African Sub-region Research Articles

Yield improvement in maize for tolerance to low soil nitrogen

AbstractLow soil nitrogen limits maize (Zea mays L.) production in the West and Central African subregion. Levels of residual genetic variability were determined in two low‐N populations using selfed progeny evaluations, and results obtained indicate large genotypic and phenotypic variances for grain yield under both low‐ and high‐N environments for effective selection, while heritability estimates were generally low. Ear aspect and stay green were the most important traits contributing to grain yield for both populations. Selection reduced days to flowering, ASI and ear aspect, but increased plant height and yield. Yield gains of more than 25% occurred for the two populations under both low and high N with the most significant change of 42% occurring in one population under high N.

BOKO HARAM AND THE CHALLENGES OF INTERNAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Globally, the subject of national security is fundamental to the progress and development of the nation state. As a result, no nation treats with levity any problem that threatens its national security. The major thrust of this chapter is to assess the actions of Boko-haram and its implications on Nigeria's internal security. It takes a look at why insecurity remains a major challenge in Nigeria despite numerous efforts by the government to ensure the security of lives and property. It interrogates the phenomenon of Boko-haram and the myriad of challenges it poses to internal security in Nigeria. It analyzes the implications of terrorism which range from economic crises to political instability and above all food insecurity resulting in poverty and over two million internally displaced persons especially in the North-east of Nigeria. The author avers that Boko-haram insurgence has a spill-over effect to the countries in the West African sub-region (ECOWAS) thus enlarging the scope of insecurity. The data for the paper were sourced from interviews from military informants and secondary sources such as journals, magazines and internet resources. The author posits that the phenomenon of Boko-haram is as a result of the failure of the social contract and the absence of the process for conflict resolution in the post colonial state. Anchoring the analysis on the theory of Structural Functionalism and Karl Marx's Conflict theory it postulates that the phenomenon of Boko-haram is as a result of the failure of social contract resulting in normlessness and acute deprivation thus culminating in insecurity. It recommends among others, the need to empower the army of the unemployed, equip the security apparatti of the state, arrest and prosecute individuals found guilty of aiding and sponsoring insurgents. And initiate community policing to gather intelligence to stem the rising incidence of internal insecurity.

The Influence of Dust and Black Carbon on Clouds, in Africa

The aerosol can change the clouds properties; the clouds, however, affect the normal behavior of aerosol optical depth. Considerable effects arise while the interaction of aerosol and clouds unavoidably encounters the presence of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in atmosphere. This research discusses the influence of two selected aerosol types, on the clouds in Africa, over the selected sub-time series in the years 1980-2018. Sahara desert’s dust is mainly constituted by hematite minerals; which, in return, is mainly composed by the iron oxides, a powerful solar and infra-red radiation absorbing matter and thus a strong and direct radiative forcing agent. For that reason, together with the fact that it is windblown over the biggest region that surrounds the desert, dust is one of the strongly considered aerosol in this research. Besides, black carbon (BC), mostly from the anthropogenic biomass burning process in the mid latitude’s African savanna, is the second aerosol type selected for this research: it is one of the abundantly available aerosol types and it is one of the strongest atmospheric radiant energy absorbers. For sake of valid and trustworthy results, the data is collected from multiple satellite remote sensing tools and instruments, all targeting the aerosol-cloud interaction and effects. In this research, different measurements were carried out; those are the spatiotemporal averaged cloud cover, the aerosol (dust and BC) extinction optical thickness (AOT), the anomaly of aerosol optical depth (AAOD) as well as different scatter plots’ correlation analysis. For findings: the direct influence of hydrophilic BC on clouds formation in central African sub-region is experimentally demonstrated; the dust aerosol highly influences the North African sub-region’s cloud formation.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TOURISM IN CENTRAL AFRICA: MYTH OR REALITY?

