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• (Journal Article) Social support and new venture initiation with resilience as a mediating factor

  01.09.2022
  The study empirically examined the link between social support and new venture initiation with resilience as a mediating factor. The study sought to determine the sources of social support influencing new venture initiation; the extent to which resilience influences new venture initiation; and whether resilience mediates the sources of social support influence on new venture initiation. These objectives were evaluated from a gender-based view. The study utilized the multi-group partial least square approach in testing the data collected from 327 trainees from the youth skill acquisition and entrepreneurship programme, designed for rural nascent entrepreneurs, organized by the Delta State Ministry of Youth Development. In line with the objectives, the study found that support from family and friends, but not significant other, influenced new venture initiation for men. While support from family, friends, and significant other influenced that of women. Resilience significantly influenced new venture initiation for men and women. Resilience mediated all the social support sources influence on new venture initiation for men and women.

• (Journal Article) Formal microsaving: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review of its exogenous determinants

  01.09.2022
  This paper reviews the determinants of formal microsaving (FMS), while also X-raying literature-documented conceptual sub-elements/sub-constructs of formal microsaving development (FMSD). This is with the intention to sensitize stakeholders as to what works for FMS and what doesn’t. The paper also offers an overview of the state of research in this academic sub-domain, with suggestions/guides for related future research agenda. Analysis of 301 articles was undertaken using PRISMA. The paper’s analysis affirms that the identified determinants were varied, using only a limited set of empirical methodologies. The geographical focus of most of the relevant studies were on Asia/Africa, with other regions largely ignored. The paper presents a novel review of the determinants of FMS. Also, the identified deconstructed sub-elements of FMSD could further sensitize researchers of its hitherto unknown multidimensional nature. Consequently, this could enhance the expansion of relevant empirical/theoretical knowledge with the additional possibility of initiating/influencing relevant global policy regeneration towards microsaving development.

• (Journal Article) Lessons for African microfinance providers and regulators in the aftermath of COVID-19

  01.09.2022
  This paper is concerned with microfinance in Africa post Covid-19, a crisis from which the continent is still recovering while new crises such as climate change challenges emerge. The resilience of the microfinance sector to crises must not only address operational weaknesses revealed by the pandemic, but also exploit the post-crisis potential to build resilience in areas such as digitalization and smallholder agriculture. New rules and regulations should target microfinance providers (MFPs) and enable them to quickly comply with new rules and those normally in force. This paper calls for the inclusion of all forms of MFPs, allowing for customized applications of policies and regulations. Moreover, measures for regulators include re-defining post-COVID-19 target groups, enhancing liquidity and MFP risk-based management, ensuring sustainability and best practices, activating prompt monitoring of the sector, and ensuring a consultative and coordinated culture. Measures for MFPs include increased micro-saving, avoiding subsidies, unlocking the full potential of smallholder farmers, a strong movement towards inclusive digital finance, product development, and partial movement towards crises-resistant, non-interest types of lending in countries with Muslim minorities.

• (Journal Article) Editorial: A ‘Just Transition’–a meaningful movement or rhetoric that has been co-opted for other purposes?

  01.09.2022
  The phrase ‘Just Transition’ has roots in the 1990s American trade union movement, arising from the concern for workers’ welfare with a transition out of fossil fuels; a transition that could leave workers jobless and without transferrable skills despite years of undertaking potentially hazardous work. The term was coined by one of the movement’s leaders, Tony Mazzocchi, who fought for the guarantee that workers would not have to pay for clean air and water with their jobs, their living standards or their future (quoted in Nguyen, 2022). By 1997, the Just Transition Alliance was formed and continues today, with a key objective to shift toward ‘a sustainable economy that does not compromise people and our environment, one that is driven by those at the frontline and on the fencelines of unsustainable production’ (Just Transition Alliance, n.d.).

• (Journal Article) Mobile money: a gateway to achieving financial inclusion in Ghana

  01.06.2022
  While emerging studies on mobile financial inclusion have focused on the factors driving the adoption of mobile money, little evidence exists on how the service is facilitating the use of formal financial services. Using the World Bank Findex data, we estimate the effect of mobile money adoption on the use of formal accounts, savings, and credit in Ghana. The results of the recursive bivariate probit analysis showed a significant symbiotic relationship between mobile money adoption and the probability of operating a formal account. Mobile money adoption has a positive effect on savings and access to credit but does not affect the avenues to savings and obtaining credit respectively. Mobile money users save in their wallet and obtain microcredit through the mobile money platform but not through formal channels. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that mobile money is the surest financial tool for achieving universal financial inclusion in developing countries.

