sub-Sahara Africa Region Research Articles

Pathways to Sustainability in Sub-Sahara Africa: Are Institutional Quality Levels Subservient in Achieving Green GDP Growth?

AbstractThere is a growing need for a transition to green economic growth (GGDP) given that the current economic system is largely environmentally unsustainable. This study thus addresses GGDP enhancement in less developed countries using the case of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) countries where institutional deficiencies are typically at the root of most resource depletion and environmental degradation issues. Six institutional quality measures were used namely corruption control, government effectiveness, political stability, regulatory quality, rule of law, and voice of accountability while controlling for other factors like industrialization, energy use, and population growth in the region. The study applied a battery of second-generation panel econometric techniques in the empirical analysis after which both Bootstrap Quantile regression (BQR) technique and panel ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation approaches were applied to observe the variables' roles on GGDP advancement in SSA. From the findings, corruption control and government (policy) effectiveness favorably impact Green GDP in SSA. However, both rule of law and regulatory quality performed poorly as they were insignificant to GGDP enhancement. Furthermore, all control variables promote GGDP except for population growth. Thus, the findings buttress the need to strengthen institutions for effective governance and quality environmental regulations to enhance GGDP growth towards actualizing sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the SSA region.

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in children with HIV/AIDS attending a tertiary health Facility in Enugu, Nigeria: a Doppler echocardiographic study

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence and factors associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in children with HIV/AIDS.MethodEchocardiographic studies were carried out in 90 children/adolescents aged 18 months to 14 years.with HIV/AIDS and a healthy control group of 90 age and gender matched.Results47.8% of the HIV/AIDS patients (subjects) had LVDD. This was more pronounced in the AIDS group (100%). The E/A ratio was 1.9 ± 0.56 in the HIV group, 2.09 ± 0.04 in the AIDS group, and 1.20 ± 0.39 in the control group (p = 0.04). The mean Left ventricular isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) was 79.4 ± 20.12 in the HIV group, 110.4 ± 10.12 in the AIDS group and 89.22 ± 25.76 in the control group. (p = 0.04). Deceleration time (DT) was also lower in HIV carrier group compared to AIDS group, p = 0.02. A restrictive filling pattern was the most described; with 27 (36.5%) in the HIV group, 16 (100.0%) in the AIDS group and 2 (2.2%) in the control group. (p = 0.02). The impaired relaxation pattern, 3 (4.0%) seen in the HIV group only. Positive correlation exists between body surface area (BSA) and LVDD. Body surface area and younger age were the significant predictors (BSA: r = 0.425, p = 0.038 in HIV and r = 0.827, p = 0.042) of LVDD in the AIDS group.ConclusionThis study showed a high prevalence of LVDD in Nigerian children with HIV and AIDS. This justifies inclusion of echocardiographic studies in the policy care of children with HIV/AIDS in sub-Sahara Africa region.

Physical Inactivity as a Wicked Problem in Sub-Sahara Africa: Overview and Recommendations

Physical Activity (PA) is a public health concern and has been listed as the fourth primary risk feature for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Physical inactivity has been understood as one of the wicked problems of the 21st century. The worldwide load of illnesses connected with physical inactivity is significant. This paper, from a viewpoint, discusses what can be done to reduce the wicked problem of physical inactivity in sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations. Physical inactivity is a wicked problem because it avoids direct suppression and is difficult to resolve in a way that is modest or absolute. Physical inactivity may be comprehended as the continuum of any decline in a person’s movement that yields a reduction in energy outflow regarding basal level, which is a direct opposite of physical activity definition. Physical inactivity has been documented several years ago and was believed that regular light and moderate exercise could present confrontation with disease and counter physical deterioration. Despite PA’s defensive factors for the avoidance and management of the foremost NCDs, other important NCD risk factors, and psychological health (WHO, 2002), many people still do not participate. In sub-Saharan Africa, physical inactivity and low levels of physical activity were among the 10 top-ranked risk factors for the attributable burden of disease. One review paper recently published documents that the prevalence of physical inactivity stands at twenty-two percent, which is close to the global average of twenty-seven percent and has been projected to increase in the nearest decades. Therefore, confronting “wicked problems” of physical inactivity in the sub-Sahara Africa region requires an urgent collaborative transdisciplinary approach backed up with good policy implementation and resources.

