Naomi Halewood

Bio: Naomi Halewood is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Financial services & Free trade zone. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 137 citations.

The Transformational Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa

Abstract: This new flagship report for the eTransform Africa Project, produced by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with the support of the African Union, identifies best practice in the use of Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in key sectors of the African economy. Under the theme transformation-ready, the growing contribution of ICTs to agriculture, climate change adaptation, education, financial services, government services, and health is explored. In addition, the report highlights the role of ICTs in enhancing African regional trade and integration as well as the need to build a competitive ICT industry to boost innovation, job creation, and the export potential of African companies.

ICTs for Financial Services in Africa

Abstract: The second most populous continent in the world and with abundant natural resources, Africa continues to grow as the world's economy currently stands on shaky ground. However, steady GDP gains are sometimes obscured by the continent's economic, political and social problems. As Africa grows and becomes more tightly integrated with the global economy, its citizens and businesses increasingly need access to financial services tools that will allow them to compete. ICT is one avenue for increasing that access as ICT and financial services complement each other. ICTs allow for greater financial inclusion, and the financial services sector is a primary driver of communications and network technology. However, the financial services sector has distinct developmental challenges. Issues of trust, consumer protection, and network systemic risks that can slow the pace of progress require clear and strong regulations. The need for policy and regulatory development is made more difficult by the speed of technological change. Nevertheless, strategic intervention through policy or public investment can play a critical role in addressing the challenges faced by the financial services sector.

ICTs for Regional Trade and Integration in Africa

Abstract: Trade is critically important to Africa's economic prospects, as a source of revenue, investment and employment, yet Africa's trade is highly fragmented and the weakness of its trade performance constrains growth and poverty reduction. Africa today generates only about 2.5-3.5 per cent of world trade. African countries mostly export primary commodities while importing manufactured goods, from Europe, North America or developing regions outside Africa. Only about 10 per cent of Africa's trade is exchanged within the continent, a much lower proportion than in other world regions. Small domestic markets, landlocked status and limited natural resources restrict the trade potential of many countries. These structural factors inhibit the development of manufacturing sectors which could supply both African and world markets. Trade barriers are strongest at critical points along the supply chain between producers and consumers of goods and services, particularly points of entry/exit between countries.

Trouble in the Making?: The Future of Manufacturing-Led Development

Abstract: In the past, manufacturing-led development typically delivered both productivity gains and job creation for unskilled labor. Looking ahead, changing technologies and shifting globalization patterns call the feasibility of manufacturing-led development strategies into question. Things, advanced robotics, and 3-D printing are shifting the criteria that make locations attractive for production and are threatening significant disruptions in employment, particularly for low-skilled labor. These trends raise fears that manufacturing will no longer offer an accessible pathway for low-income countries to develop and, even if feasible, will no longer provide the same dual benefits of productivity gains and job creation for unskilled labor. As a result, the potential risk of growing inequality across and within countries warrants closer attention to the implications of changing technology and globalization patterns. This book looks at changing technology and globalization from the perspective of low- and middle income countries (LMICs) - with an emphasis on analyzing differences across manufacturing subsectors and identifying policy priorities with an eye toward making the most of new opportunities. The book will answer the following questions: how has the global manufacturing landscape changed, and why does this matter for development opportunities?; how are emerging trends in technology and globalization likely to shape the feasibility and desirability of manufacturing-led development in the future?; and if low wages are going to be less important in determining competitiveness, how can less industrialized countries make the most of new opportunities that shifting technologies and globalization patterns may bring?

Knowledge for Development

Abstract: This paper undertakes an extensive review of the literature dealing with the newly evolving field of knowledge for development and its management. Using the processtracing method, it sees the origins of the emergence of knowledge management for development in the management sciences of the 1950s and 1960s and traces its journey from there to the development studies of the 1990s and 2000s. It maintains that, since its arrival in the domain of development studies, practice and research on the issue are evolving in three dimensions, namely: the micro, the meso and the macro dimensions. The micro dimension concentrates on the individual level, the meso on the organisational level, and the macro on the global systemic level. The first two dimensions constitute the area designated as ‘knowledge management for development’ (KM4D) and the last dimension is designated as ‘knowledge for development’ (K4D). If one adheres to this differentiation, one arrives at three fundamental findings:  While there are plenty of analyses dealing with the micro and meso dimensions, there is a lack of analysis and prognosis for programmatic action on the macro dimension.  Following each of these dimensions in isolation leads one to different programmatic action.  There is, for this reason, a need to balance the three. Based on the above, this paper criticises the monoculturality in the production of global development knowledge that is primarily Western, as well as the inadequacy of existing information and communications technologies (ICT). It argues that the opportunities of joint knowledge creation between the global North and South and of more inclusive knowledge dissemination in the South offered by the ICTs are not being optimally utilised. It then charts a research course that adequately covers the three dimensions mentioned above, while specifying clear research questions aimed at ameliorating the inadequacies of global cooperation in knowledge production and highlighting necessary corrections tailored to specific inadequacies in specific global regions.