The realisation by many developing countries in the last two decades that tourism can be an important tool in achieving the sustainable development goals of poverty elimination, environmental sustainability and decent work and economic growth in general has led many governments to introduce measures aimed at promoting the development of the industry. However unlike many countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, countries in the biodiversity rich Central African sub-region only recently started to adopt measures aimed at the sustainable development of the industry geared towards the realisation of these goals. The travel and tourism industry here is still at an embryonic and chaotic stage of development, plagued with a multitude of challenges contributing less than 3% to GDP and employment. Using qualitative research methods i.e. semi-structured interviews and field observations, the paper examines the role of the tourism industry in the attainment of these goals and consequently tourism’s contribution to local economic development in Cameroon. It highlights the country’s diverse potentials as well as some of core challenges which are presently being encountered. The paper concludes by proposing a framework within which all stakeholders can actively work together towards the realisation of these goals.

Training the future trainer – The “double-barrel” postgraduate training model: A pathway to the development of sustainable obstetrics and gynecological specialists in the West African subregion

An obstetrician and gynecologist is a physician specialist who provides medical and surgical care to women and has particular expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, and disorders of the reproductive system. Obstetrics and gynecological practice is usually generalist, although four distinct primary subspecialties have been recognized globally – reproductive medicine (reproductive endocrinology and infertility), uro‑gynecology (female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery), maternal and fetal medicine, and gynecological oncology. The past two decades have witnessed an evolution in the pattern of training of resident doctors in obstetrics and gynecology, the world over. The West African subregion harbors countries ravaged by poverty and poor health system, with resultant poor reproductive health indices to the extent that calls to question the relevance of the present pattern of Obs/Gyn specialist training toward addressing the reproductive healthcare needs of the subregion. The objective of the study is to evaluate the evolution of postgraduate medical training in some developed countries and Nigeria; highlight the pattern of Obs/Gyn postgraduate training in the United Kingdome, the United States, West African, and Nigeria; and recommend a dual training model that is expected to produce sustainable obstetrics and gynecological specialist in West African subregion. Material and Methods used was a Review involving Internet and literature search. Postgraduate medical training in Nigeria and other Anglophone West Africa countries commenced as a hybrid of UK, USA, and Canadian postgraduate training models. The postgraduate Ob/Gyn educational training program in the United Kingdom has three components – basic, intermediate, and advanced – related to 7 years duration – ST (Specialist Training) 1 to 2 (basic), ST3–ST5 (Intermediate), and ST6–ST7 (advance). They are determined in context and structure by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and approved by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. There are three‑part assessment to the exam: Part 1 MRCOG, Part 2 MRCOG, and Part 3 MRCOG – which on completion leads to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training or a Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration. The obstetrics and gynecological postgraduate residency training program of West Africa College of Surgeons has a minimum duration of 3 years (after passing the primary exams for the award of membership certificate (Part I), and additional minimum of 2 years for the award of fellowship certificate of West Africa College of Surgeons. The training program in Obs/Gyn of the National Postgraduate Medical College adopts a similar pattern to that of West African College. After passing the primary exams, the resident trainee is expected to carry out a 2.5 years training as a junior resident, and an additional 2 years senior residency training to become eligible for the award of the fellowship certificate (FMCOG). American MD/PhD programs are specifically designed for those who want to become research physicians (physician‑investigators or physician‑scientists). The program runs a “2‑3‑2” or “2‑4‑2” track, consisting of 2 years of basic medical science courses; 3–4 years of PhD research and completion of thesis; and a further 2 years of clinical residencies. The proposed “double‑barrel” (dual) postgraduate training model requires that the doctor commencing residency training in Obs/Gyn simultaneously enrolls to commence the master’s degree program in any of the subspecialties of Obs/Gyn. By the completion of Part I section of residency training program, the trainee will have also completed the master’s degree in the subspecialty of choice, and by the completion of the full training program for award of fellowship, he/she will also be completing the doctorate degree program in the subspecialty. The dual postgraduate training model will produce robust research‑strengthened Obs/Gyn subspecialist clinicians; add value to the present fellowship certificate and thereby conform to the qualification demand of National University Commission for academic lecturership; encourage the establishment of Obs/Gyn subspecialty centers with appropriately skilled personnel and stem the exit of wealthy nationals abroad to seek such expert healthcare; and encourage the wide spread deployment of Obs/Gyn clinicians with subspecialty skills to various parts of the West African subregion, thereby providing expert reproductive health services to both the rich and the poor alike in the subregion. Keywords: Double‑barrel postgraduate training model; sustainable obstetrics and gynecological specialist; training the future trainer; West African subregion

