North African Region Research Articles

Has the heterogeneity of culture, investor sentiment and uncertainty altered bank stock returns in the MENA region?

PurposeThis paper has analysed the impact of cultural dimensions, investor sentiment and uncertainty on bank stock returns. Also, the study examined the influences of the interaction between cultural dimensions and individual (private) sentiment (investor sentiment).Design/methodology/approachTo meet the study's objectives, a two-step generalised method of moments estimator was applied to the study sample, which included 105 banks in the nine Middle East and North African region countries between 2010 and 2020.FindingsThe cultural dimensions of individualism and masculinity were found to have a positive and significant effect on banks' buy and hold stock return (BUH). At the same time, power distance and uncertainty avoidance were discovered to have negative effects. Besides, the findings revealed that the interactions of power distance, individual sentiment and uncertainty avoidance had positive and significant relationships with banks' BUH. However, individualism, individual sentiment and masculinity had inverse relationships with banks' BUH. Furthermore, the findings revealed that investor sentiment positively influenced banks' BUH. Finally, uncertainty influenced banks' BUH stock returns positively.Research limitations/implicationsImportant implications for participants in the financial sector and governments may be learnt from this study's conclusions. Due to cultural biases, this study's findings suggested that investors overreact in the stock market.Originality/valueAdditionally, this research comprises one of the few studies that have overviewed the link between classical and behavioural finance in MENA countries with distinctive cultural characteristics.

Assessing Barriers and Facilitators for Implementing Clinical Practice Guidelines in Middle Eastern and North African Region: Delphi Study.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) improve clinical decision making and patient outcomes, but CPG implementation is poor. The success of CPGs is influenced by several factors related to barriers and facilitators. For this reason, it can be extremely useful to explore key barriers and facilitators of CPG implementation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A three-round Delphi study was performed using the input of 30 experts involved in the clinical practice guidelines. In the first two rounds, participants were asked to score each statement relevant to barriers or facilitators for CPG implementation on a five-point Likert scale. These statements were identified from existing systematic reviews and expert input. In round three, participants ranked the most important barriers and facilitators identified from rounds one and two. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the barrier and facilitators statements using frequencies, percentages, and medians to summarize the variables collected. We identified 10 unique barriers and 13 unique facilitators to CPG implementation within the MENA region. The two highest-ranked barriers related to communications and available research and skills. The most important facilitator was the availability of training courses for healthcare professionals. Key barriers and facilitators to the implementation of clinical practice guidelines seem to exist in professional, organizational, and external contexts, which should all be taken into account in order to increase implementation success within MENA region. The results of this study are useful in the design of future implementation strategies aimed at overcoming the barriers and leveraging the facilitators.

The status and preparation for the next decade of biosimilars in the Middle Eastern and North African region

ABSTRACT Introduction Little is known about the status and the future potential of biosimilars in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Areas covered This perspective provides insights into the current regulatory landscape of some MENA countries, currently available biosimilars, the potential of biosimilars in the next decade, and challenges to overcome. Expert opinion Given the economic and demographic heterogeneity across the MENA countries, biosimilars could reduce significant economic unmet needs in these countries. In the next decade, biosimilars may witness higher approval rates and market share over their originators in the MENA countries. We argue that the regulatory bodies in the MENA countries should adopt the new policies of the FDA, the EMA, and the WHO, that aim to ease the biosimilar approval process. These policies are to adopt technology in the process of approval; engage health technology assessment bodies in price assessment; provide educational materials to increase awareness among providers, patients, and payers. Further, MENA countries should upgrade the external-reference pricing systems to more sophisticated ones that consider the heterogeneity in economics and needs.

