey that explores the general public’s views of corruption, as well as experiences
of bribery around the world. It assesses the extent to which key institutions and public services are
perceived to be corrupt, measures citizens’ views on government efforts to fight corruption, and, for
the first time in the 2009 survey (in cooperation with FAO), includes land questions about the level of
bribery and political corruption in the land sector. The 2009 barometer interviewed 73 132 people in
69 countries. The results for the MENA region are exposed below”:
Question: How serious do you think the problem of grand or political corruption is in land matters in
Middle East and North Africa?
5
5
Zimmermann, Willi, Towards land governance in the Middle East and North Africa region, in FAO’s Land
Tenure Journal, 1(2011), p. 117-118
6. 6
Another issue of concern is the conservative attitude about women’s access to land in the MENA
region. This problem can be summarized as follows:
This issue is seldom dealt with in these countries, and land ownership records, which are far from
being comprehensive, are seldom disaggregated by gender. However, many studies point to the fact
that women rarely own land in the region. Moreover, when women actually do own land, it is often
controlled by a male member of the family until marriage, and after marriage by their husband or
son. In many countries, women also risk losing their entitlements in case of divorce, widowhood or
husband migration.
Furthermore, women that own land seldom purchase it but inherit it. Women also tend to give up
their land rights in return for a portion of the land's remittances. Finally, the rare lands owned by
women are also smaller in area than the ones owned by men. This bleak overview contrasts with the
high percentage of women working in agriculture in the MENA: up to 60% in Morocco and 50% in
Egypt for example.6
Reminder: the Sustainable Development Goals 1.4, 2.3, 5.a, mention equal access to land, to both
men and women.
In addition, the League of Arab States has adopted a Cairo Declaration in February 2014, following a
high level meeting dedicated to Millenium Development Goals for Women and Girls, Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women in the Arab Region. This declaration encompasses the following
paragraphs:
In spite of this declaration, according to SIGI Index, which measures the discrimination against
women worldwide, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the poorest performer in the
world. The majority of the MENA countries are positioned in the highest discrimination level, and
no country is in the very low level7
.
Therefore, my recommendations for the MENA region are:
- Advocacy, promotion of land governance principles and initiatives, together with developing
research and capacity building so that this issue is put high on the development agenda
6
Karine BADR, Rural women and agriculture in the MENA, C I H E A M Briefing Notes, N °66 – 17 May 2010
7
OECD DEV, Social Institutions & Gender Index 2014, Synthesis Report, 2014, p. 43
7. 7
- Promote participatory urban planning
- Promote women’s right to access land
- These aims would best be attained in a democratic context
These actions would usefully contribute to strengthening the rule of law in the MENA region, and
would contribute to enhance the development effort of these countries.