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Oil prices and exchange rates dynamics in South Africa.
(2024) Dube , Nozipho Sinenhlanhla.; Msomi , Simiso Sinqumo Sanele Gary.
The study examines the dynamics between oil prices and exchange rates in an oil-importing country to guide policymakers in their decision making. Furthermore, findings from this study seeks to decision makers to make informed and effective control measures. For this reason, this paper studies the effect of oil prices and oil price volatility on the rand-to-dollar exchange rate. It uses South African monthly data from 2000: M1 to 2023: M12, accessed from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis (FRED) and the World Bank. It employs the Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) Model and further computes impulse responses and the forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD). The main findings of the study show that South African nominal exchange rates respond asymmetrically to changes in oil prices and that they tend to respond more to negative oil price shocks. The response of the South African nominal effective exchange rate to oil prices contradicts several author’s work. The results further show that oil price volatilities cause the South African rand to depreciate.
Health inequality and healthcare policies’ efficacy across areas with different deprivation levels within South Africa.
(2024) Dlamini , Msawenkosi Milton.; Mbonigaba , Josue.
Despite South Africa's efforts to reduce socio-economic inequalities since 1994 through policies like the Reconstruction and Development Programme and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, significant disparities remain. While these policies aimed to improve access to services and provide economic opportunities for marginalised communities, their impact has been limited. As a result, health disparities persist, challenging the effectiveness of existing health policies. This thesis seeks to fill a research gap by assessing health inequalities and the efficacy of healthcare policies across regions with varying levels of deprivation in South Africa. It is structured around four interconnected analyses. The first analysis investigates the impact of localised deprivation on adult health across different areas (traditional authority, formal rural, and formal and informal urban regions) using ordered probit models and data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). The findings reveal significant health disparities, especially in informal urban areas, where increased deprivation is strongly correlated with poor self-rated health. This highlights the need for targeted health interventions in these regions. The second analysis explores socio-economic inequalities in chronic illnesses and disabilities among children utilising concentration indices, Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition, and NIDS data from the 2008 and 2017 waves. The results show stark disparities, with children from wealthier households in formal urban areas benefiting from better health outcomes, while poorer children in informal urban areas are disadvantaged. The third analysis examines diabetes prevalence among South African adults using standardised concentration indices, decomposition techniques and NIDS data. It uncovers varying socio-economic disparities across regions, with some areas showing reduced inequalities while others show increasing disparities. The final analysis looks at the relationship between public health expenditure and health outcomes from 2005 to 2019 across South African provinces employing two-way fixed effects panel models data from multiple sources. It finds that higher per capita health spending is paradoxically associated with lower life expectancy, indicating inefficiencies in resource allocation. Overall, the study underscores the need for tailored, region-specific healthcare policies to address the diverse challenges and reduce health inequalities across South Africa.
Achieving sustainable competitive advantage: the case of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Botswana.
(2023) Munodawafa, Tadios.; Naude, Micheline Juliana Alberta.; Govender, Krishna Kistan.
The aim of the study was to investigate factors that impact on sustainable competitive advantage of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Botswana. In Botswana, manufacturing SMEs have been targeted as a priority sector because of their potential to (1) diversify the country’s economy from diamond mining; (2) create employment thus reducing poverty; and increase the inflow of foreign currency through exports. Despite their potential, manufacturing SMEs are affected by traditional challenges which include – but are not exhaustive – lack of access to finance, lack of access to markets, lack of business acumen, lack of human capital and competition from multinational corporations. Primary data was collected from seven key government informants through face-to-face interviews and 348 manufacturing SME owners/managers using a structured questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data gathered from key government informants. This helped to obtain in-depth information about the phenomenon under observation. The data collected from manufacturing SMEs was analysed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics. The main findings revealed that manufacturing enterprises in Botswana are high risk enterprises and financial institutions are reluctant to provide them with funds. These SMEs are also affected by high rentals and high cost of land to use in their operations, high equipment and product quality costs. Manufacturing SMEs which export their products face additional challenges of traceability issues and mileage charges in the countries that they export their products. The study recommends that funding organisations should continue to review issues of collateral in order to increase access to finance by manufacturing SMEs. The Botswana government and tribal authorities issuing land should remove the bottlenecks related to application for land, especially for business purposes. Manufacturing SMEs should also consider SME equity funding as an alternative to funding and offers less risk compared to commercial banks and existing government-sponsored funding agencies. The findings of the study contribute towards the development of a sustainable theoretical framework that can be used by manufacturing SMEs to identify and utilise their internal resources and capabilities to increase their competitiveness, survive and grow.
