This paper identifies the factors influencing women participation in politics in the SADC region. The paper drew from the fact that the 30% average woman participation rate is still only half way to the target of 50% women representation required by the Protocol on Gender and Development of 2008. The paper argues that full and equal participation of both women and men in political decision-making provides a balance that more accurately reflects the composition of society, and may as such enhance the legitimacy of political processes by making them more democratic and responsive to the concerns and perspectives of all segments of society. Based on the pooled OLS and GMM dynamic panel of Blundell and Blond (1998) on 14 SADC countries over the period 2010–2017, the findings show that labor participation, functioning of government, political culture, the overall political participation have a positive relationship with women political participation. Results showed that civil liberties, human development index, electoral process and pluralism have a negative relationship with women political participation. The study recommended that governments, the SADC region, engage political players, especially political parties, to ensure that they actively involve and appoint more women in their political structures.

China’s involvement in Africa has caused much debate. The increasing presence in Africa has drawn mixed reactions from the academic and media platforms. It has been argued that China is sapping Africa’s manufacturing potential and also extracting Africa’s resources without any significant benefits to Africa. Thus China is seen as a contributor to Africa’s underdevelopment and deindustrialization. However, some have seen China as Africa’s partner for development. They see China’s presence in Africa as beneficial to China and Africa. As a result, there is no settled opinion as to whether China’s increasing presence in Africa is sustainable to Africa or whether the relationship is unsustainable. Although the relations between China and Africa are widely covered in the media, empirically the area has been underresearched. This article, therefore, contributes to literature by surveying the major political and economic issues around the China-Africa relations. The article considers several issues relevant to the China-Africa relationship.

Maritime transport remains the main gateway to the global marketplace. Ocean ports are a central and necessary component in facilitating trade. Ports are essentially a channel of integration into the global economic system. Resourceful and well-connected container ports empowered by regular and consistent shipping services are key to reducing trade costs, including transport costs, connecting supply chains and supporting global trade. Consequently, port performance is an important factor that can influence countries’ trade competitiveness. However, for Africa, the ports are dilapidated, lack essential infrastructure, are congested and perform poorly. Africa’s shipping and ports do not always match global trends and standards. In light of this, this study seeks to assess Africa’s current port performance and test the relationship between Africa’s port performance and trade performance. Very few studies have attempted to investigate the impact of port performance on trade. Hence, it was worthwhile to study the impact of port performance on Africa’s trade. The study used panel data that covering the period 2005–2018. An ARDL panel technique was used for estimation purposes. Results showed that port performance positively affects trade. This study argues that African ports require expensive infrastructure to be able to compete successfully. Africa needs to pursue an intensive course of infrastructure development so as to maintain economic growth and improve port efficiency and trade competitiveness. At the moment, African ports are inefficient, and there is congestion partly because the ports cannot accommodate further expansion without serious investments.

This paper analysed political aspects of the resource curse in selected African states. The paper drew from the fact that the African region has extensive (untapped) natural resources deposits that, if utilised, can promote sustainable economic development. But despite the presence of these natural resources, the African region is poverty-stricken and still under-developed. Literature identified politics as among the factors that affect Africa’s capacity to invest revenue from natural resources. Studies showed that there are close links between politics and the management of extractives. The study employed the PMG (ARDL) and the FMOLS for the period 1995–2016. Results from the study showed a positive relationship between efficient functioning of government and resource rents. There is also evidence for causality running from efficient functioning of government to resource rents and not vice versa. This shows that government performance is crucial for better performance in the natural resource extraction sector. Based on the findings, this study recommends that governments in African countries should improve on governance and the way the public sector institutions function. Harnessing the weak and politically fragile public institutions is important in order to kick start markets. The effective functioning of government institutions can be strengthened by eliminating corruption, stabilising property rights and investing in fiscal capacity.

This study sought to test the impact of China’s infrastructure investment on economic growth in selected African states. Many comparative studies have shown the positive role that infrastructural loans plays in supporting economic growth. However, for Africa, the role of China’s infrastructure projects has mixed views with regards to its contribution to growth and development. A survey of the literature showed that the central question about Chinese infrastructural loans is whether the infrastructural projects are beneficial or detrimental to Africa. Currently, there is no settled opinion as to whether (or not) Africa is benefiting from the Chinese economic relations. This study was quantitative, and we used panel data to achieve our objectives. The study employed annual panel data for 15 African countries covering the period of 2000–2017. The Pooled Mean Group, Mean Group, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares, and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares panel techniques were used for estimation purposes. The main conclusion from the quantitative analysis of China’s infrastructural loans in Africa is that China’s efforts in developing infrastructure are translating into economic growth. This study provides evidence that China’s engagement in Africa could be beneficial, given the positive relationship between loans and economic growth.

This study sought to examine the impact of the exchange rate on manufacturing performance in SACU states. The manufacturing sector is an avenue for trade expansion and it is a vital source of innovation and competitiveness and it makes outsized contributions to exports and productivity growth. Manufacturing in SACU countries is hampered by structural shortcomings such as the exchange rate and other factors. Given this background, the study employed the panel group FMOLS and PMG approaches for the period 1995–2016. Results showed that the exchange rate, imports and FDI have a negative relationship with manufacturing performance. Exports and inflation had a positive relationship with manufacturing performance. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that SACU countries need to formulate informed policies that align the exchange rate to the actual needs of the manufacturing sector. Policymakers need to know which subsectors of the manufacturing sector will be affected by an exchange rate change and they also need to know the magnitude of the impact so that they can make informed decisions.