Addressing Research Readiness Challenges in African Institutions: Development and Application of a Modular Assessment Tool

Research and Capacity Building for Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Need for a Different Approach

BackgroundStrengthening research capacity in low-and-middle-income countries is essential to drive socioeconomic development and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Understanding strengths and weaknesses in institutions’ research capacity can guide effective targeting of investments and resources. This study assessed the capacity of institutions undertaking research in natural science topics in Africa to identify priority capacity gaps for future investment.MethodsAssessments were conducted in eight African institutions that were partners in a UK-Africa programme to strengthen research capacity in renewable energy, soil-related science, and water and sanitation. Assessments involved eighty-six interviews and three focus group discussions to identify institutions’ research capacity strengths and gaps against an evidence-informed benchmark. Use of the same interview guides and data collection processes across all institutions meant that findings could be compared.ResultsCommon research capacity gaps were: lack of, or poorly maintained, equipment; unreliable, slow procurement systems; insufficient opportunities for developing the skills of research support staff such as administrators and technicians; dysfunctional institutional email communication systems; insufficient focus on the development of ‘soft’ researcher skills such as ethics, academic writing and, in non-Anglophone countries, English language. Programme strengths were the South-South and South-North partnerships for sharing and cascading expertise and resources, joint writing of proposals and publications, and improved individual and institutional visibility.ConclusionThere were many similarities in research capacity gaps irrespective of the institutions’ natural sciences research focus, and these were similar to those reported in the health sector. Common capacity needs are improving the skills of technicians and administrators to support research activities, soft skills training for researchers, and more effective pan-institutional e-communication systems. These could be strategic investment targets for the joint efforts of national governments and international organisations that fund programmes for strengthening research capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Introduction of more effective and standardized assessment methods for testing students' performance in Africa's medical institutions has been hampered by severe financial and personnel shortages. Nevertheless, some African institutions have recognized the problem and are now revising their medical curricula, and, therefore, their assessment methods. These institutions, and those yet to come, need guidance on selecting assessment methods so as to adopt models that can be sustained locally. The authors provide a model for selecting assessment methods for testing medical students' performance in African medical institutions. The model systematically evaluates factors that influence implementation of an assessment method. Six commonly used methods (the essay examinations, short-answer questions, multiple-choice questions, patient-based clinical examination, problem-based oral examination [POE], and objective structured clinical examination) are evaluated by scoring and weighting against performance, cost, suitability, and safety factors. In the model, the highest score identifies the most appropriate method. Selection of an assessment method is illustrated using two institutional models, one depicting an ideal situation in which the objective structured clinical examination was preferred, and a second depicting the typical African scenario in which the essay and short-answer-question examinations were best. The POE method received the highest score and could be recommended as the most appropriate for Africa's medical institutions, but POE assessments require changing the medical curricula to a problem-based learning approach. The authors' model is easy to understand and promotes change in the medical curriculum and method of student assessment.

BackgroundAssessments of global investments for COVID-19 research have revealed significant inefficiencies in the research funding process. These include duplicated and uncoordinated research efforts. We present an assessment of the funding...

IntroductionImproving health services integration through primary health care (PHC) teams for patients with chronic conditions is essential to address their complex health needs and facilitate better health outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore if and how patients, family members, and caregivers were engaged or wanted to be engaged in developing, implementing and evaluating health policies related to PHC teams. This patient‐oriented research was carried out in three provinces across Canada: British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.MethodsA total of 29 semi‐structured interviews with patients were conducted across the three provinces and data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThree key themes were identified: motivation for policy engagement, experiences with policy engagement and barriers to engagement in policy. The majority of participants in the study wanted to be engaged in policy processes and advocate for integrated care through PHC teams. Barriers to patient engagement in policy, such as lack of opportunities for engagement, power imbalances, tokenism, lack of accessibility of engagement opportunities and experiences of racism and discrimination were also identified.ConclusionThis study increases the understanding of patient, family member, and caregiver engagement in policy related to PHC team integration and the barriers that currently exist in this engagement process. This information can be used to guide decision‐makers on how to improve the delivery of integrated health services through PHC teams and enhance patient, family member, and caregiver engagement in PHC policy.Patient or Public ContributionWe would like to acknowledge the contributions of our patient partners, Brenda Jagroop and Judy Birdsell, who assisted with developing and pilot testing the interview guide. Judy Birdsell also assisted with the preparation of this manuscript. This study also engaged patients, family members, and caregivers to share their experiences with engagement in PHC policy.

Roles for scientific societies to engage with conservation policy.