New insights into Coniacian-Santonian palynology in the Neo-Tethys (Egypt), with special emphasis on the ecological and depositional significance of the freshwater alga Pediastrum

Integrated palynological and palynofacies investigation based on hundreds of samples recovered from surface and subsurface successions in Sinai and the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, offer reliable data on the depositional framework of the Coniacian-Santonian Matulla Formation. The results reveal that the palynofacies contents of the three members of the Matulla Formation differ in that the lower Matulla-3 Member is Pediastrum-dominated, Matulla-2 Member is phytoclast-dominated, and the upper Mautalla-1 Member is AOM-dominated. However, some gradational mixing is observed. The assumed subdivision is very important as the Matulla Formation is a significant hydrocarbon reservoir in the Gulf of Suez, especially since this subdivision is strongly correlated with previous informal lithostratigraphic units.Furthermore, the peak occurrence of Pediastrum and its allied colonial algae that dominate the palynological assemblage, especially in the lower member of the Matulla Formation (Matulla-3), which is marginal marine, clearly implies freshwater incursions. Hence, these fossil algae are useful tracers of river runoffs as well as suspended load, enabling reconstruction of paleo-river discharge and sediment source area determination, especially if they have a promising reservoir potential, as in this case. This noteworthy record may specify an important ecozone at this time, not only in Egypt but also regionally, based on similar records from neighboring North African regions. Ultimately, the presence of Pediastrum demonstrates a sea level fall and its good preservation argues for a deposition in lowstand system tracts, which greatly conforms to sequence stratigraphic data.

Opinions and attitudes of research ethics committees in Arab countries in the Middle East and North African region toward ethical issues involving biobank research

Members of research ethics committees (RECs) face a number of ethical challenges when reviewing genomic research. These include issues regarding the content and type of consent, the return of individual research results, mechanisms of sharing specimens and health data, and appropriate community engagement efforts. This article presents the findings from a survey that sought to investigate the opinions and attitudes of REC members from four Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, and Jordan) toward these ethical issues. Our findings suggest that efforts are required to better familiarize REC members with the requirements for ethical biobank research. Additionally, we recommend that further research is undertaken with REC members regarding the main items that should be present in the Material Transfer Agreements /Data Transfer Agreements in their corresponding countries and the type of consent that should be used in genomic research.

Hydrogeochemical evolution and mineralization origin in a semi-arid shallow aquifer: a case study of the Barika area in northeast Algeria

Most Middle Eastern and North African regions are characterized by an arid and semi-arid climate. As such, the drinking water supply and management have become a challenging task for local and regional authorities. The Mio-Plio Quaternary aquifer of the Barika area is the only drinking and irrigation water reservoir in the region. The objective of this paper is to identify the origin and evolution process of the groundwater mineralization of this aquifer using major elements as indicators. To achieve this objective water samples were collected, from several boreholes drilled in the aquifer, in June 2018 and March 2019, and subsequently analyzed. The results obtained in terms of Gibbs plot, Piper, chemical correlation, and statistical analysis of chemical data identified the origins of groundwater mineralization. The dissolution of evaporated minerals, precipitation of carbonates, evapotranspiration, and ion exchange reactions have been identified as the primary processes of mineralization. The results of the physicochemical analysis showed that these waters consisted mainly of chloride, calcium sulfate, and magnesium facies types with a slight change of facies in some boreholes during the two sampling periods. This is due to the interactions with the-aquifer geology and to the water scarcity caused by climate change.

Revitalizing Women's Labor Force Participation in North Africa: An Exploration of Novel Empowerment Pathways

ABSTRACT This paper explores new pathways to women's empowerment, including household structure, family support, satisfaction and self-esteem, and trust in institutions and politicians, and their impact on labor market participation, with a specific focus on gender differences. Using a microeconomic database of 7,860 individuals from North Africa and employing a Probit model, we find that gender significantly influences labor market participation. Surprisingly, our results reveal that education operates in an unexpected direction in the North African region, confirming the “MENA paradox”. Moreover, household structure's impact on labor decisions varies by gender, as gender norms prevalent in male-dominated societies hinder women's labor market participation, leading to a “marriage penalty.” In a similar vein, our estimations reveal a significant positive correlation between men's belief that “men should have greater job rights than women during scarce work periods” and their labor force participation, shedding light on the influential role of gender norms in North Africa. Our study emphasizes the critical role of networking, social capital, and how North Africans' perception of political life impedes their labor force participation. As for policy implications, our contribution illuminates new pathways for women's empowerment, advocating for comprehensive legislative reforms to promote gender equality and foster inclusive development.