The perceived impact of green microfinance on the sustainability of small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises in Ghana.
(2024) Berko, Daniel.; Rajaram, Rajendra.
The study aimed to analyse the perceived impact of green microfinance on the sustainability of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Sunyani and Techiman municipalities in Ghana. The elements of green microfinance used in this study were green credit, micro-savings, microinsurance, and green education. The study was conducted among MSME clients of rural and community banks and credit unions. The study focused on a target population of 5303 MSMEs. The study’s sample size was 358 MSMEs, comprising 71 in the agriculture sector, 189 in the service sector, 79 in the manufacturing sector, 13 in construction, and 6 in other sectors. The research employed a quantitative research method to match the study’s objectives with its guiding philosophy. Data was collected in person from 358 respondents who were chosen from the MSMEs in the Sunyani and Techiman Municipalities of Ghana using a stratified systematic sampling technique. The proposed research hypotheses were analysed using Smart PLS-SEM. The results revealed a positive and significant relationship between green credit, green education, micro-savings, and environmental performance. The study also demonstrated that green education, micro-savings, and microinsurance have a positive and significant influence on financial performance. Moreover, the study found that green credit and education have a positive and significant relationship with innovativeness. Nevertheless, the analysis revealed no discernible correlation between green credit and financial and social performance, nor between green education and social performance. The study makes a substantial contribution to the existing body of empirical literature on green microfinance. It would also assist the government, Bank of Ghana, microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other policymakers in developing effective policies and strategies to address environmental issues arising from MSMEs. Thus, the study recommends that MFIs and stakeholder institutions improve environmental awareness in their services. The government should create a dedicated green fund that MFIs could access at a favourable interest rate to lend to entrepreneurs for green activities. It is also recommended that the Bank of Ghana revises its Environmental and Social Risk Management policy framework for green financing to give considerable attention to microfinance institutions.
Antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of selected African indigenous medicinal plants in a type 2 diabetes model of rats.
(2024) Beseni, Brian Kudakwashe.; Islam, Md. Shahidul.
The study investigated the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity activities of selected traditional medicinal plants, including Rhus longipes, Celtis africana, Schotia brachypetala, Trema orientalis, and Albizia adentifolia, through in vitro, ex vivo, in silico, and in vivo models using rats. Bioactive compounds in the dry stem bark and leaves of the plants were extracted by serial maceration in water, methanol, ethanol, and ethyl acetate, followed by quantification and identification using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In vitro models assessed the extracts’ electron donation, free radical scavenging, and lipid and carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibition capabilities. Ex vivo models were used to investigate the extracts abilities to mitigate FeSO4-induced oxidative injury in excised heart, liver, pancreas, kidney, and brain tissues. Furthermore, the extracts' effects on glucose uptake in rat muscle and liver, and sugar absorption in the rat jejunum, were also studied. Molecular docking in silico analysed the binding affinities and interactions of the identified compounds with diabetes-related proteins. The biological activities of extracts showing significant antidiabetic activity (Rhus longipes, Celtis africana, and Schotia brachypetala) in vitro, in silico, and ex vivo were further investigated using model rats with type 2 diabetes in vivo. The results showed that the plant extracts contained a variety of bioactive compounds which may have contributed to their enhanced antioxidant and digestive enzyme inhibitory capabilities. The extracts demonstrated hypoglycaemic potential by modulating glucogenic enzymes, increasing glucose uptake in psoas and liver tissues, and retarding intestinal glucose absorption. The extracts exhibited protective effects against oxidative imbalance in isolated rat tissues by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and augmenting the activity of intrinsic antioxidant enzymes. The in vivo results demonstrated that extracts abated redox imbalance, restored euglycemic levels, mitigated dysregulated lipid metabolism, reversed pancreatic β-cells tissue damage, and linked biochemical parameters to homeostatic levels in treated animals compared with those in the untreated diabetic group. The results of this study revealed the potential of selected plant extracts to ameliorate type 2 diabetes and its associated complications. Further molecular analyses and clinical trials are necessary to elucidate the precise mechanisms of antidiabetic action demonstrated in this study.