Journal of Developing Societies

The Samoa Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) includes strict language on concluding controversial Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between their members. Skeptical OACPS members have instead called for greater intra-African economic integration embodied in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). However, there are concerns that the EU aims to use the AfCFTA as a stepping-stone for a vast bicontinental free trade zone. Building upon elite interviews with African diplomatic officials, this article questions whether the pan-Africanism at the heart of the AfCFTA is compatible with the more integrative Eurafrican agenda embodied in the Samoa Agreement.

This article examined the decline of piracy and drug trafficking in Nigerian waters vis-à-vis the challenging Conditions of Entry (CoE) by which ocean carriers are screened, prequalified and processed before entry into US ports, and how to pass those examinations. Although Nigeria dominates sea trade in the Gulf of Guinea, it also accounts for more of the insecurity and drug trafficking which compound the CoE handicap. Primary and secondary data sources were used, with qualitative analytical methodology, to interrogate the country’s maritime administration’s anti-piracy enforcement regime and the role played by new legislation. The findings confirm declining incidences of the problem with the conclusion that professionalizing the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s administration and concerted action by regional stakeholders are critical for sustained maritime domain security.

This study explores the socioeconomic and environmental impact of top-down development interventions on local communities. It examines the case of extractive mining and cement operations in Myanmar to articulate a critique of development mentalities and practices as a modernization project. The findings showed strong evidence that Mawlamyine Cement Limited’s (MCL) cement production represents examples of extractivism in the Phar Taung area. MCL’s operation had pressured and constrained the aquatic life, habitats, and reproduction processes in the river while endangering the local ecology and community health due to its exploitative and non-reciprocal relationship with the community and its resources.

The study analyzed how climate change contributes to the feminization of poverty particularly for rural women in Zimbabwe given that their livelihoods are dependent on natural resources that are climate sensitive. The study adopted a qualitative content analysis as its research design. The study established that gendered norms and power inequalities leave especially rural women exposed and vulnerable to climate change, resulting in them being trapped in poverty as they experience severe food and water shortages in addition to being exposed to climate-induced diseases and gender-based violence. The study also noted that the effects of climate change have negative consequences on rural women’s earnings and incomes. The study concludes that the vulnerability of women to climate change is something that is gendered and socially constructed given that the degradation of the environment is largely an outcome of patriarchy.

A large financing gap exists to meet the development needs of the African continent. This article focuses on US pension funds as potential candidates for increased investment by identifying the organizations and individuals with the most agency in determining asset allocations to African countries. Research and analysis indicate that external investment consultants, investment indexing firms, and the trustees hold the most agency. Asset managers, senior-level professional staff, and investment committee members have significant power, but to a lesser extent. Knowledge of relative agency should improve efforts by organizations seeking to increase US pension fund investment in Africa.

The current corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework in Nigeria, influenced by Anglo-American neoliberal theory, is criticized for not considering local communities’ specific needs and prioritizing profits over community well-being. It is argued that the relationship between business and government in developing countries is unique and requires a different approach to CSR. Integrating local informal institutions, such as culture, values, and religion, is proposed to implement CSR practices in Nigeria. This approach, informed by old institutional economic theories, aims to give local institutions a more significant role in establishing effective CSR practices and promoting sustainable development in developing economies like Nigeria.