Cost-effective design of energy efficiency measures in the building sector in North Africa using Building Information Modeling

Using sequential search optimisation technique in conjunction with Building Information Modeling, this research considers standards and easily implemented design and operational energy efficiency measures to improve the energy performance of prototype buildings in various climatic zones throughout the North African region. This work’s novelty lies in developing advanced, comprehensive models to propose a new code for the building sector that considers different climatic zones and types of buildings already in use. In the analysis, design features of air-conditioned buildings are considered, including window glazing, wall construction, roof construction, degree of building orientation, window shades, air infiltration level, HVAC equipment efficiency, and lighting efficiency. Optimising designs compared to present building construction practices in the region may lower energy consumption by 31–56 per cent. The analysis’s findings show that there is much room to enhance the energy performance of buildings in the North African region by implementing proven energy efficiency methods and relevant energy policies. The requirement for insulation of building envelope components, on the other hand, varies according to climatic zone and building type.

Virological Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in a Tunisian Orthopedic Institute

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiological profile of the virological diagnosis of COVID 19 at Mohamed Kassab Institute of Orthopedics. Methods: The virological diagnosis was performed by RT-PCR from november 2020 to september 2021 on 33505 nasopharyngeal swabs which different reagent kits were used: Allplex® 2019 nCoV Assay, WANTAI® SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, WONDFO® 2019- nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Assay, GENESIG® Real time PCR coronavirus (COVID-19), GENESIG® COVID-19 2G . The duration from onset to laboratory test in COVID-19 suspected cases and contact individuals ranged from 0 to 14 days with a median of 3 days. The present study provides some genetic information on the lineages of SARS-CoV-2 that circulated in Tunisia over 6 months from april to september 2021. Lineages were assigned for 13 samples using whole-genome sequencing, partial S gene sequencing. Results: A total of 33505 PCR tests were performed from five governorates including Manouba which represented 88.2% (29560). The positive samples were 35% (11695) and 57% (19223) were negative. The sex ratio of confirmed cases was 0.9 (5540/6155). The age group 20-65 years was the most represented with 65.9%. For sequencing her we describe the third wave was marked by the predominance of the Alpha VOC, and the fourth wave was characterized by the predominance of the Delta VOC. This study adds new genomic data to the global context of COVID-19, particularly from the North African region, and highlights the importance of the timely molecular characterization of circulating strains. Conclusion: This study adds new genomic data to the global context of COVID-19, particularly from the North African region, and highlights the importance of the timely molecular characterization of circulating strains.

Temperature-Humidity Index Values and Their Significance on the Daily Production of Dairy Cattle in the North African Arid Region

Climate changes affect the economic viability of livestock. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the heat stress in Holstein cattle raised in the arid region of Tunisia as well as to evaluate the effect of the temperature-humidity index (THI) on daily milk production and components. For this reason, 76940 monthly individual records collected from 1995 to 2018 from 3056 Holstein cows were used. THI calculated from ambient temperature and relative humidity was used as a measure of heat stress. To study the effect of THI on milk production, a repeated measures linear mixed model was used. Results showed a significant (P<0.01) decrease in daily milk yield, daily protein, and fat content in all cow’s parity classes. For each point increase of the THI values beyond 64, milk yield, fat, and protein contains decreased by 0.32 kg, 0.09, and 0.06 %, respectively. Moreover, when the THI value varied from 64 to 85, fat content decreased by 29 %, protein by 17 %, and milk production by 30 %. Heat stress impact negatively milk production and milk components of dairy cows. These results can be a way to improve the length of productive life for Holstein dairy cattle in the hard climate. Serious management strategies are needed to improve dairy cow productivity and minimize the heat stress impact.