The Influence of R&D on Economic Development in the West African Sub-Region

The purpose of this paper was to study the influence of R&D (which included capital, labour and human capital) on economic development in the West African sub-region. However, due to unavailability of data to cover these variables, proxies were used to represent the independent variables. The proxies used were gross fixed capital formation, GDP per person employed, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP and gross enrolment ratio of both sexes to represent capital, labour, R&D and human capital respectively. The study covered all the 15 member-states of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS). The study covered a period of 2001-2014. The Generalised Least Squares (GLS) method of estimation was adopted with a panel dataset. The findings revealed that the variables had positive impact on the economy while R&D did influence GDP per capital significantly though weakly positive.

Strategic Implications of Glass Ceiling on the Professional Leadership of Career Women Development in the West African Sub-Region

Women’s ascent to leadership positions and authority in organizations and society is limited by social norms, organizational cultures, and structures collectively referred to as ‘the glass ceiling’. The society views leaderships and authority as exclusive reserves on men. The result of the domination is a male paradigm is that women leaders are out of place in foreign territory, ``travellers in a male world'. The model of the leadership has traditionally been masculine and, while these stereotypes remain, they succeed in perpetuating the dominant place for men in management. The paper investigated issues concerning female’s participation in senior management in organizational settings and the glass ceiling that affects their career. It also explored the visible and invisible barriers that have kept women from reaching upper levels of leadership. Drawing heavily on historical and secondary data, the paper reviews the trends of career barriers, glass ceilings and proffered suggestions to eliminate these barriers towards development of the women folks and identifies areas for further research and highlights points of consideration for management of institutions.

Anticancer Potentials of Phytochemicals from Some Indigenous Food and Medicinal Plants of West Africa

A selected number of potential anticancer agents in phytochemicals isolated from some indigenous food and medicinal plants of the West African sub-region, has been reviewed. The attempt has benefited from a store of knowledge on the characterized and identified phytochemicals from indigenous plants by organic chemists, in the past six or so decades. Such compounds as satisfied the structure-activity-relationships with known anticancer active agents were selected and profiled and cover phytochemical classes as: alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and ‘miscellaneous’, the latter class comprising compounds considered chemically inappropriate for the previous classes. Anticancer activities covered include: induction of carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, selective cytotoxicity to tumor cells, reversal of multidrug resistance in cancer cells, and inhibition of metastasis. Food and medicinal uses of the source plants have also been described.

Survey of magnetic resonance imaging availability in West Africa.

IntroductionThe availability and utilization of MRI units across sub-Saharan Africa countries remain poor and its distribution is largely unknown. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the distribution and utilization of MRI facilities across the West African sub-region.MethodsAn interview and online search survey was conducted from September 2015 to September 2016, to determine the MRI facilities (Government/Public and Private) available in the West African sub-region. In Nigeria and Ghana, face-to-face interviews were conducted while for other West African countries, telephone interviews with radiologists and other health professionals as well as a Google online search were conducted to ascertain the distribution of the MRI facilities in the region. The number of MRI units in West Africa per million population was calculated and compared with other parts of the world from available published data.ResultsEighty-four MRI units serve a combined population of 372,551,411 in the West African sub-region at the time of this report. Nigeria accounted for more than two-thirds (58 (69%)) of the available units. Of these, 45 (77.6%) of the units were low-field strength systems. Ghana's 14 MRI units were fairly equally distributed between the private (57%) and the public sectors (43%). Ghana with 0.48 units/million population had the highest number of MRI units/ million population followed by Nigeria with 0.30 units/million population.ConclusionThough there is an increase in the number of available MRI units in the West African sub region in the last decade, the numbers remain appallingly small for the population. Infrastructural and maintenance limitations constitute a major impediment to the use of high filed systems in the region. There may be need for greater cooperation between public and private enterprises for future improvement of MRI utilization in the region.