• (Journal Article) Efficiency and competitiveness of a South Africa grant support programme for small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises

  01.06.2022
  The paper investigates the efficiency and competitiveness of a state grant support programme for small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa. A balanced scorecard measurement framework through key performance indicators (KPIs) was applied using aggregate firm level datasets from 2012 and 2017. Empirical results show that the state grant support programme does not have a significant approval rate. Incomplete procedural requirements and overextended turnaround time between the approval and conversion processes contributed to the negative performance of the programme. This implies that the programme policy is overridden or partially set aside, contributing to inadequate allocation and inappropriate distribution of the programme funds to the targeted beneficiary. Further, the programme access choices are distorted, with qualifying beneficiaries prioritized against the targeted group. Funding programmes established for political reasons lead to programme distortion and inefficiency. Therefore, there was a trade-off between fiscal allocation, disbursement, performance, and efficiency.

• (Journal Article) Sustainability of youth self-employment schemes in Central Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia

  01.06.2022
  This study examined survival of youth self-employment using primary data. Relevant factors are identified that influence youth’s dropping out of self-employment. The findings of the study indicated that young women-managed small businesses are more likely to survive and be profitable than young men-managed businesses. Youth-managed small businesses with frequent technical support have more chance of long-run survival. Furthermore, attainment of a positive perception of readily available business options is related to the long-term survival of youth self-employment. Finally, small businesses operating according to a business plan with sufficient access to working places have better chances of long-run survival. Consistent multidimensional support before and after entry into self-employment is suggested for effective micro and small enterprise development.

• (Journal Article) The use of fintech in microfinance: the fight against poverty globally and in Egypt

  01.06.2022
  Microfinance has long been seen as a remedy for global poverty, although it has had mixed success, as the literature demonstrates. While poverty remains, with the introduction of digital technology and the relaxation, in many areas, of the regulations controlling banking following the financial crisis of 2008, innovations in the financial services sector, known as fintech, could have a significant impact. This article examines the research literature on the topic and provides a case study from Egypt before making recommendations on policy change, and how fintech and microfinance might develop if they are to have an impact on poverty both globally and within Egypt.

• (Journal Article) Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW): A multifaceted approach to poverty alleviation at scale

  01.06.2022
  How did the Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project reach over 23,000 smallholder farmers in northern Ghana and achieve impact? This case study describes the project’s multifaceted approach to poverty reduction, which combined adaptive management and a comprehensive communications strategy to work toward poverty alleviation at scale. With an initial focus primarily on improved nutrition and food security, the project evolved to include a greater emphasis on women’s economic empowerment and leadership. Group formation was an important strategy for providing services at scale, including increased access to market linkages, agronomic information and practices, and financial services.

• (Journal Article) Freshwater lens assessment of karst island water resources: towards an interdisciplinary protocol

  01.04.2022
  Fresh groundwater lenses on karstic oceanic islands form a vital resource sustaining local populations. However, this resource is susceptible to saltwater intrusion through human drivers (over-abstraction) and natural processes (variable precipitation and storm surges). There is a paucity of means to assess the risks that freshwater lenses are exposed to. This is partly driven by a poor understanding of the root causes of saltwater intrusion, which leads to potentially inappropriate freshwater management strategies. Thus, effective management of these freshwater lenses requires a baseline understanding of the processes that drive saltwater intrusion and the degradation of freshwater lenses, and the temporal and spatial variability of these processes. Dynamics of such freshwater lenses involve an interplay between physical, chemical, and socio-economic processes; therefore, finding a solution necessitates an interdisciplinary approach and a range of data collection strategies. This approach was formalized in a Freshwater Lens Assessment Protocol (FLAP). Results from the research developed and tested on Bantayan Island in the Philippines reveals a sufficient freshwater lens to support the current and projected population; however, local officials are operating abstraction wells from the wrong locations on the island. Such locations are utilized due to ease of access to existing infrastructure and government boundaries, but do not consider technical factors that influence saltwater intrusion. FLAP is an appropriate, cost-effective, interdisciplinary tool that uses a pragmatic approach to data collection, interpretation, and integration into an observational model. Continuous adjustments are possible through ongoing monitoring of the model, offering opportunities to evaluate the efficacy of resource management strategies.

• (Journal Article) Back to basics: urban households’ perspective on free water supply in Ghana in the COVID-19 pandemic

  01.04.2022
  Water supply is a basic human right and governments have sought to fulfil this right through free supply of water. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed governments, including the Government of Ghana, to return to supply of free water as a measure of enhancing personal hygiene in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to analyse the reliability of water supply before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of households’ water consumption during the pandemic. The paper is based on an online survey of 4,257 urban households across the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. The study found that flow reliability has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic free water delivery. We also established that correlation between consumption before and during the pandemic was r = 0.659, p < 0.01. Therefore, use of the ‘stay home campaign’ as a strategy to contain the disease in addition to social connection and sharing free water, have increased domestic water consumption. Although the pandemic necessitated the return to water being delivered as a basic necessity to fight against the pandemic, the emphasis on ‘back to basics’ was not fully implemented. This is because some urban households that could not pay water bills prior to the free water supply were denied the COVID-19 pandemic free water package and rural households who relied on point sources also did not benefit from the package.

