Browsing by Subject "Sustainable Development"

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    Open Access
    An investigation of the use and sustainability of GRID3 infrastructure for social and sustainable development in Nigeria
    (2024) Tiamiyu, Barakat; Odendaal, Nancy
    Geospatial data and technologies are reshaping how the government responds to public issues by delineating and effectively delivering interventions based on data. The Geo-referenced Infrastructure and Demographic Data for Development (GRID3), is one of Nigeria's leading geospatial databases for social development and it is prominently used by government for healthcare service delivery. As GRID3 accelerates the adoption of its expanding geospatial datasets, there is a need to assess the use and sustainability of its infrastructure within the geospatial ecosystem in delivering sectoral development priorities, especially in the area of healthcare service delivery. Therefore, this research investigated the availability and distribution of GRID3 infrastructure and its utilization for sustainable development in Nigeria. It also examined the innovative approaches for enhancing the sustainability of GRID3 tools, services, and technology. The objectives of the study were achieved by utilising a mixed-method case study approach with both qualitative and quantitative data, collected from GRID3 users, researchers, and service providers in Oyo state, Nigeria. A combination of mean item score and analysis of variance were used for the quantitative data, and grounded theory analytical methods were used for the qualitative data. It emerged from the findings of the study that the GRID3 infrastructure available can be characterised into geospatial tools and technologies, geospatial data, and geospatial services provided. The study revealed that GRID3 enables the verification, implementation, and monitoring of sustainable development goals as per health, wellbeing, water, sanitation, education, food security, and infrastructural development. This creates the hallmark of its contribution in promoting the adoption of geospatial data for strategic national and grassroot development. Investigation of the level of sustainability of GRID3 infrastructure with respect to its use and sustainability showed two metrics of measurement – the usefulness and satisfaction of users. The usefulness of geospatial data for immunization programs in terms of data accuracy and quality, and spatial analysis functionality, could enhance the sustainability of the geospatial infrastructure. Secondly, end users' satisfaction is dependent on the satisfaction with the geospatial interface and integration. This invariably suggests the alignment of GRID3 infrastructure with the users' specifications and the geospatial ecosystem through learning and application. In addition, it was found that innovative approaches to enhance and sustain GRID3 infrastructure include the improvement of data quality, expansion of coverage and awareness, ensuring user-friendliness for low skilled people, development of a GRID3 app, and investment in capacity building for endusers. The study concluded that GRID3 will continue to be useful for sustainable development programs and would remain viable if efforts are made to meet the end users' requirements. The study established the innovative approaches and technologies that can help foster wider adoption of the GRID3 infrastructure in Nigeria.
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    Electricity supply options, sustainable development and climate change priorities: case studies for South Africa
    (Magnum Custom Publishing, 2007) Winkler, Harald; Mwakasonda, Stanford; Garg, Amit; Halsnaes, Kirsten; Mukheibir, Pierre
    This report summarizes the results of the Projecting future energy demand: Balancing development, energy and climate priorities in large developing economies project that has been managed by the UNEP Risø Centre on behalf of UNEP DTIE. The project, sponsored by UNEP, is a partnership between the UNEP Risø Centre and centers of excellence in South Africa, China, India and Brazil. The focus of this report is on the energy sector policies that mainstream climate interests within development choices. The country study results for future energy and environment projections that are included in this report are backed by intensive economy-energy-environment modeling by the Energy Research Centre at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, wherein general scenario analysis of the energy sector explores some policies in more depth. The report argues that starting from development objectives is critical to mitigation efforts in developing countries. Instead of defining local benefits as ancillary to mitigation, reductions of GHG emissions should be seen as the co-benefits of policies that drive local sustainable development. A development-focused approach seems more likely to be implemented than the imposition of GHG targets by the international community—especially as South Africa has adopted development targets such as the Millennium Development Goals and promoted the Johannesburg Plan of Action.
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    Enabling sustainable development through logistics: a case of Southern Africa
    (2018) Fourie, Gerhard; Rogers, Steven
    Africa, as a continent, requires rapid development in order to catapult the continent into developed status. As decision-makers on the continent acknowledge this, ambitious development goals have been put in place. This research study analysed whether logistics, and more specifically, transport logistics can contribute to sustainable development on the continent, and if so, in which ways and forms this can be implemented. The qualitative study focused specifically on the SADC region trade block within Africa. The research included a case study of a leader in the transport logistics industry. Interviews with the company’s management committee, as well as the management of its top five clients, have been conducted to form the basis of an explorative study. The findings of this study indicate that logistics can contribute to sustainable development within Africa. Three specific areas of impact have been identified, i.e. the role of logistics as enabler of trade on the continent, its contribution to the combat against climate change and its role in social development. The researcher considers the findings in this paper to be significant for sustainable development in terms of their potential value for use by decision-makers in incorporating logistics into their decision-making. More importantly, the potential significant impact that logistics can have on sustainable development, with the formation of strategic partnerships in achieving these development goals, has been highlighted.
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    The role of good environmental governance in the sustainable devlopment of South Africa
    (2010) Feris, Loretta
    This article seeks to analyse good governance decision-making in the environmental context through an understanding and interpretation of the relationship between good environmental governance (evidenced inter alia by decision-making by public authorities) and sustainable development in South Africa. It critically assesses recent case law in an attempt to understand the way in which our courts are evaluating authorities' environmental decisions. In reaching its objectives, this article considers also how environmental decisions are made in the first place and asks the question: what are the value choices underlying government's decisions and what role does sustainable development play in informing decisions for good environmental governance.