The CCPZ rabies surveillance program: an inclusive learning model for addressing one-health educational challenge in West African sub-region

Introduction : one-health action against rabies can be driven by training programmes geared towards knowledge and skills in zoonosis surveillance and prevention in West Africa. Rabies surveillance programmes are relatively few and inadequate in higher education in the sub-region; hence require critical review. A systematic review was sponsored by the Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonoses (CCPZ), University of Ibadan, Nigeria, for certificate of participation in rabies surveillance program. Since community participation is fundamental to effectively implement rabies surveillance, two lead questions were posed, namely: How can trained lay persons be better utilized to facilitate rabies surveillance program at the community level? And how can inclusive learning in one-health mode be applied to post-graduate programmes for surveillance of rabies in West Africa? Method : data were collected from 4 major specialised data base search engines on liberal art and science approaches to rabies surveillance education. One thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine papers were retrieved. Predefined selection criteria on teaching outcome and nature of collaboration were used to select 7 of these papers for review, using systematic analysis of the literature. Results : revised curriculum enlists experiential learning about epidemiologic networking of physicians, veterinarians, geographers, laboratorians, statisticians, sociologists and lay persons; eliciting care seeking preferences of animal bite victims (ABVs); categorizing ABVs into suspected, probable and confirmed rabies exposures; converting ABVs’ geographic locations to map points; estimating annual human death, associated spatial cluster, time-trend model, vaccination status and involved virus molecules. Conclusion : an inclusive one-health curriculum is developed for rabies surveillance in West African sub-region.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOW AS): Transcending Regional Economic Integration

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has over the years evolved from an organization for economic integration and development into all organization for peace, democracy and economic integration as result of the dynamics of the political environment of the West African sub-region. ECOWAS mandate appears to have expanded from that of pursuing a strict economic agenda to a robust political mission. This paper examines the extent to which this has been achieved. This intervention probes the extent to which current modifications to the ECOWAS security protocol enhance its operations in comparison with previous security challenges in the sub-region, The paper postulates that political will is essential to effective cooperation and integration. It poses the central question of the extent to which political leaders in West Africa have been committed to the achievement of the objectives of ECOWAS

Nigeria's Trade Complementarity and Similarity with West African Sub-Region

This study analyzed Nigeria’s trade complementarity and similarity with West African sub-region using trade intensity index and revealed comparative advantage index for the period 2000-2014. Exports and imports of Nigeria and ECOWAS and their twenty major products categories were analyzed. The result of the study shows that Nigeria and ECOWAS trade is importance given their exports and imports relative importance in the world trade. Easy access to sub-regional markets have significantly contributed to a great extent toward their high trade intensity within the sub-region. Nigeria’s trade intensities with West African countries are high more especially with countries like Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Togo. Evidence from the trade indices shows that Nigeria can export cocoa, mineral fuels, rubber and raw hides and skins to countries with low RCA in these products. Because of limited industrial base, Nigeria and ECOWAS have no comparative advantage in the production and exportation of products such as articles of iron and steel, nuclear reactors, electrical machinery and equipment and furniture and have to import these products from non ECOWAS member countries. This also goes with the notion that Nigeria and ECOWAS are primary producers with little or no benefits from world trade. As a result of this fact there is a need for the countries within the sub region to change their production structure in order to encourage more trade among them, through the development of sound policies that will lead to grow of small scale manufacturing industries.