Homogeneous land-use sequences in heterogeneous small-scale systems of Central Kenya: Land-use categorization for enhanced greenhouse gas emission estimation

The current understanding of the link between land management practices and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions is limited in the small-scale farm sector of sub-Sahara regions due to insufficient or fragmented land-use data. Land-use categories recognized in the national GHG inventories in Kenya are coarse. Therefore, they do not adequately account for the diversity in small-scale land uses. Characterization of land-use and knowledge of key drivers of land-use change is necessary to improve national GHG inventories in the SSA (Sub-Sahara Africa) region. We implemented a cross-sectional survey to characterize land-use and determine factors which influenced changes in land use within small-scale farms of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. We sampled 300 farmers using multistage sampling and collected crop sequence recall data at plot level for three years (seven seasons). We grouped crop sequences into clusters using the ‘TraMineR’ R package. We derived four clusters including banana, tea, and declining fallows (cluster 1, 19.2% of plots), cereal-legume systems (cluster 2, 55.1%), fodder (cluster 3, 11.7%) and coffee (cluster 4, 14.0%). We observed higher N application rates in perennial cropping systems, than in annual crops, including cereal-legume systems. We observed that farmers in higher potential agro-ecological zones, male-managed farms, with higher per capita land area, higher remittances and higher total house-hold incomes, were associated with a higher propensity to adjust crop enterprises, leading to more unstable land-use sequences. Contrariwise, farmers with higher education, credit access, secure land tenure, increasing slope, good soil fertility, and longer farming experiences recorded a lower propensity to adjust their land uses, resulting in more stable crop sequences. Farmer socio-demographic characteristics influenced land-use change, which is directly linked with soil GHG emissions. Our findings propose the adoption of Tier II GHG quantification approaches which disaggregate between annual and perennial crop enterprises. GHG emissions are likely to be more generalizable in stable perennial crop systems than annual systems. Thus, better disaggregation of GHG sampling in annual crop systems is needed due to high diversity in crop and soil fertility management, and the dynamic nature of C and N cycling in these systems.

Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosis: A Missed Opportunity in the Continuum of Care for Veterinarians in Selected Countries in Sub-Sahara Africa

In Africa, sustainable livestock production must address food security, as well as animal disease concerns simultaneously in addition to social aspects. Livestock disease challenges seem to be increasing with one of them being lack of good animal diagnostics services with notable emerging zoonotic diseases which if not correctly diagnosed in animals pose risks to humans. The major livestock hubs in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) include Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Nigeria and utilization of diagnostic services by veterinarians in these countries could inform further action by different stakeholders in the SSA region. A cross sectional survey with veterinarians was conducted between January 2022 and February 2022 to determine the number of veterinarians who have submitted samples for veterinary diagnosis, laboratory utilization rates and challenges faced by veterinarians using veterinary labs in sub-Sahara Africa between the period of 2018 and 2022. Methods: This was a cross sectional study, where an online questionnaire was shared with veterinarians through their online social group networks in different countries and data was captured and analyzed. Results: 74% (64/87) of veterinarians reported having submitted a sample to a lab, Government labs were the most utilized at 54%, followed by private labs at 37% and the human health labs recorded 9% utilization rate. The most faced challenge by veterinarians was failing to get samples to the lab because the labs where far (52%) with the least challenge reported being failure to understand the lab results at 3%. Conclusion: Government labs were the most utilized in this period, however notable challenges like failing to get samples to the lab still exist. Veterinary diagnosis is still an underutilized service in sub-Sahara Africa and more measures need to be worked on in terms of sample logistics, capacity building and trainings of both lab personnel and veterinarians in interpretation of results to ensure improved utilization of veterinary diagnostics services.

The effect of fostering partnerships on broadening the food base: the role of cactus pear, an underutilised crop with unlimited potential – the South African perspective

