Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Kenya
"LEDNA is an excellent resource and a promising knowledge network to advance the LED agenda in Sub Sahara Africa. We should nurture and use it to catalyze partnerships that respond to the real needs of local authorities."
Dr. Sidima Kabanyane
Municipal Manager
South Africa
"We are investing strongly in the Economic Infrastructurei in Drakenstein Municipality to promote economic development, we want to share with and learn from others in Africa. LEDNA looks a great opportunity for us all."
Dr. Sidima Kabanyane
Municipal Manager
South Africa
"We are investing strongly in the Economic Infrastructurei in Drakenstein Municipality to promote economic development, we want to share with and learn from others in Africa. LEDNA looks a great opportunity for us all."
Dr. I.H. Kawa
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Tanzania
"It is great to have LEDNA, which serves as a perfect forum for linking and learning among LED academics and practitioners."
Dr. I.H. Kawa
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Tanzania
"It is great to have LEDNA, which serves as a perfect forum for linking and learning among LED academics and practitioners."
Hamisi Mboga
Secretary General of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Kenya
"In our cities we find both poverty and wealth in very close proximity. Local economic development process seems to be one of those strategies to address the challenges and hence my interest on this network."
Gulelat Kebede
Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organisation (TIP)
Kenya
"LEDNA is an excellent resource and a promising knowledge network to advance the LED agenda in Sub Sahara Africa. We should nurture and use it to catalyze partnerships that respond to the real needs of local authorities."
Anyone applying for this interested in the services of a freelance IM/KM consultant with expertise in local government information provision in UK local authorities?
Growth and Development Monitoring Initiative(GDMI) is entirely commited in tracking development to sustain growth processes in Nigeria, and we are out to also serve as a check to Non Governmental Organisations by ensuring that the MDGs are reached and attained by Nigerian before the deadline. We also tract, evaluate and mornitor development projects and programes in Nigeria
GDMI exist to practice, promote and sustain the impact of growth and development in Nigeria.
Hi Tamara, we do not yet when the 2014 (as it seems to be a biennial event) edition will take place. Not sure the organisers have already decided on that. But it may be possible to enquire directly from the Africallia officials at this email address: info@africallia.com.
This is an interesting paper exploring a subject relevant to all African cities. One dimension which I think needs further review is the demand side for the goods that street vendors provide - is it based on lower pricing compared to the formal shops? or providing what the formal does not have? or just selling in a different way to what formal shops have? The range of items that the street vendors have -newspapers, sweets, etc and where they are located is probably indicative of demands from particular population groups. In rich neighbourhoods street vending caters for those who work as house maids, care for garderns and children who might like sweets and drinks. Street vendors become mini corner shops?
The other interesting issue are the potential close links between the formal businesses and the vendors who sometimes buy goods and borrow small capital from the formal businesses for their vending operations; or in some cases formal business using vendors to reach more customers. I think we need to explore this linkage more because it informs our responses in terms of urban planning.
Dear Daniel, please see here the list of upcoming events related to LED and decentralisation across Africa and beyond: http://ledna.org/events/upcoming-events
I am the Coordinator for the Civil Service Outreach program in Liberia. I am interested in knowing whether you are offering Decentralization training Courses for this year , 2012. If yes, please provide me the details.
I think using incubators to develop small and medium enteprises is a good concept. I am not sure of $50 million business. If one can afford $50 million investment, he/she can hire experts to develop the project.
From my 30 years of experience in this field, I find the challenge is mentoring. Many SMEs fail becuase lack of mentoring. After certain period many SMEs think they "graduated" but they do not realize that market is constantly changing and they need someone to guide them through those challenging times.
This is astoundingly important, and there is several resources that knows about this in depth, however such analysis is locked up within certain Departments.
For instance in South Africa the Industrial Development Corporation has a whole system that explains what industries and benefication opportunities exist for instance when you establish a refinery.