The increasing cybersecurity threats to higher education institutions in Africa necessitate risk management frameworks that are resilient and sensitive to regional needs. This paper applies Modified General Morphological Analysis (MGMA) to identify essential elements for an adaptable cybersecurity framework, focusing on the African higher education context. African institutions face many challenges, like limited funding, underdeveloped digital infrastructures, and rising cyberattacks. Our proposed MGMA is a structured methodology to examine key cybersecurity dimensions: governance, policy, technical controls, capacity building, and resource allocation. This approach allows for assessing complex interrelations among these elements, aimed at practical solutions suitable for African institutions. This study focuses on risk management approaches to address the specific vulnerabilities of African higher education institutions (HEIs), such as restricted budgets, inadequate cybersecurity teams, and increasing reliance on digital systems. The study promotes collaborative efforts by creating institutional networks, sharing resources, and enhancing cybersecurity expertise across Africa. The findings will guide decision-makers in aligning cybersecurity investments with strategic institutional goals, providing a framework for protecting critical educational assets, strengthening resilience, and advancing digital infrastructure development across African higher education.

The purpose of this research is to explain the performance of the school institution that uses the management of academic information system (AIS management effectiveness, Culture ICT, ICT facilities and the quality of the Human resources) on the performance of the institution; partially include: effectiveness of management on the performance of Academic Information Systems agencies; ICT culture on the performance of the institution; availability of ICT facilities for the performance of the institution; and quality of human resources Academic Information System on the performance of the institution. This study used a descriptive analytical method. The data used are primary and secondary data obtained through surveys and documentation. The data analysis techniques-quantitative analysis examines the effectiveness of management, ICT culture, availability of ICT facilities, and quality of human resources for the school's performance and its impact on the academic achievement of students in schools in the city of Jambi, as object of study. Keyword: Information communication and technology (ICT), effectiveness, school performance

To the Editor: A valuable overview of cancer research in South African (SA) academic and research institutions during 2013 - 2014 has recently been published. The titles of 556 research projects were reviewed and divided into basic science, clinical and public health domains. These domains contained 46%, 54% and 13% of the projects, respectively. The projects could fit into more than one domain, resulting in a total of 113%.

The increase in health research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has led to a high demand for biostatisticians to develop study designs, contribute and apply statistical methods in data analyses. Initiatives exist to address the dearth in statistical capacity and lack of local biostatisticians in SSA health projects. The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) led by African institutions was initiated to improve biostatistical capacity according to the needs identified by African institutions, through collaborative masters and doctoral training in biostatistics. SACCAB has created a critical mass of biostatisticians and a network of institutions over the last five years and has strengthened biostatistics resources and capacity for health research studies in SSA. SSACAB comprises 11 universities and four research institutions which are supported by four European universities. In 2015, only four universities had established Masters programmes in biostatistics and SSACAB supported the remaining seven to develop Masters programmes. In 2019 the University of the Witwatersrand became the first African institution to gain Royal Statistical Society accreditation for a Biostatistics Masters programme. A total of 150 fellows have been awarded scholarships to date of which 123 are Masters fellowships (41 female) of whom 58 have already graduated. Graduates have been employed in African academic (19) and research (15) institutions and 10 have enrolled for PhD studies. A total of 27 (10 female) PhD fellowships have been awarded; 4 of them are due to graduate by 2020. To date, SSACAB Masters and PhD students have published 17 and 31 peer-reviewed articles, respectively. SSACAB has also facilitated well-attended conferences, face-to-face and online short courses. Pooling of limited biostatistics resources in SSA combined with co-funding from external partners has shown to be an effective strategy for the development and teaching of advanced biostatistics methods, supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates.

The increase in health research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has led to a high demand for biostatisticians to develop study designs, contribute and apply statistical methods in data analyses. Initiatives exist to address the dearth in statistical capacity and lack of local biostatisticians in SSA health projects. The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) led by African institutions was initiated to improve biostatistical capacity according to the needs identified by African institutions, through collaborative masters and doctoral training in biostatistics. SACCAB has created a critical mass of biostatisticians and a network of institutions over the last five years and has strengthened biostatistics resources and capacity for health research studies in SSA. SSACAB comprises 11 universities and four research institutions which are supported by four European universities. In 2015, only four universities had established Masters programmes in biostatistics and SSACAB supported the remaining seven to develop Masters programmes. In 2019 the University of the Witwatersrand became the first African institution to gain Royal Statistical Society accreditation for a Biostatistics Masters programme.A total of 150 fellows have been awarded scholarships to date of which 123 are Masters fellowships (41 female) of whom 58 have already graduated. Graduates have been employed in African academic (19) and research (15) institutions and 10 have enrolled for PhD studies. A total of 27 (10 female) PhD fellowships have been awarded; 4 of them are due to graduate by 2020. To date, SSACAB Masters and PhD students have published 17 and 31 peer-reviewed articles, respectively. SSACAB has also facilitated well-attended conferences, face-to-face and online short courses. Pooling of limited biostatistics resources in SSA combined with co-funding from external partners has shown to be an effective strategy for the development and teaching of advanced biostatistics methods, supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates.