The complexity of challenges to ensure sustainable food security and reduction of the impact of food production on the environment calls for more innovation in agriculture. The need to innovate emphasises the need for partnerships and joint ventures that will enable the role-players in agricultural value chains to ensure a sustainable agricultural sector. South Africa experiences significant socioeconomic challenges, including poverty, high unemployment rates, food insecurity and economic decline. These are compounded by adverse climatic factors. The effect of declining water resources, extended droughts, increased desertification and climate change on food security and economic growth prompted the South African government to develop policies and strategies that are targeted towards coordinated, multi-disciplinary, -institutional and -sectoral responses to critical national priorities. These priorities include job creation, skills and enterprise development, poverty alleviation, and food and nutrition security. Aligned to these strategies, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) acknowledged the importance of strategic partnerships for the development of appropriate solutions. The objective was to establish a collaboration centre on broadening the food base with the purpose of ensuring the availability of a wide range of nutritious crops. The methodology was to develop new/novel crops, food products and ingredients for enterprise development, value chains, income generation and job creation. The necessity for researchers to collaborate in addressing these complex problems is of overriding importance. By bringing expertise from various disciplines and organisations together and leveraging other important networks and partners at both national and international levels, the benefits of greater returns within agricultural value chains will be realised. Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia robusta) is increasingly becoming an important food, forage, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical crop in South Africa. It is a drought-tolerant crop used for a diverse range of applications. It was originally used mainly as a source of animal feed, but recent interest in its other potential uses saw the crop establish itself as an important multi-purpose crop, which opened up opportunities for the smallholder farming sector. Cactus pear was identified as a priority crop for research and development for the collaboration centre on broadening the food base. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the collaboration involved in developing this multi-functional crop within the context of the Sub-Sahara Africa Region Framework for Cactus Pear Research and Development. The establishment of the collaboration centre provided a sound foundation on which further partnerships could be explored and developed. Valuable lessons were learnt concerning the maintenance of multi-disciplinary research teams and challenges for the development and establishment of new value chains for new crops in a country.

Differentials in prevalence and correlates of metabolic risk factors of non-communicable diseases among women in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 33 countries

BackgroundEven with the widespread recognition of non- communicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa region, yet, sufficient evidence-based surveillance systems to confirm the prevalence and correlates of these diseases is lacking. In an attempt to understand the problem of NCDs in resource-constrained settings, this study was conducted to establish the pattern of the risk factors of NCDs in sub-Sahara Africa region.MethodsThe current Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data sets from 33 countries in sub-Sahara Africa region were used in this study. The individual woman component of DHS 2008–2016 was used. The outcome variables include anemia, hypertension and body mass index (underweight, overweight and obesity). BMI was categorized into; underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), normal (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Hemoglobin level: anemic < 12.0 g/dL (< 120 g/L) for women. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the correlates of the variables.ResultsThe percentage of hypertension was highest among women in Lesotho with about 17.3% and lowest among women in Burundi (1.0%). Anemia was prevalent among sub-Saharan Africa women; where more than half of the women from several countries were anemic with Gabon (60.6%) reporting the highest prevalence. The percentage of obesity in sub-Saharan Africa showed that Lesotho (19.9%), Gabon (18.9%) and Ghana (15.6%) were the prominent countries with obese women, while Madagascar (1.1%) had the minimum obese women. Body mass index was significantly associated with hypertension and anemia. The behavioural or modifiable factors of hypertension and body mass index were; smoking, fruits, vegetables and alcohol consumption. While the non-modifiable significant factors include; age, residence, religion, education, wealth index, marital status, employment and number of children ever born. However, anemia shared similar factors except that smoking and vegetable consumption were not statistically significant. In addition, involvement in exercise was associated with anemia and hypertension.ConclusionThe problem of NCDs and associated factors remains high among women of reproductive age in sub-Sahara region. The findings of this study suggest that promotion of regular positive health care-seeking behaviour, screening and early treatment are essential to mitigate the burden of NCDs. Furthermore, preventive interventions of NCDs risk factors should be strengthened among key population through behavior change communication with support from government and stakeholders in health care.

High seroprevalence of hepatitis E among pigs suggests an animal reservoir in Cameroon.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the most prevalent cause of acute hepatitis in humans worldwide. The risk of HEV transmission is not limited only to spread from human to human but the infection can also spread from animals to humans, especially from the domestic pigs. Despite mounting evidence regarding the zoonotic potential of porcine HEV infection, there are limited data on its prevalence in pigs in the sub-Sahara Africa region. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HEV antibodies among pigs in two Cameroonian regions. A total of 162 sera were collected from slaughtered-age pigs from January to March 2012. To determine whether pigs might represent a HEV reservoir in the Northern and Western region in Cameroon, anti-HEV IgG and IgM were tested by ELISA using commercials available kits. Overall, 70 of the 162 samples (43.2%, 95% CI: 35.5% - 51.2%) were positive for at least one of the serological markers of HEV infection (IgM and / or IgG).We observed a significant seroprevalence of HEV antibodies between the northern and western regions (60% (42/70) and 40% (28/70), p = 0.01796) respectively. Overall, this study reports a high seroprevalence of Hepatitis E virus antibodies in slaughter pigs in Cameroon. Our findings suggest that pigs might be a cause of zoonotic HEV transmission in Cameroon. Therefore, further studies are warranted to establish the dynamics of zoonotic HEV and characterize the different genotypes circulating in humans and pigs.