Biochemical and genotyping analyses of camels (Camelus dromedaries) trypanosomiasis in North Africa

Camels are considered an important food source in North Africa. Trypanosomiasis in camels is a life-threatening disease that causes severe economic losses in milk and meat production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the trypanosome genotypes in the North African region. Trypanosome infection rates were determined by microscopic examination of blood smears and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxides (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined in erythrocyte lysate. Furthermore, 18S amplicon sequencing was used to barcode and characterizes the genetic diversity of trypanosome genotypes in camel blood. In addition to Trypanosoma, Babesia and Thelieria were also detected in the blood samples. PCR showed that the trypanosome infection rate was higher in Algerian samples (25.7%) than in Egyptian samples (7.2%). Parameters such as MDA, GSH, SOD and CAT had significantly increased in camels infected with trypanosomes compared to uninfected control animals, while TAC level was not significantly changed. The results of relative amplicon abundance showed that the range of trypanosome infection was higher in Egypt than in Algeria. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis showed that the Trypanosoma sequences of Egyptian and Algerian camels are related to Trypanosoma evansi. Unexpectedly, diversity within T. evansi was higher in Egyptian camels than in Algerian camels. We present here the first molecular report providing a picture of trypanosomiasis in camels, covering wide geographical areas in Egypt and Algeria.

튀니지와 이집트의 국제노동이주 비교연구

The North African region has served as a destination, transit point, and departure point for migration for a long time. And the overseas migration of nationals and foreigners continues steadily from this region. Within the region, Tunisia and Egypt are the places where mass protests broke out due to the economic crisis and political issues in early 2011. However, there has been no significant change in emigration flow since then. Accordingly, this study presents the migration flows in Tunisia and Egypt. Then it conducts a comparative analysis to examine the characteristics of the migration flows of the two countries. The two countries show differences in various aspects, such as destination countries, patterns of migration, features of migrant populations, and current national migration policies. However, at the same time, there are similarities in implementing government policies to encourage the overseas migration of its people and the variety of migration destinations, especially of highly skilled and highly educated workers heading to North America among the younger generation. In addition to the economic causes considered in this study, it can be inferred that migration patterns may appear differently depending on colonial, cultural, and social characteristics in that migration patterns are different between Tunisia, which belongs to the Maghreb region, and Egypt, which does not belong to the Maghreb region.

Environmental benefits of energy poverty alleviation, renewable resources, and urbanization in North Africa

Addressing energy poverty via expanding renewable energy sources and advancing sustainable development strategy is a crucial goal for developing nations. Therefore, the study aims to investigate relationships between carbon dioxide emission, renewable and nonrenewable energy resources, economic growth, urbanization, and energy poverty in the North African region, namely: Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco, Libya, and Egypt from 1993 to 2021, by employing Panel PMG ARDL and Granger causality approaches. According to empirical results, addressing energy poverty (access to electricity), economic growth, and using renewable and nonrenewable energy sources worsen the environment. Two-way causal relationships are founded between environmental deterioration and other variables: economic growth, energy resources, and urbanization. Based on the findings, policymakers should step up their efforts to promote green urbanization and alleviate energy poverty through renewable energy sources.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of childhood undernutrition in North Africa.

Undernutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) among children remains a public health concern in North Africa, especially following recent conflicts in the region. Therefore, this paper systematically reviews and meta-analyses the prevalence of undernutrition among children under five in North Africa to determine whether efforts to reduce undernutrition are on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Eligible studies published between 1st January 2006 and 10th April 2022 were searched for, using five electronic bibliographic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase (Ovid), ProQuest and CINAHL). The JBI critical appraisal tool was used, and a meta-analysis was conducted using the 'metaprop' command in STATA, to estimate the prevalence of each undernutrition indicator in the seven North African countries (Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Western Sahara). Due to the significant heterogeneity among studies (I2 >50%), a random effect model and sensitivity analysis were conducted to examine the effect of outliers. Out of 1592 initially identified, 27 met the selection criteria. The prevalence of stunting, wasting and being underweight were 23.5%, 7.9% and 12.9%, respectively. Significant variations between the countries with the highest rates of stunting and wasting were reported in Sudan (36%, 14.1%), Egypt (23.7%, 7.5%), Libya (23.1%, 5.9%), and Morocco (19.9%, 5.1%). Sudan also had the highest prevalence of underweight (24.6%), followed by Egypt (7%), Morocco (6.1%), and Libya (4.3%) with more than one in ten children in Algeria and Tunisia having stunted growth. In conclusion, undernutrition is widespread in the North African region, particularly in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and Morocco, making it challenging to meet the SDGs by 2030. Nutrition monitoring and evaluation in these countries is highly recommended.

Estimating the Determinants and Extent of Morocco’s Education and Skill Mismatch Through the STEP Survey

This study aimed to comprehend the patterns and scope of the education mismatch in the Moroccan labor market by collecting and analyzing an extensive database of the types of skills that fuel economic expansion and growth. A self-assessment approach was used to determine the extent of mismatch in Morocco by adopting the World Bank’s Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) survey, which applies mainly to low- and middle-income countries. The study sample consisted of 416 respondents who matched the stipulated criteria. Various statistical tests like the descriptive test, chi-square, and Spearman’s r coefficient were employed to determine the correlation between the three modules of the STEP program and demographic aspects of the respondents. Under the self-assessment approach, the results showed a preponderance of mismatched employees at 55.1%, while 44.9% were matched. The mismatch was found to be vertical. The findings imply that cognitive skills are statistically significant with the required job-specific skills. This is one of the few studies that address the skill mismatch in the North African region and the first to examine the Moroccan case.

A systematic review on the cultural factors associated with stigma during pandemics

Both public stigma and perceived self-stigma are prevalent during pandemics threatening a divide among the global community. This systematic review examined the cultural factors associated with viral respiratory-related pandemic stigma. Following PRISMA guidelines, the keywords, “culture, stigma, and pandemic” were searched across relevant databases for empirical papers between January 2000 to March 2022. Quality assessment and coding were adopted in the screening process. Thirty-one articles were included in the final analysis. Themes revealed that collectivistic values, cultural identities, and non-western regions were associated with public (others) stigma; mismatch of cultural values, minority groups, and North America, Asia, Oceania, and African regions were associated with higher perceived and self-stigma. We further mapped the themes into a proposed systemic cultural stigma model to integrate the dynamic intersection of cultural values, identity, and ecology. The cultural factors and their influence on stigma were then explained by drawing on two evolutionary theories: Cultural rationality theory and scapegoating theory. Lastly, we proposed culturally sensitive and responsive practices for stigma management at the community level, especially in non-Western regions during the pandemic recovery phase.

Heroin-Related Fatalities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 2008 and 2018

To date, epidemiological studies have not evaluated heroin-related deaths in the Middle East and North African regions, especially Saudi Arabia. All heroin-related postmortem cases reported at the Jeddah Poison Control Center (JPCC) over a 10-year period (21 January 2008 to 31 July 2018) were reviewed. In addition, liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) was utilized to determine the 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), 6-acetylcodeine (6-AC), morphine (MOR), and codeine contents in unhydrolyzed postmortem specimens. Ninety-seven heroin-related deaths were assessed in this study, and they represented 2% of the total postmortem cases at the JPCC (median age, 38; 98% male). In the blood, urine, vitreous humor, and bile samples, the median morphine concentrations were 280 ng/mL, 1400 ng/mL, 90 ng/mL, and 2200 ng/mL, respectively; 6-MAM was detected in 60%, 100%, 99%, and 59% of the samples, respectively; and 6-AC was detected in 24%, 68%, 50%, and 30% of the samples, respectively. The highest number of deaths (33% of total cases) was observed in the 21-30 age group. In addition, 61% of cases were classified as "rapid deaths," while 24% were classified as "delayed deaths." The majority (76%) of deaths were accidental; 7% were from suicide; 5% were from homicide; and 11% were undetermined. This is the first epidemiological study to investigate heroin-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North African region. The rate of heroin-related deaths in Jeddah remained stable but increased slightly at the end of the study period. Most patients were heroin-dependent abusers and from the middle-aged group. The availability of urine, vitreous humor, and bile specimens provided valuable information regarding the opioids that were administered and the survival time following heroin injection.