Investigating students' behavioural intention to adopt and use mobile learning in higher education in East Africa

Abstract: Recent penetration of mobile technologies and its services in East Africa has provided a new platform for institutions to widen access to education through mobile learning. Mobile technologies provide learners with flexibility and ubiquity to learn anytime and anywhere via wireless Internet. However, far too little research has been conducted to investigate factors that contribute towards students' adoption and use of mobile learning in East Africa. We applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to investigate students’ behavioural intention to adopt and use mobile learning in higher education in East Africa. A sample of 823 students selected from five higher learning institutions was collected and tested against the research model using regression analysis. The results showed that, four factors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions had significant positive effects on students’ mobile learning acceptance with performance expectancy being the strongest predictor. These findings will enable those who are involved in the implementation of mobile learning to develop mobile services that are relevant and acceptable to learners in higher education in East Africa.

The Little We Know: An Exploratory Literature Review on the Utility of Mobile Phone‐Enabled Services for Smallholder Farmers

Abstract: Mobile technologies could help to improve service delivery to smallholder farmers, but whether such services are fulfilling their potential remains poorly understood. To address this gap, this article presents an exploratory literature review regarding the impact of mobile phone-enabled services on farmers in developing countries. The review highlights a dearth of empirical evidence in this area. Findings suggest that farmers benefited through improvements in production planning, management of weather-related risks, and greater ease in receiving money. The review also points to several methodological shortcomings, notably the reliance on perception data and the failure to assess impacts in relation to usage. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Learning Management System Success: Increasing Learning Management System Usage in Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONLearning Management Systems (LMS) are now installed in the majority of higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. These web-based LMS are intended to support teaching and learning activities. They consist of various features that enable faculty members to share learning materials as well as providing interaction with their students both synchronously and asynchronously (Vovides et al. 2007). The most widely adopted LMS in the region are Blackboard, Sakai, KEWL, and Moodle (Unwin et al. 2010).Institutions use the LMS to supplement traditional face-to-face delivery where faculty members develop and share digital learning materials via the Internet. In this case, the LMS are used as an electronic repositories of learning materials (Vovides et al. 2007). Other institutions especially those offering distance education, have been combining LMS with traditional face-to-face delivery in order to reach more learners across various geographical boundaries (Andersson & Gronlund 2009).In light of these benefits, the adoption of LMS by higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa has continued to increase in recent years. Adkins (2013) predicted that LMS adoption will grow at the rate of 15% per annum between 2011 and 2016 in Africa. The increased adoption is further facilitated by the support of several international agencies such as the World Bank (WB), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (Farrell & Isaacs 2007). These agencies have been committing various resources to support institutions in adopting and implementing various LMS.For example, AfDB provided a grant of $15.6 million to African Virtual University (AVU) to support various eLearning initiatives in the region (Adkins 2013). The grant was planned to help 31 partner institutions to build eLearning centers, train content developers, and deploy LMS. Similarly, the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) supported seven institutions in sub-Saharan Africa to implement various eLearning projects including the LMS.LMS have been successfully implemented in many institutions of developed countries. They have managed to improve students' learning performance, reduce students' dropout rates, and they have increased students' satisfaction with offered courses (Naveh et al. 2012). Institutions in subSaharan Africa have been adopting them in a bid to gain similar benefits as their counterparts elsewhere. However, the context of sub-Saharan Africa is different and institutions face different challenges from those faced by institutions in the developed countries. As a result, the adoption and implementation of these systems do not guarantee that institutions will enjoy similar benefits as those institutions in the developed countries.Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the adoption of LMS are fulfilling their potential through analyzing the literature published on LMS usage from across the region. The article concludes by proposing strategies that can help institutions make more effective use of their LMS. It is important to ensure that LMS implemented in sub-Saharan Africa are successful given the fact that any failures of LMS implementations are likely to be high on account of the limited availability of resources (Heeks 2002).MEASURING LMS SUCCESSStudies of LMS adoption tend to use similar metrics to those used to measure information systems success. Since LMS are a special type of information systems focusing on teaching and learning (Wang et al. 2007), it is not surprising that such metrics are used. In this regard, the success of an LMS adoption at a given institution can be measured in different ways. Some studies have measured the success of LMS through measuring learners' satisfaction with the system (Wang 2003; Shee & Wang 2008; Tella 2012). …