An Assessment Of Sino-Africa Trade Co-Operation And Its Impact In Africa (A Case Of Sub-Sahara African Economies)

Over three decades ago, China has become a major economic partner of Sub-Sahara Africa region with an expansion of the Sino-African Trade volumes evident by the presence of various Chinese projects in SSA, especially the one implemented by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade supported by quite a lot of State-owned Banks with a strategic focused on bilateral relationships with the African governments. However, the trade relation between China and Africa has remarkably displayed an amount of diversity across the Countries within the SSA region over time, and for different kinds of trade. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the determinant of the Sino-Sub Sahara AfricaTrade relation and evaluate the impact of Chinese trading activities in Sub-Sahara African economies. The research paper selected twenty-four (24) Sub-Sahara African Countries including six (6) from each region respectively and adopt three (3) empirical models for data analyses. Firstly, a simple Augmented-Growth Model was adopted for Analysis employing a time series dimension in the data for the period 1995 to 2013 (18 years) using a panel data approach to predict Trade with China determined by three (3) factors: Access to local markets, securing natural resources, and political considerations reflecting the three strategic challenges facing China highlighted by Brautigam (2009): The thirst to discover new export markets to enhance the expansion of domestic production; The need to find more resources abroad in meeting the demand of rapid economic growth and the necessity for allies among developing countries to compensate the prevalence of developed countries such as; the IMF and the UN. Secondly, the study also used an empirical model for explaining Chinese FDI export to Africa adopting a panel data and a time series data to investigate the effect of its imports from Africa and for explaining China‘s imports from Africa during the period under review.

The Socio-economic Impact of Stroke on Households in Livingstone District, Zambia: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background:Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Stroke, which affects mostly the productive age group, leaves about 65% of its victims disabled, leads to increased loss of manpower both at individual and national levels. Little is known about the socio-economic burden of the disease in terms of its impacts on the individual, family and community both directly and indirectly in Sub-Sahara Africa region and Zambia at large.Aim:The study was aimed at assessing the socio-economic impact of stroke households in Livingstone district, Zambia.Subjects and Methods:A total of 50 households were randomly selected from the registers of Livingstone General Hospital. Self-administered questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 (IBM Corporation) and content analysis. Chi-square test was used to make associations between variables.Results:The social impacts on the victim were depression, difficult to get along with, resentfulness, apathy, needy, separation, divorce, general marital problems, neglect on the part of the victim and fear. The economic impacts were loss of employment, reduced business activity and loss of business on the part of the victim. Economic activities such as food provision, payment of school fees, accommodation were affected as a result of stroke and this led to financial insecurities in households with lost incomes in form of salaries and businesses. The activities forgone by stroke households were food provision, housing and education. The study also revealed an association between period of stroke and relationship changes (P < 0.001). Gender and family relationship changes were highly associated (P < 0.00), as more females than males experienced relationship changes.Conclusion:The results of the present study show that stroke has considerable socio-economic impact on households in Livingstone district, which can deter the victims’ development as well as the household and the nation at large.

Construction craft skills requirements in sub‐Saharan Africa: a focus on Zambia

PurposeAs the development agenda for sub‐Sahara Africa (SSA) gains momentum, it has become necessary to refocus attention on effective and sustainable human resource development strategies for the construction sector in the region that include craft skills. Aims to provide insight into the availability and quality of construction craft skills in Zambia, and the SSA region in general.Design/methodology/approachUsing Zambia as a country case study, results of a survey that was designed to assess the construction industry's perceptions of the quality and availability of construction craft skills in Zambia are presented. The surveyed contractors' support for the introduction of a sector‐specific training levy in Zambia was also investigated and is reported.FindingsFindings point to both poor quality and shortage of construction craft skills in Zambia. Results suggest that construction sector‐specific training levy would be the most viable, sustainable and industry‐wide supported option for supplementing government funding in the training of construction craft skills in Zambia, and probably in the SSA region.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was exploratory in nature and depth, and SSA is a vast and diverse region. The results of the case study may not correctly reflect construction skills exigencies across the whole SSA region.Originality/valueThe results provide information and advice for both policy makers and contractors concerned with construction crafts skills issues in Zambia, and SSA in general.