Islamic Financial Stability Factors: An Econometric Evidence

This study empirically examines the internal and external factors of Islamic banks’ financial stability during the time frame from 2006 to 2017 in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region. The stability of Islamic banks was determined by the Z-score, which is one of the most well-known financial stability indicators. Using multiple regression analysis, it is shown that capital adequacy ratio and liquidity positively impact the Z-score of Islamic banks, whilst size, governance and level of concentration have a negative impact. This study recommends raising the capital and the liquidity level of Islamic banks as it helps to promote the financial stability of Islamic banks.

The effectiveness of exchange rate regimes in controlling inflation: an econometric study using dynamic threshold panel models (Arabic)

This paper aims primarily at the economic measurement of the effect of exchange rate regimes on domestic inflation, in addition to other explanatory variables such as money supply and the inflation lags, imported inflation, wherein this latter is supposed to have a non-linear effect that varies according to the trade openness, the growth rate of the gross domestic product, and the oil price. We selected for the analysis the period from 1999 to 2019; By applying the Dynamic Panel Threshold models to a sample of 19 countries in the Middle East and North African region in addition to Turkey, Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The obtained results revealed that the exchange rate regimes have an important role in determining the levels of inflation, and the nature of relationship in the study sample doesn’t differ from what is in the developing countries, but it differs from the emerging and developed countries according to previous studies, where the fixed regimes achieved the best performance in term of inflation, followed by the intermediate and then the floating. Moreover, the imported inflation has a positive effect on the domestic, the trade openness and GDP incite the increase of this effect, the oil price is also important in noting the non-linearity of this relationship.

Molecular phylogenetic tools reveal the phytogeographic history of the genus Capparis L. and suggest its reclassification

Capparis is the largest genus of the family Capparaceae, represented by 142 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World. Despite being one of the medicinally and economically important genera with its unique distribution pattern, the evolutionary history of Capparis remained unexplored. Moreover, the phylogenetic relationships, origin, dispersal, and character evolution of the genus were poorly understood. With the objectives to (i) test the congruence between the molecular and morphological datasets, (ii) validate Jacobs' hypothesis on the origin, dispersal, and speciation pattern of Capparis using new fossil data, and (iii) understand the possible evolutionary role of some key morphological characters, we sampled across the five speciation centres of Capparis. The results derived from three plastidial markers (matK, trnL-F and rbcL) revealed incongruence with the morphology based delimitations and suggested a new sectional classification in Capparis. Divergence dating analysis revealed that Capparaceae originated in Africa at 47.25 MYA and Capparis in Peninsular India at about 29.32 MYA. Capparis followed multiple forward and backward dispersal, supporting the “into and out of India” hypothesis. These dispersal events were consistent with the various land bridges in different parts of the Old World during the Eocene to Miocene. The only long-distance dispersal event was observed in the case of the New World Capparaceae, corroborating the earlier findings. Our results suggest West Asia to the North African region as another centre of speciation for Capparis and present a robust age estimate for the genus. The character state reconstruction of Capparis revealed a unique evolutionary adaptation due to exposure to various climatic conditions and the acquisition of suitable pollination strategies. We hypothesize that the gynophore length, sepal shape, and blotches on petals contribute substantially to the pollination success.