For instance one can think what tools is needed and once the tools is used what is done with it, ... who needs to establish mines where, what production from the mines, .... what industries will supplly how much and what kind of pipe, ... should one establish the factory or import, ...
also so many people will work on the project, they would earn so much in income so much will go into Taxes in that area, how many hotel rooms and houses are needed and the they will deposit certain amount at certain banks, .... that money can then be leaveraged to build another industrial area, ... its complex but we need it and such thing in the cloud for us ordinary folks, ...
so long and have a wonderful year!
d
PS : However the huge challenge exist when the poor individual eg in an informal settlement and without a job needs to be integrated with the value chain, ... so the short cut is a service quickest in, be it selling existing products, ... however that individual has to compete with and against huge odds, of larger and established and even regulation and yet if you up the ante then the challenge is how can and what can that individual produce!
Once the individual or group produces then the y greatly ad to the value stream, so much so that merely printing rags can ad as much as 18 value elements in the chain, ... the problem part is that it also makes it way more complex to implement, ... so much so that one can go and say and think how many steps do i have to take to make a certain product, one would be astounded in the complexity of such an obvious task, ... think about it ; you would need material, design, ... information, money, time, some education, proto types, who would be interested, ... Gov regulation, polution, ... water, what energy, ... machines, ... laour, ... at what price, ... process and sell off, ... premise, layout, production plan, ... business license, ... what about competion, or foreign companies just dumping the product, ... and you can find some products but you have to import it like Ink or dye and it would make it to expensive to manufacture, ... what local organizations can help you, ... if you go to university or college or what of these things are put together for you in school, ... nah lets just talk about these things, ...
who is going to design the packaging, what sizes would it be signed in, what en where is the markets, ... go and measure just the information need against the micro loans available, ... see how far you get, ...
i think if these strategy is aiming in making sure that the informal economy or the second economy of marginalised enclaves, not least rural areas is developed then, as development studies student, is support this motion
From Juliette, Candice and Octave, students in Paris.
We have recently discovered slum tourism in Dharavi, a huge slum within Mumbai, India. This controversial topic made us think a lot about poverty in our world, and about agencies who are selling tours to visit the most poverty-stricken places.
At first sight, these tours appeared to us as exploitative, and the tourists visiting the slum as inquisitive. Nevertheless, while going deeper into details, we found out that most of the agencies are reinvesting the benefits in the development of local businesses, in charities or in the building of needed infrastructures such as schools or sanitary installations. The education of children is often the only way for them to access another level of living, and to achieve their dreams. It is the only way for things to evolve, and for casts to disappear. Slum tourism and the money that it generates are conveyors of this change.
Moreover, foreigners in shanty towns do shop a lot, and that helps the inhabitants get out of poverty.
Besides, slum tourism can have a positive impact upon foreigners visiting shanty towns as well, as they can discover another side of the country they're in. Indeed, it broadens their horizons and leads them to think about our world.
We had this discussion in the period mostly pre-World cup. And exercise in deciphering the future is not always easy except if one is an effective seer, perhaps. Here is an interesting article on post-world cup exploration. The author explores the impact of the world cup in the South African economic capital city of Johannesburg. See Benefits and Burdens in Post-World Cup South Africa .
These resources on Michinoeki were brought to our attention by Prof. Eiichi Yoshida in response to the question of the Mayori of Iganga (uganda) in our section "African Mayors ask about LED" that: How can a local government make maximum use of a transcontinental highway?
You can follow and contribute to the broader discussion on that question here .
Thanks Prof. Eichi Yoshida for this valuable insight into a practical example of how to tap the potential of a major highway for economic development in a locality. The Michinoeki really stands out a strategic LED-type intervention for harnessing the potentials inherent in the traffic that big highway induced. I think the key to its uniqueness is both the all-inclusive participatory process used at it conception as well as the fact that it offers a variety of services both commercial and public in one place. This is a worthwhile approach to be considered by any authorities who seeks to make the best out of the passage of a highway throughout their locality. I trust our friends from Iganga as well as other localities with similar potentials are taking note. Once more thanks for sharing this insight and case study.
In japan we are building the thing along highway called Roadside Station or 'Michino Eki' in Japanese language.
Roadside station is not for train but for a car drivers, long distance coach bus, big truck. This station provides very large parking space, free clean large toilet facilities, restings space ,restaurants and shops selling local produce, thereby you can market local things.