• (Journal Article) Sustainable management of water utility in Samoa through services improvement with Okinawa Water Bureaus

  01.04.2022
  This study examines how Samoa improved the capacity of Samoa Water Authority (SWA) by implementing integrated cooperation with water utilities in Okinawa Prefecture, and hardware and software development to reduce the high non-revenue water (NRW) ratio and improve water supply quality and inadequate water pressure. Standard operation procedures were formulated to enhance the capacity of SWA. The cooperation method adopted continuous on-the-job training with a bottom-up approach. Consequently, the NRW ratio was reduced from 68 per cent to 36 per cent and water supply with proper pressure was achieved in the targeted area. The quality of the tap water, in which many coliform bacteria were detected before the cooperation, achieved 100 per cent compliance with standards. The cooperation evidenced that improving water services can help users’ understanding of tariff payments, although the water tariff increased for most consumers due to a shift from fixed to metered tariff.

• (Journal Article) Incentivizing clean water collection during rainfall to reduce disease in rural sub-Saharan Africa with weather dependent pricing

  01.04.2022
  In much of rural sub-Saharan Africa, households tend to shift water collection during rainfall periods away from cleaner groundwater sources, which they often have to pay for, towards free alternative sources. This increases disease risk and decreases sustainability of service provision. New approaches are needed to incentivize households to maintain clean water use and mitigate this environmental health challenge. We propose a pricing mechanism for ‘water ATMs’ – now possible with their pre-payment and remote monitoring capabilities – derived from measured reductions in collection over rainfall periods. Appropriate price elasticity ranges (−0.5 to −1) and relative risk of diarrhoeal disease from this intervention (0.4 to 0.8) determined from the literature are used to estimate the cost per capita and cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. These are estimated to be between US$5 and 50 per DALY averted in the scenarios studied here, which would compare favourably against other water quality interventions. Cost and value would depend on elasticity of demand and potential health gains across different communities. Considerations for implementation are discussed. The potential for accurate subsidy transfers to service providers is outlined, along with the added resilience to climate change.

• (Journal Article) Editorial: Statistics matter, but people matter more

  01.04.2022
  If you work – or intend to work - for a Government, a non-governmental organization (NGO), a development partner or a social enterprise in a low- or middle-income country then you probably have some familiarity with the communities which you are trying to help. Make no mistake though, if you are reading this journal you are almost certainly an outsider to those communities. Your origins, your education, or your relative wealth, among other things, set you apart from those whose poverty you are working to alleviate. You can never truly and fully share the experiences of those who live there.

• (Journal Article) The new reality: perspectives on future integrated WASH

  01.01.2022
  Over the next 10 years, the humanitarian and development fields will face significant changes as new skills, expanded technologies, and shifting funding streams prompt innovation in order to maintain impact. As the length of humanitarian crises expand relief response can no longer be viewed merely through the humanitarian lens, but current and future crisis responses increasingly require long-term development considerations. Integration across the humanitarian-development nexus will be vital to future emergency response. The interdisciplinary nature of the WASH sector makes it ideally placed to lead further integration with sectors like health, nutrition, livelihoods, child protection, and education. Integration of the WASH sector is not only possible but essential to face the challenges of future crises. COVID-19 is a wake-up call showing how quickly global humanitarian needs can change and the need for a more integrated response to emergencies. Tomorrow’s WASH practitioners will need to be proactive in developing new hard and soft skills and have broader multi-sectoral experience to succeed. Future integration will require stronger relationships between multi-mandated organizations, governments, and the private sector as well as new innovative funding sources, including impact investing, blended finance, and development impact bonds. We argue that there is a unique window of opportunity to bridge these gaps as COVID-19 brings the value of effective WASH programming forward as a foundational part of long-term resilience building. To indeed provide life-saving interventions as humanitarian works claim to do, we must start with a clear focus on the long-term developmental ends in mind.

