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AbstractThere is a general belief that Sub‐Saharan Africa has the poorest record of international remittances because, due to deficiencies in the region's financial systems, a greater proportion of remittances passes through informal channels. This article examines the interactive impact of financial development on remittances to the region. Using a panel data covering 32 countries in the region from 1995 to 2009, it finds evidence of weak financial infrastructure constraining the flow of remittances. It also shows that the higher the level of a country's infrastructural development, the greater the impact on remittances. The article establishes that the impact of financial development and institutional quality is greater in emerging markets than in developing economies, implying that improving the financial system and institutional structures in Africa should be at the centre of the current policy efforts to optimize the benefits of remittances.

PurposeThe primary aim of this paper is to investigate the nature, degree and direction of the effects of certain classes of corporate ownership on capital structure decisions among firms.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 71 quoted companies in Nigeria, the study adopts panel fixed effects regression models to estimate the relationship between financial leverage and corporate ownership, while controlling for some firm‐specific characteristics like profitability, firm size and firm age.FindingsThe study finds that discrimination between indigenous and foreign firms is a major determinant of financial leverage in Nigeria; and that the consistency of empirical results and capital structure theories across countries depends much on the dominant nature of corporate ownership structure.Research limitations/implicationsAn attempt to widely generalize the results of this study may be challenged by its relatively small sample. With data from just a sample of 71 firms, the robustness of the country‐, time‐ and company‐ effects may not have been fully captured in the estimation process.Practical implicationsThe paper provides necessary platforms, especially to corporate managers, for aligning financing decisions and ownership structure to other structural characteristics such as size, age, and profitability.Originality/valueThe study is unique because it examines ownership effects on leverage using selected ownership classes; and because it focuses on an economy with harsh corporate operating environment and constrained capital market condition..

This paper presents and discusses the outcome of a mentorship programme for capacity enhancement of Nigerian policy makers for evidence use in policy making. Policy makers were mentored by senior researchers to foster their research capacity for evidence-informed policy making. The mentorship programme involved lectures, focus group discussions, dialogues, and group work. Mentees were taught research techniques and how to use research evidence in the policy-making process. The mentorship programme knowledge assessment test and evaluation outcome indicated a considerable improvement in the mentees' skill, knowledge and understanding of evidence-informed policy making.