In Japan, local gov prepare land and Central gov, Ministry of Construction build facilities and place are maintained by local gov . Shops and restaurants are tenant , private sector. This divison of responsibilty maybe altered in your environment.
Japanese gov are now helping building this Roadside Station or Michinoeki in Thailand and other countries.
Please you can see the Worldbank report on Roadside station, Michino eki.
I appreciate Ms Hobson's contribution and would like to add a few comments from our experience here in Morogoro Tanzania.
In a study conducted in Tanzania in September 2005, Henando de Soto (Empowering the Disadvantaged towards Expanded Market Economyi) had this to say abount the Tanzanian informal sector investment: ".... the informal sector had assets worth 29.3 billion US Dollars, equivalent to 10 times all foreign direct investment accumulated since independence." The fact is that economic activity amongst the majority of Tanzanians takes place outside of the formal economy.
The experience in the Engineering sector in Morogoro has demonstrated that it is possible to absorb the informal sector and gradually transform it into mainstream economic sectors in manufacturing and trade.
In 2005 we started work under a programme initiated by The College of Engineering (COET) of the University of Dar-Es-Salaam (The Innovationi Systems and Clusters Programme in Eastern Africa) A preliminary inventory revealed that there were 12 medium scale engineering workshops (All registered and formal enterprises) and 44 groups of tinsmiths (All informal). The Morogoro Engineering Cluster Initiative involves these core enterprises (workshops and tinsmiths) but has other stakeholders including the Morogoro Municipality Council, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), The Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO), Vovational Education and Training Authority (VETA) to mention but some of the members of this Cluster Initiative. This configuration is known as the "Triple Helix". (Business, Government+Academia).
Working in this mode, cluster members managed to access technologies from national research institutions (Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH, Tanzania Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Organisation TEMDO etc) and utilised these technologies to introduce new products. This was a measure departure form their original operations of waiting for customers needing repairs for broken items. The 44 tinsmiths received formal registration with the assistance of the Municipality Council. VETA conducted special coursed to upgrade the skills of the workers in the Cluster Initiative. Incomes rose from approx USD 550,000 annual turnover for the whole cluster in 2005 to above USD 3m annual turnover in 2010.
The Municipality Council and SIDO are currently addressing the challenge of working premises which is a major challenge for most of the cluster firms.
Cluster based approaches are gaining ground not only in Morogoro and Tanzania but in Africa in general. The experiences in Tanzania and Eastern Africa have been shared through Africa and a continental institution was established in April 2008 by African cluster development enthusiasts with the support of the AU, The Competitivenessi Institute (TCI and Sida (Swedish International Development Agency). The Pan African Competitiveness Forum was established to promote knowledge, innovation and cluster based approaches to economic development in the continent. Please visit www.pacfnetwork.com .
Emma, in Ethiopia, the coming up cluster initiative is the Merkato Leather Cluster Initiative with the involvement of the Addis Ababba University, The Addis Chamber of Commercei, The Ministry of Industries and these institutions are expected to bring in other players in the Local economic development platform.
The cluster approach has potential to accelerate LED through the triple helix involvement and engagement.
Thanks for your comment and analysis. The definition of the informal economy used in this article relates to "informal economy" in the stricter sense of unregistered activities but also to the broad spectrum of livelihoods-sustaining activities that escape the logic of the "market", of monetisation. The main thesis of the article that the past 70 years has been mainly about disempowering the informal economy to empower the formal, in which life is only liveable when one is employed, is a very interesting analysis. For as the multiple global crisis shows, when the formal collapses, it is always the informal that continues to sustain livelihoods. In this regards, it may therefore be interesting to move towards a system that provides a breading space for both the formal and and informal. This calls for removing the aura of negativity that has been visited on the informal economy and seeing this latter sector for what it is, namely life-sustaining activities that desserve to be recognised as such and encouraged.
Poor governance and business enabling environment have given rise to informal economy. The challenge for the development workers and policy makers is how to work in a culture where 2+2 is not necessarily 4. One does not have to compromise principles but learn what are bottom lines of major stakeholders and try to accommodate. Informal economy deprives economic growth and picks pockets of all citizens.
Anyone applying for this interested in the services of a freelance IM/KM consultant with expertise in local government information provision in UK local authorities?