• (Journal Article) Measuring progress towards sanitation and hygiene targets: a critical review of monitoring methodologies and technologies

  01.01.2022
  The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target for access to safe sanitation and hygiene represents a marked improvement over the target used during the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) period. The SDG target attempts to: explicitly address hygiene; eliminate inequalities within populations; evaluate sanitation services beyond the household; account for the accessibility, safety, acceptability, and affordability of service delivery; and improve the sustainability of services (WHO/UNICEF, 2015). However, the proposed indicators for monitoring progress in sanitation and hygiene still rely primarily on infrequent household surveys and census data. This paper provides a critical review of the sanitation and hygiene target and explores the potential gaps between the expanded understanding of access, the proposed monitoring strategies, and the desired impacts. A variety of innovative methodologies and technologies are reviewed, with specific attention given to their suitability for measuring and monitoring progress towards the sanitation and hygiene target.

• (Journal Article) How a water trucking governance mechanism in the West Bank enhances equity and sustainability

  01.01.2022
  In the Oslo Accord-defined Area C of the West Bank, approximately 11,000 Palestinians are unserved by the water network, forced to rely on water trucking at extremely high prices. In response to this situation, Gruppo di Volontariato Civile (GVC), in partnership with UNICEF, created a programme to subsidize water trucking that alleviates water scarcity while enhancing the sustainability of water service delivery, equitability of tariffs, and predictability of demand. Established in 2014, the programme now covers all the water-vulnerable communities in the West Bank and has reached 35,000 people. The programme links humanitarian and development interventions by using a contiguum approach, where the humanitarian provision of trucked water is accompanied by the construction of water infrastructure and the creation of a multilevel water trucking governance system that defines the roles and responsibilities of all national, regional, and local actors in the water supply chain. By embedding water trucking into the Palestinian Water Authority’s normal activities, the programme is designed to escape a cycle of chronic emergency humanitarian response, in line with the national water sector reform agenda. Eventually, the international donor funding on which the programme depends should be phased out by implementing an equitable, universal water tariff schedule across the entire West Bank, with rates set high enough to subsidize the provision of reliable, safe, and affordable water to the vulnerable residents of Area C.

• (Journal Article) Improving management of manually emptied pit latrine waste in Nairobi’s urban informal settlements

  01.01.2022
  Sanergy has offered reliable, non-sewered sanitation services in Nairobi, Kenya through the implementation of container-based, urine-diverting dry toilets. However, there remains a large volume of untreated faecal waste in urban informal settlements due to poorly managed pit latrines. With limited space in the settlements to bury old pits and dig new ones, management of faecal sludge requires manual pit emptying and safe discharge. Sanergy piloted the Mtaa Fresh project in the settlement of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, establishing a waste transfer station where manual pit emptiers could safely and reliably dispose of pit latrine contents. The most important factors in the successful implementation of this station were, first, the relationship established between Sanergy and the pit emptiers and, second, Sanergy’s commitment to iterating as new insights emerged. The relationship with the emptiers impacted the location, design, and adoption of the site, and aided in the formalization of a pit emptiers’ community-based organization. The commitment to iterating enabled Sanergy to respond to learnings gained from the emptiers. Additional factors that ensured the success of Mtaa Fresh included the implementation of full-time staff, security when the site is closed, support from local authorities, and an expansion to improve management of faecal sludge and trash. Improvements trialled during the expansion aim to minimize operation and maintenance costs, but sustainability will still rely on government support and external funding.

• (Journal Article) Impacts of emergencies on water and wastewater systems in congested urban areas

  01.01.2022
  The impacts of emergencies on society and structures are often reported in the media, but the impact of these emergencies on the water and wastewater system is less publicized. The safe operation of these systems is critical during hazardous events and the recovery process to ensure safe and clean water for the public. This need is magnified in congested urban areas where the number of people affected is greatest. A critical aspect to the safe operation of these systems during emergencies is a timely response by municipal leaders. Municipalities must develop plans to prevent and/or mitigate the damage to water systems during emergencies, which will speed the recovery process when these events occur. This paper discusses the impacts of hurricanes and flood events on the water and wastewater systems of densely populated urban areas and presents measures that could be taken to prevent and mitigate the impacts of these events in the future.

• (Journal Article) Sustainability and long-term impact of community-managed water supply in rural Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia

  01.01.2022
  How can Community Managed Water Supply (CMWS) become more sustainable? Recent studies in several countries indicate that the sustainability of many CMWS is poor. As a result, their long term impact on village lives is limited. This paper presents the findings of research on the sustainability and long-term impact of a group of CMWS created by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (RWSSP) in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. This project adopted a Community-Based Approach to maximize the sustainability and long-term impact of its CMWS. The research assessed the sustainability of these CMWS a decade after their completion. It used six measures to assess sustainability and examined four long-term impacts. The results are compared with studies from other countries. The influence of Community-Based Approach (CBA) on the results is discussed. Recommendations are made for changes in policies and strategies to improve the sustainability and long term impact of future CMWS in Central Asia and elsewhere.