Economic and Development Problems in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Nicholas Spaull
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
A little bit about me…
•
Nicholas Spaull
•
I’m a Christian
•
I love to Travel
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Studied at UKZN / SUN / UCT
•
Economics by profession (PhD...)
•
Education by passion
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Office: Schumann 202
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NicholasSpaull@gmail.com
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NicSpaull
nicspaull.wordpress.com
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Admin
Course information
3 American credits; 6 ECTS credits
Venue: Schumann 208
Tuesday
10:00 – 11:00
Wednesday
12:00 – 13:00
Thursday
10:00 – 11:00
___________________________
Evaluation
Attendance & map quiz:
5%
Summary/Comment:
5%
Assignment:
10%
Reviews:
40%
Essay:
40%
There will be no exam.
**The above is subject to change
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 No lectures from 29 Feb – 8 March (Week 4.5 and Week 5)
What I want to accomplish in this course
The aim of this course is to get you to think
critically about some of the major developmental
issues facing Sub-Saharan Africa today.
Some caveats:
• This is not a typical course
• I am only a graduate student, not the
Oracle at Delphi
But…
• It will be interesting!
• You will learn how to think and you will
learn about Africa
•
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More specifically…
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 4 – Understanding Foreign Aid
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Case study approach
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Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 10 – Education in SA
?
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 8 – Poverty and Inequality in SA
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Economic and Development Problems in South Africa and Africa
Session 12
AIDS
Department of Economics

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
What do I expect from you??
• To think!!!!
• To learn!
More specifically…
 Attendance!
 4 Appraisals
 One essay
 One group assignment
 {no exam}
My marking philosophy…
10
(9-10) inspired, (7-8) clever and interesting, (5-6) meets expectations, (3-4)
below expectations, and (0-2) needs serious improvement.
Essay?
• Research  Draft  Discuss/consult Final
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Instructional method?
• Lectures
• Readings
• Podcasts (interviews and videos)
• Case studies (x3)
• Class discussion (!)
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Lowest GDP per head ($, 2008)
Fastest growing cities
(Total growth, 2010-15, %)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Burundi
Congo-Kinshasa
Liberia
Guinea-Bisau
Malawi
Somalia
Zimbabwe
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Sierra Leone
140
180
220
270
290
300
310
320
340
350
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Lilongwe, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi
Abuja, Nigeria
Huambo, Angola
Luanda, Angola
Trivia
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•
•
•
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Longest river?
Biggest desert?
Top 8 countries most economically
dependent on agriculture (all African)
Least literate, most AIDS deaths
43.8
38.5
28.9
28.8
28.4
26.1
26.0
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Questions to consider...
• Course resources – DVD + blog (?)
• Current affairs in SA – stay up to date by
reading a local newspaper and watching the news
• Academic writing – Referencing is compulsory.
• Email addresses…
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Questions ???
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