Cristina D’Alessandro

Moving Africa beyond the Resource Curse: Defining the “Good-Fit” Approach Imperative in Natural Resource Management and Identifying the Capacity Needs

“Resource curse”—a paradoxical situation in which countries with an abundance of nonrenewable resources experience stagnant growth or even economic contraction—has become an important cautionary concept in discussing potential scenarios for the recent natural resource-led development efforts in Africa (Barma et al. 2012). The historical and contemporary records of many natural resource-dependent African countries justify the concerns that have been evoked in the resource curse discussions (Besada 2013). However, the need for caution inherent in policies aimed at avoiding resource curse has often led to timid (conservative) policies with some important unintended consequences. For instance, well-intentioned stakeholders in the natural resource value chain (e.g., extractive industry developers; development partners such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Revenue Watch and Oxfam International; and civil society organizations) have pushed African countries to implement “best practice” policies such as saving abroad in the form of sovereign wealth funds, oil stabilization funds, etc., as strategies to avoid the resource curse. However, given that the rate of private return on investment in Africa is higher than in any other region (Collier and Warnholz 2009), saving abroad could have a stifling effect on the development aspirations of African countries than what the resource curse itself could entail.

Managing Africa’s Natural Resources

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The Gas and Oil Sector in Ghana: The Role of Civil Society and the Capacity Needs for Effective Environmental Governance

The budding commercial exploitation of oil in Ghana has simultaneously raised expectations and concerns in this African nation, widely considered by donors as a “model country,” given its successes in democratic governance and good economic performance despite its internal regional disparities and widespread poverty. Ghana’s oil has also contributed to the large and growing literature on the multiple challenges of the oil industry in Africa’s development efforts. These are indication of the extent of attention that Ghana’s oil has been able to attract, both within the country and internationally. However, there is also the widespread fear among many analysts that Ghana’s oil manna could turn into a nightmare and paralyze all of Ghana’s developmental efforts, particularly those related to its macroeconomic and political stability, potentially threatening internal peace and social cohesion, and stifling the expected economic and social benefits expected from this crucial commodity. Certainly, the lessons learned from other African countries’ experiences in the oil sector, the increased international attention, the media’s effort in creating awareness and sharing information about this resource, and the roles of civil society and international and local non-state actors have already made a significant difference in Ghana’s experience.

Peri-urban agriculture in Southern Africa: miracle or mirage?

Peri-urban farming is a common phenomenon across much of Africa. The extant literature describes it as a critical source of household food, a trend that is intertwined with such factors as declining incomes of urban households, high rates of urbanization, and a need to serve an emerging niche market in African cities. However, the literature indicates that the practice does not play a major role in Southern Africa. Triangulating research methods and methodologies, and critically examining the literature, this paper argues that peri-urban agriculture is a viable livelihoods response to the complex challenge of feeding a burgeoning mass of urban residents amidst declining food production. The paper concludes that the apparent lack of political will necessary to promote peri-urban agriculture is reflected in weak or absent policy frameworks, resulting from enormous capacity deficit. African states must be able to balance the need to preserve physical esthetics of the cityscape with the promotion of peri-urban agriculture needed to mitigate the negative impacts of changes resulting from the changing urban landscape. African cities need the capacity to develop and implement policies that foster ecologically sound peri-urban agriculture, including appropriate land use reforms.

Spaces of Leadership: The Weight of Location and Leadership Density in Spaces

This chapter is dedicated to the spaces where leadership is practiced, with a special focus on urban spaces, where leadership is concentrated in a global era. The reader is guided through the role urban spaces play in leadership development as well as the imprint leaders leave on spaces and places. The profile of a mayor in a fast-growing city in an emerging country is used to link to theory and extract lessons for other leaders working in urban emerging spaces. Comparisons are drawn with mayors in other emerging country cities to illustrate the main points.

Leadership, Spirals, and Trajectories

This chapter investigates the question of leadership type and form and the relevance of space and spatial trajectories in a globalized world. It brings to bear major concepts and definitions from theory in a variety of fields from management science, architecture, music, and political geography to interpret leadership profiles in a globalized world. The chapter introduces illustrative examples of specific leaders, including Ally Sykes and Arkebe Orqubay. It also identifies the spatial talents that are relevant for leadership development.

Leadership Capacity of Spaces

This chapter focuses on capacities from a dual perspective. It presents the theory and measures of the leadership capacity of spaces. The chapter outlines the different importance of capacity of spaces when it comes to leadership. Also considered are the capabilities needed for leaders to transcend spatial boundaries. The chapter highlights actions leaders undertake to transform places, but also the role space plays in the transformation. A link with Chapters 3 and 4 highlights what the space leaders interact with looks like when they are done with their action on it. Aspects of comparison include the ability of leaders to contain challenges and uncertainty as well as the function of spaces to house leaders. Profiles of leaders like Barrosso, Juncker, Kaberuka, and Wolfensohn are used to illustrate main themes.

Spatial Networks: Connecting Spaces through Leaders

This chapter considers in depth social and spatial networks through which leaders are connected. These social networks of people are, in fact, also spatial, as they are spaces in which these individuals are located. Places and institutions in which leaders work and live are not neutral, and they are connected to one another. Illustrations from the trajectories of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will feature here.

Leaders and Leadership in a Globalized World

This chapter builds on a book by Leautier (2014), which looked at the question of leadership in a globalized world. It extracts major concepts and definitions, and sets the tone for the issues related to leadership and space, presenting what leadership is in the context of more networked spaces and places. The chapter brings in illustrative examples and links them to the major challenges and skills required for leaders to be effective in interconnected spaces. The chapter also identifies the spaces where leadership is concentrated, and the consequences of this spatial distribution. Key sections of the chapter explore the major concerns impacting policy makers with leadership positions in an increasingly globalized world. Spatial and temporal dimensions of globalization are introduced, and the kind of skills needed to contend with these dimensions in challenges faced by leaders is highlighted.

Spatial and Temporal Issues and the Role of Moments

This chapter brings out the concept of time and its interaction with space, and how certain leadership characteristics stand out or are shaped by these moments. Illustrations are made of what is common and what is different about individual leaders and their relation to space. Profiles are contrasted in the special cases of leadership in a moment. The chapter draws on examples from Joyce Banda and her assumption of the presidency following the passing of Bingu wa Mutharika, and Obiageli Ezekwesili, who went from minister in Nigeria to vice president at the World Bank, and emerged on the global scene as an activist against Boko Haram with the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.