Analysis of ECOWAS Institutional Framework for Conflict Management

AbstractThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has evolved conflict management and security framework through which it responds to the myriads of socio-political crisis in the sub-region. This paper assesses the ECOWAS mechanisms for conflict management vis-à-vis the challenges facing the region. It begins by looking at the nature of conflict in West Africa; and then the evolution of ECOWAS conflict management framework. Using content analysis, the paper argues that ECOWAS has evolved a comprehensive conflict management and security framework and has made significant achievements in conflict management in the West African sub-region. It however, recommends peacebuilding efforts that address poverty, human rights abuses and election fraud as well as more synergy and political will to handle religious extremism in the sub-region

Yam Breeding in Ghana

CSIR-Crops Research Institute of Ghana is the National Centre of Specialization (NCOs) for Root and Tuber Crops and migrating into a Regional Centre of Excellence (RCOE) in Root and Tuber research in the West African sub-region. Yam is one of the major root and tuber crops of importance in the sub-region and for that matter the NCOS. Even though yams are indigenous to the West African sub-region, with the exception of Dioscorea alata (Asiatic origin), yams are often aptly described as an orphan crop due to the relatively little research effort compared to its significance in the sub-region in particular and the world at large. Breeding of yams therefore can be a challenge due to little literature available on the subject matter. This paper looks at the historic perspective, what can be done presently and projects into future direction of yam breeding in Ghana and the world at large. It also serves as a guide for yam breeding in particular and root and tuber crops in general.

Regulation status of quarantine pests of rice seeds in the economic community of west African states (ECOWAS)

The ever growing international trade has limited efforts towards the prevention of introduction, spread and establishment of invasive organisms. Non-native pests can cause severe loss of production and lead to restriction in exchange of genetic materials and seed marketing across regions. Regulating pests’ movement through quarantine measures and establishment of regional boards has been identified as a way to deal with introduction and expansion of invasive organisms. This review analyzes the different pest regulations in the West African sub-region with a specific focus on the implementation of quarantine measures in rice as a case study. The various regulations related to seed production, certification and marketing, and quarantine regulations in West Africa were analyzed and their enforcement and performance were assessed through comparison to international standards, especially the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Although a regional regulation on seeds and phytosanitary measures has been elaborated, ECOWAS countries are still enforcing their national phytosanitary legislations, which are nearly the same in all West African countries - they all aim at ensuring plant health by applying preventive and curative measures to prevent the introduction and spread of pests in their territory by controlling the import and export of plant materials and disseminating appropriate pest management techniques to boost agricultural production. Most ECOWAS countries are yet to submit their phytosanitary legislation to IPPC to comply with Article VII.2i of the endorsed convention. In addition, the entry points are not well defined and provided to the IPPC according to the Article VII.2d of the convention. When the quarantine list is available, the organisms regulated for each crop species are not stated, posing a real problem not only for rice genetic resource exchanges for research purposes but also for rice seed trade. Efforts and resources should be devoted by each country to research on pests and regulatory mechanisms in order to define, among others, pest status in the region, and to update regularly the quarantine pests list in the West African region. Key words : Regulatory measures, quarantine pest, rice seed, harmonization, ECOWAS, IPPC

Three and a Half Decades of Kojo Antwi in Educating Adults and the Youth about Marriage and Love through Highlife Music in Ghana

ABSTRACTHighlife music has been in existence in the West African sub-region for centuries; and has been sung during various social and political occasions. In Ghana, highlife music has continued to evolve and has incorporated other types of music. Kojo Antwi has been one of the towering figures on the Ghanaian music scene for nearly three and half decades. He has been called Mr Music Man, the King of Hearts, and has won several prestigious national and international awards. Most of the artists in Ghana sing about various social, economic and political issues. Kojo Antwi appears to have, to a large extent, focused on educating and entertaining his fans, especially the youth and adults on issues of marriage and love. Therefore, this article analyses six songs by Kojo Antwi, which draw the attention of the audience to the challenges lovers and married couples need to be aware of in the game of relationships.