Great to hear of this initiative Muhammed. It seems very interesting. Please do keep sharing happenings on the project.
Growth and Development Monitoring Initiative(GDMI) is entirely commited in tracking development to sustain growth processes in Nigeria, and we are out to also serve as a check to Non Governmental Organisations by ensuring that the MDGs are reached and attained by Nigerian before the deadline. We also tract, evaluate and mornitor development projects and programes in Nigeria
GDMI exist to practice, promote and sustain the impact of growth and development in Nigeria.
Thank you.
Hi Tamara, we do not yet when the 2014 (as it seems to be a biennial event) edition will take place. Not sure the organisers have already decided on that. But it may be possible to enquire directly from the Africallia officials at this email address: info@africallia.com.
Thanks
When will be Africallia next year? I missed the event this year.
I usually write on my site about such business development events.
This is an interesting paper exploring a subject relevant to all African cities. One dimension which I think needs further review is the demand side for the goods that street vendors provide - is it based on lower pricing compared to the formal shops? or providing what the formal does not have? or just selling in a different way to what formal shops have? The range of items that the street vendors have -newspapers, sweets, etc and where they are located is probably indicative of demands from particular population groups. In rich neighbourhoods street vending caters for those who work as house maids, care for garderns and children who might like sweets and drinks. Street vendors become mini corner shops?
The other interesting issue are the potential close links between the formal businesses and the vendors who sometimes buy goods and borrow small capital from the formal businesses for their vending operations; or in some cases formal business using vendors to reach more customers. I think we need to explore this linkage more because it informs our responses in terms of urban planning.
Thanks for a very thought provoking paper.
Dear Daniel, please see here the list of upcoming events related to LED and decentralisation across Africa and beyond: http://ledna.org/events/upcoming-events
Regards,
I am the Coordinator for the Civil Service Outreach program in Liberia. I am interested in knowing whether you are offering Decentralization training Courses for this year , 2012. If yes, please provide me the details.
Kind regards.
Daniel F. Poawalio
I think using incubators to develop small and medium enteprises is a good concept. I am not sure of $50 million business. If one can afford $50 million investment, he/she can hire experts to develop the project.
From my 30 years of experience in this field, I find the challenge is mentoring. Many SMEs fail becuase lack of mentoring. After certain period many SMEs think they "graduated" but they do not realize that market is constantly changing and they need someone to guide them through those challenging times.
It may help to take a comparative look at the Mozambican experience in financial/fiscal decentralisation as presented by our fellow member Eduardo Nguenha here: http://ledna.org/blog/sharing-mozambican-experience-fiscalfinancial-decentralization. Hope it does provide some insights in answering your question.
Dear People
This is astoundingly important, and there is several resources that knows about this in depth, however such analysis is locked up within certain Departments.
For instance in South Africa the Industrial Development Corporation has a whole system that explains what industries and benefication opportunities exist for instance when you establish a refinery.
For instance one can think what tools is needed and once the tools is used what is done with it, ... who needs to establish mines where, what production from the mines, .... what industries will supplly how much and what kind of pipe, ... should one establish the factory or import, ...
also so many people will work on the project, they would earn so much in income so much will go into Taxes in that area, how many hotel rooms and houses are needed and the they will deposit certain amount at certain banks, .... that money can then be leaveraged to build another industrial area, ... its complex but we need it and such thing in the cloud for us ordinary folks, ...
so long and have a wonderful year!
d
PS : However the huge challenge exist when the poor individual eg in an informal settlement and without a job needs to be integrated with the value chain, ... so the short cut is a service quickest in, be it selling existing products, ... however that individual has to compete with and against huge odds, of larger and established and even regulation and yet if you up the ante then the challenge is how can and what can that individual produce!
