Introduction Across Africa, it has become common practice for large-scale infrastructure projects to be decided and implemented by government departments, engineers and architectural designers without fully involving social scientists. Such projects include road construction, dam construction, residential housing and urban shopping malls. By not taking social science into account, social consequences of these projects and Read more about The Social Impact of Large – Scale Construction Projects in Africa – Emerging lessons from rebuilding Mbare Retail Market in Harare, Zimbabwe[…]

When African policy makers, development organizations and financial institutions talk about the need to formalize Africa’s informal economy, those discussions and decisions are often based on a superficial understanding of how African informal economies function. That most African economies are driven by the informal sector is no longer debatable. At the centre of the informal Read more about Why evidence should guide the formalization of African informal economies[…]

Poorly sequenced investments doing more harm than good in Africa Imagine the Japanese Embassy financing the building of a house at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo for victims of Gender-Based Violence but a few kilometres down the road Malaleni food market traders continue to sell their commodities in the open space with no shed to protect Read more about Poorly sequenced investments doing more harm than good in Africa[…]