Innovation through the effects of solar water heating (SWH) in Africa

China’s involvement in Africa has become one of the contentious topics in the development literature. The background of the study is that Sino-African relations can be grouped into two phases thus: past relations and contemporary relations. The two phases are dissimilar, as past relations are categorized by solidarity against imperialism, while contemporary relations are characterized by economic relations. The study uses a historical approach to analyze China’s resurgence into Africa and Zimbabwe, a case study is used to examine the contemporary Sino-African relations. Secondary data were utilized to come to sound conclusion of the study. The study mainly found out that China’s resurgence into Africa presents both negative and positive impacts for Africa and that the negatives need to be regulated in order for African countries to benefit from the relations.

Labor productivity determines the level and quality of life of society. The technical and technological level of production determines the level of labor productivity in the country. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to substantiate the basic theoretical principles and practical recommendations for intensification of investment and innovation activity. The object of research is the processes of the intensification of the investment and innovation activity in the system of ensuring of productivity growth. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the scientific works of domestic and foreign authors on labor productivity and ways of its increasing. As a result of the research, the level and dynamics of labor productivity in the countries of the world have been analyzed. The level of labor productivity in Ukraine in comparison with other countries has been determined. The introduction of innovations has been determined among the key factors in the growth of labor productivity. Therefore, the strategy of the investment and innovation development has been proposed. The basic principles of effective implementation of the investment-innovation strategy and the state investment-innovation policy for ensuring labor productivity growth have been substantiated. In order to achieve the goals of state investment and innovation policy and obtain the results on the growth of labor productivity, the priorities of allocation of public finance, as well as measures to enhance the development of venture capital and to stimulate the production of high-tech production have been proposed. The combination of changes from the implementation of the investment and innovation strategy, the state investment and innovation policy will result in the growth of labor productivity, ensure the competitiveness of the economy and sustainable socio-economic development of Ukraine.

The Carpathian Region (Zakarpattia, Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Ivano-Frankivsk) is inferior to other regions in Ukraine regarding its economic development, which does not contribute to migration stability and, rather, serves as a factor motivating the active part of the population to emigrate. The problem of the labor market disproportions in the Carpathian Region is one of the significant causes of the formation and subsequent implementation of migration intentions, especially in rural areas, less economically developed areas, and district centers, where labor demand is much lower. The research aims to develop an innovative approach to calculating the intensity of the population’s external migration based on the introduction of a correction coefficient, which enables to consider the scale of transit migration in the Carpathian Region. The data presented in the study were collected for the period 2005–2018. Granger causality analysis is used to assess the relationship between migration and socio-economic development of the region. The analysis reveals that in all regions of the Carpathian Region, there is a short-run causal relationship between the intensity of external migration and the share of total household expenditure on food; in the medium run, the real household income, the size of the average monthly wages, and the volume of foreign portfolio investment, the foreign economic activity and retail trade turnover in the region; in the long run, living standards and indicators of economic growth. Future studies may require a more diverse set of indicators to evaluate the causal relationship in other regions of Ukraine, which will provide the integrity of the results of Granger causality analysis.

Acknowledgment
The research has been conducted within the framework of applied research ‘Migration Activity of the Population of the Carpathian Region’ (Dolishniy Institute of Regional Research of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Reg. No. 0119U002010, 2019–2021).