International organizations

Transnational Activism Networks and Gendered Gatekeeping : Negotiating Gender in an African Association of Informal Workers

Upphovsperson:	Lindell, Ilda
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Urban Dynamics |
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Informal sector, Social movements, International organizations, Grass roots groups, Networks, Associations, Women’s organizations, Women’s participation, leadership, gender relations, feminism, case studies, Mozambique, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

The last decade has witnessed the rise of a great number of transnational social movements and activist networks. While many of these movements have been initiated in the North, some are driven by people from the Global South with the aim of addressing various forms of destitution and asserting a variety of basic economic and cultural rights. Such transnational organizing is increasingly evident in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these initiatives relate particularly to the growing numbers ofpeople depending on forms of informal work for survival. This edition of Current African Issues looks into the transnationalization of a local association of informal workers as it becomes involved in an international network of grassroots organizations. While this transnational engagement opens up new political possibilities, it also poses new challenges. Participation in international activities is highly unequal and mediated rather than direct, as influential actors engage in practices of gate-keeping that tend to work to the disadvantage of women. Tensions also emerged as a result of the divergent gender ideologies espoused by different participants. The paper draws on various theoretical perspectives on spatial politics in the global age to interrogate the unequal and contested spatialities of this transnational activism. Feminist scholarship sheds further light on the gendering processes at work in the transnationalization of a grassroots association.

Natural Resource Governance and EITI Implementation In Nigeria

Upphovspersoner:	Abutudu, Musa | Garuba, Dauda
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Globalization, Trade and Regional Integration |
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Nigeria, natural resources, Petroleum industry, Governance, Administrative reform, Institutional framework, International organizations, Corruption, Economic implications, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP

In their Natural Resource Governance and EITI Implementation in Nigeria, Musa Abutudu and Dauda Garuba provide the most up-to-date and in-depth analysis of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), providing a balanced yet critical evaluation of its performance, limitations and potential as an institution for helping Africa’s largest oil exporter to escape the so called resource curse and lay a firm basis for sustainable development. This Current African Issue contains valuable insights and information that will be of interest to all those with a keen interest in institutionalising transparency and accountability in natural resource governance in Africa.