Once the individual or group produces then the y greatly ad to the value stream, so much so that merely printing rags can ad as much as 18 value elements in the chain, ... the problem part is that it also makes it way more complex to implement, ... so much so that one can go and say and think how many steps do i have to take to make a certain product, one would be astounded in the complexity of such an obvious task, ... think about it ; you would need material, design, ... information, money, time, some education, proto types, who would be interested, ... Gov regulation, polution, ... water, what energy, ... machines, ... laour, ... at what price, ... process and sell off, ... premise, layout, production plan, ... business license, ... what about competion, or foreign companies just dumping the product, ... and you can find some products but you have to import it like Ink or dye and it would make it to expensive to manufacture, ... what local organizations can help you, ... if you go to university or college or what of these things are put together for you in school, ... nah lets just talk about these things, ...
who is going to design the packaging, what sizes would it be signed in, what en where is the markets, ... go and measure just the information need against the micro loans available, ... see how far you get, ...
i think if these strategy is aiming in making sure that the informal economy or the second economy of marginalised enclaves, not least rural areas is developed then, as development studies student, is support this motion
Techfortrade are launching an exciting global competition to explore how 3D printing can be of social benefit in the developing world.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get recent up-dates of the competition which will be launched shortly!
Yes, I think our aim should be to focus on local culture and history of the city.
From Juliette, Candice and Octave, students in Paris.
We have recently discovered slum tourism in Dharavi, a huge slum within Mumbai, India. This controversial topic made us think a lot about poverty in our world, and about agencies who are selling tours to visit the most poverty-stricken places.
At first sight, these tours appeared to us as exploitative, and the tourists visiting the slum as inquisitive. Nevertheless, while going deeper into details, we found out that most of the agencies are reinvesting the benefits in the development of local businesses, in charities or in the building of needed infrastructures such as schools or sanitary installations. The education of children is often the only way for them to access another level of living, and to achieve their dreams. It is the only way for things to evolve, and for casts to disappear. Slum tourism and the money that it generates are conveyors of this change.
Moreover, foreigners in shanty towns do shop a lot, and that helps the inhabitants get out of poverty.
Besides, slum tourism can have a positive impact upon foreigners visiting shanty towns as well, as they can discover another side of the country they're in. Indeed, it broadens their horizons and leads them to think about our world.
We had this discussion in the period mostly pre-World cup. And exercise in deciphering the future is not always easy except if one is an effective seer, perhaps. Here is an interesting article on post-world cup exploration. The author explores the impact of the world cup in the South African economic capital city of Johannesburg. See Benefits and Burdens in Post-World Cup South Africa .
These resources on Michinoeki were brought to our attention by Prof. Eiichi Yoshida in response to the question of the Mayori of Iganga (uganda) in our section "African Mayors ask about LED" that: How can a local government make maximum use of a transcontinental highway?
You can follow and contribute to the broader discussion on that question here .
Thanks Prof. Eichi Yoshida for this valuable insight into a practical example of how to tap the potential of a major highway for economic development in a locality. The Michinoeki really stands out a strategic LED-type intervention for harnessing the potentials inherent in the traffic that big highway induced. I think the key to its uniqueness is both the all-inclusive participatory process used at it conception as well as the fact that it offers a variety of services both commercial and public in one place. This is a worthwhile approach to be considered by any authorities who seeks to make the best out of the passage of a highway throughout their locality. I trust our friends from Iganga as well as other localities with similar potentials are taking note. Once more thanks for sharing this insight and case study.
Serge Zelezeck
Mr. Katano;
In japan we are building the thing along highway called Roadside Station or 'Michino Eki' in Japanese language.
Roadside station is not for train but for a car drivers, long distance coach bus, big truck. This station provides very large parking space, free clean large toilet facilities, restings space ,restaurants and shops selling local produce, thereby you can market local things.
In Japan, local gov prepare land and Central gov, Ministry of Construction build facilities and place are maintained by local gov . Shops and restaurants are tenant , private sector. This divison of responsibilty maybe altered in your environment.
Japanese gov are now helping building this Roadside Station or Michinoeki in Thailand and other countries.
Please you can see the Worldbank report on Roadside station, Michino eki.
http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/rdside%20station%20docs/01_Intro-Note6.pdf
and pilot study in Kenya is already done.
http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/rdside%20station%20docs/02_NoteA.pdf
best wishes
Eiichi Yoshida
Yokohama City University, Associate Professor in LED
former Visiting Research Fellow, Makerere University, Institute of Economics
Your blog article is very interesting and fantastic, at the same time the blog theme is unique and perfect, great job.