Eurocentrism, Africanity and ‘the Jihad’: Towards an Africa Worldview on Jihadism

Constructions of the Jihadist threat in the West African sub-region have been dominated by knowledge preferences around the ‘Global War on Terror’ (GWoT). Analysis of political response to terroris...

Free Movement of Goods and Capital in the Economic Community of West African States: Myth or Reality?

This article seeks to examine the birth of ECOWAS and its progress in seeking for economic cooperation amongst the West African sub-region. The paper is a further pointer to the fact that besides ECOWAS, which assist in the facilitation of movement of goods, capital in the community, other schemes such as the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAMU) has equally been put in place to compliment the role of ECOWAS. The writer identifies the problem of corruption and faulty implementation of the protocols/treaty as the main perennial problems facing the community. The article identifies the fact of balkanization of the African continent by the forces of colonialism and the weak structures associated with these states necessitated the need for current leaders in West Africa to commit themselves to the objectives of economic integration and the development of the sub-region. The writer ended on a concluding note that ECOWAS as a concept has retained its attraction. But the pertinent question over the years has been how to actualize this potential. This paper has adduced many reasons for the sorry pass the region has been trapped in. It is the considered opinion of the writer of this article that so long as the treaty exists on paper, all hope is not lost.

Leveraging Pharmaceutical Preparedness for Epidemic Outbreaks in the West African Sub-Region; A Review

Background The increasing waves of political instability around the world today lead to increasing number of internally displaced persons and refugees within and across local and international borders In line with international health and global best practices short medium and strategic plans towards combating epidemic outbreak become imperative Objective The study explored and discussed factors that improve Pharmaceutical Preparedness for Epidemic Outbreaks in the West African sub region Methods A narrativeoverview of literature was conducted to articulate and synthesize necessary findings obtained from review of relevant literatures Literature search was carried out in International Pharmaceutical Abstracts Medline authoritative texts and Google Scholar using keywords individually and in strings to explore the pharmaceutical for epidemics and leveraging factors Only officially published documents relevant to the subject and articles with standard methods and procedures were considered eligible for the study All the documents used were published in English language Study lasted between October and December Results Study showed that of all pharmaceutical production in the West African sub region takes place Nigeria and her population exceed of the entire human population in the sub region It identified human resources development and utilization research and development and improved capacity utilization as the driving forces that can boost pharmaceutical preparedness to epidemic outbreak Other factors include strategic planning for sourcing and production of scarce drugs and vaccines efficient drug supply system provision of enabling business climate through government policy infrastructural development strict regulatory framework and political stability Conclusion Ensuring pharmaceutical preparedness in the sub region is invaluable considering the fact that epidemics move in a cycle and come unannounced The factors that improve epidemic prepared include improved manpower development that will promote technology transfer and capacity utilization Provision of enabling sociopolitical and economically stable and viable environment with sound policies will reposition the pharmaceutical sector in the sub region for epidemic outbreak and other eventualities

Challenges and Optimism for Sustainable Research Capacity in Sierra Leone

Abstract This article has provided a non-empirical approach in addressing the potential for sustainable research at all levels in Sierra Leone. It is an indisputable fact that remnants of the civil crisis and more lately, the Ebola crisis have contributed to the country’s under-developed research potential, more so at higher education level where the pace seemed to be slow in comparison to other countries in the West African sub-region. The country is making some strides in forging ahead with efforts being placed by individuals / institutions to improve opportunities for high level research in the country, but such a venture is faced with serious challenges. Highlights of some of the challenges include development of institutional capacity, strong strategic management capacity, and development in human capacity. Recommendations have also suggested attention focused on the building of strong institutional capacity and investment as the way forward in the sustained pathway of the country’s development.