The increase in health research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has generated large amounts of data and led to a high demand for biostatisticians to analyse these data locally and quickly. Donor-funded initiatives exist to address the dearth in statistical capacity, but few initiatives have been led by African institutions. The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) aims to improve biostatistical capacity in Africa according to the needs identified by African institutions, through (collaborative) masters and doctoral training in biostatistics. We describe the SSACAB Consortium, which comprises 11 universities and four research institutions- supported by four European universities. SSACAB builds on existing resources to strengthen biostatistics for health research with a focus on supporting biostatisticians to become research leaders; building a critical mass of biostatisticians, and networking institutions and biostatisticians across SSA. In 2015 only four institutions had established Masters programmes in biostatistics and SSACAB supported the remaining institutions to develop Masters programmes. In 2019 the University of the Witwatersrand became the first African institution to gain Royal Statistical Society accreditation for a Biostatistics MSc programme. A total of 150 fellows have been awarded scholarships to date of which 123 are Masters fellowships (41 female) of which with 58 have already graduated. Graduates have been employed in African academic (19) and research (15) institutions and 10 have enrolled for PhD studies. A total of 27 (10 female) PhD fellowships have been awarded; 4 of them are due to graduate by 2020. To date, SSACAB Masters and PhD students have published 17 and 31 peer-reviewed articles, respectively. SSACAB has also facilitated well-attended conferences, face-to-face and online short courses. Pooling the limited biostatistics resources in SSA, and combining with co-funding from external partners is an effective strategy for the development and teaching of advanced biostatistics methods, supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates.

This study aimed to analyze the impact of Management Information Systems (MIS) across its various dimensions (human resources, physical resources, software, networks, and cybersecurity) on institutional performance dimensions (internal processes, financial performance, customers, and learning and growth) at the Central Bank of Yemen – Head Office in Aden. The study adopted the descriptive-analytical method to determine the relationship between MIS and institutional performance. A questionnaire was used as the primary tool for collecting primary data. The study population consisted of 169 employees at the Central Bank of Yemen – Head Office in Aden. The researchers relied on a purposive non-random sample, including (general managers and their deputies, department managers and their deputies, section heads, specialists/technicians), totaling 91 participants, with 81 valid questionnaires retrieved. Data was processed and analyzed using the SPSS software. The reliability coefficient of the data collection tool reached 0.67, while the credibility of the responses was 0.82. The study results revealed a statistically significant relationship between Management Information Systems and institutional performance. Human and physical resources had the most substantial impact on improving internal process efficiency and enhancing financial performance. Additionally, cybersecurity was found to be a critical factor in protecting data and ensuring the continuity of operational processes, while software and networks played a supportive role in improving organizational communication and strengthening internal and external relationships. The study recommended investing in the development of MIS infrastructure and enhancing the efficiency of human resources through continuous training. It also emphasized the need to establish and activate a dedicated cybersecurity management department to ensure information security and confidentiality. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of integrating modern software technologies and advanced networks to enhance organizational interaction and foster.

Work-Life Balance (WLB) is an important factor that the Human Resource Management of private higher education Institution (PHEI) should concern about in order to gain high Job Performance in the institution. If there are WLB practices implemented by the university, the Human Resource Department (HRD) must always get feedback from the employees to continuously improve the WLB policy. This will benefit not just the employees but the most important to the PHEI by having a good productivities and high job performance employees. The result shows that most of the employees in the university have good social support from their colleagues at work place, friends and their families. This support have given them inspiration and motivation in doing their job properly and finally they might achieved high job performance. Even though the result were positive about the social support the employees receives, the top management including the HRD need to revise their policy of WLB especially other factors that can influenced the employees to optimized their efforts in doing their job

Cellular and humoral immunity in malaria pre-exposed Tanzanian children and adults following vaccination with RTS,S, the most advanced malaria vaccine, and after whole sporozoite based controlled human malaria infections