Find the paper here at the original link where it was published in 2009: http://www.emes.net/fileadmin/emes/PDF_files/Selected_Papers/Serie_2_Theme_3/ECSP-T09-17_Birkh_lzer.pdf
Regards
I appreciate Ms Hobson's contribution and would like to add a few comments from our experience here in Morogoro Tanzania.
In a study conducted in Tanzania in September 2005, Henando de Soto (Empowering the Disadvantaged towards Expanded Market Economyi) had this to say abount the Tanzanian informal sector investment: ".... the informal sector had assets worth 29.3 billion US Dollars, equivalent to 10 times all foreign direct investment accumulated since independence." The fact is that economic activity amongst the majority of Tanzanians takes place outside of the formal economy.
The experience in the Engineering sector in Morogoro has demonstrated that it is possible to absorb the informal sector and gradually transform it into mainstream economic sectors in manufacturing and trade.
In 2005 we started work under a programme initiated by The College of Engineering (COET) of the University of Dar-Es-Salaam (The Innovationi Systems and Clusters Programme in Eastern Africa) A preliminary inventory revealed that there were 12 medium scale engineering workshops (All registered and formal enterprises) and 44 groups of tinsmiths (All informal). The Morogoro Engineering Cluster Initiative involves these core enterprises (workshops and tinsmiths) but has other stakeholders including the Morogoro Municipality Council, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), The Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO), Vovational Education and Training Authority (VETA) to mention but some of the members of this Cluster Initiative. This configuration is known as the "Triple Helix". (Business, Government+Academia).
Working in this mode, cluster members managed to access technologies from national research institutions (Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH, Tanzania Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Organisation TEMDO etc) and utilised these technologies to introduce new products. This was a measure departure form their original operations of waiting for customers needing repairs for broken items. The 44 tinsmiths received formal registration with the assistance of the Municipality Council. VETA conducted special coursed to upgrade the skills of the workers in the Cluster Initiative. Incomes rose from approx USD 550,000 annual turnover for the whole cluster in 2005 to above USD 3m annual turnover in 2010.
The Municipality Council and SIDO are currently addressing the challenge of working premises which is a major challenge for most of the cluster firms.
Cluster based approaches are gaining ground not only in Morogoro and Tanzania but in Africa in general. The experiences in Tanzania and Eastern Africa have been shared through Africa and a continental institution was established in April 2008 by African cluster development enthusiasts with the support of the AU, The Competitivenessi Institute (TCI and Sida (Swedish International Development Agency). The Pan African Competitiveness Forum was established to promote knowledge, innovation and cluster based approaches to economic development in the continent. Please visit www.pacfnetwork.com .
Emma, in Ethiopia, the coming up cluster initiative is the Merkato Leather Cluster Initiative with the involvement of the Addis Ababba University, The Addis Chamber of Commercei, The Ministry of Industries and these institutions are expected to bring in other players in the Local economic development platform.
The cluster approach has potential to accelerate LED through the triple helix involvement and engagement.
Thank you for the wonderful document.
Peter Chisawillo
Dear Pradeep,
Thanks for your comment and analysis. The definition of the informal economy used in this article relates to "informal economy" in the stricter sense of unregistered activities but also to the broad spectrum of livelihoods-sustaining activities that escape the logic of the "market", of monetisation. The main thesis of the article that the past 70 years has been mainly about disempowering the informal economy to empower the formal, in which life is only liveable when one is employed, is a very interesting analysis. For as the multiple global crisis shows, when the formal collapses, it is always the informal that continues to sustain livelihoods. In this regards, it may therefore be interesting to move towards a system that provides a breading space for both the formal and and informal. This calls for removing the aura of negativity that has been visited on the informal economy and seeing this latter sector for what it is, namely life-sustaining activities that desserve to be recognised as such and encouraged.
Poor governance and business enabling environment have given rise to informal economy. The challenge for the development workers and policy makers is how to work in a culture where 2+2 is not necessarily 4. One does not have to compromise principles but learn what are bottom lines of major stakeholders and try to accommodate. Informal economy deprives economic growth and picks pockets of all citizens.
J'ai l'honneur de venir très respectueusement solliciter les informations sur le pourghère et les partenaires de la filière