Users In Africa Research Articles

Effectiveness of Virtual Laboratory Teacher Training Workshops: A Kirkpatrick Model Analysis

Performing laboratory experiments is an integral and unavoidable part of STEM education. The teaching efficacy of laboratory experiments can be optimized by integrating ICT-based tools into the curriculum. As teachers are the key facilitators in practical lessons, it is imperative that they adopt the latest teaching technologies, such as virtual laboratories (VLs). To achieve optimal student learning outcomes, teachers ideally undergo adequate training programs that equip them with relevant knowledge and skills to utilize VLs. As myriad training workshops and self-learning tools are available to teachers, the efficacy of training programs needs to be precisely evaluated to determine their quality and design better programs for posterity. Kirkpatrick’s four-level model is suited to evaluate teaching training, as it takes into consideration holistic aspects of learning: learners’ reactions, learning outcomes, behavior, and results. In this study, we conducted and evaluated a VL teacher training program in Africa, applying Kirkpatrick’s model analysis. Our results indicate a significant improvement in participants’ perception and attitude toward VL after attending the training. Also, the training proved to be effective in improving the learning outcomes of the participants. We found a huge hike in the number of VL users in Africa after conducting the training program, indicating the overall success of the program. It met the needs of the teachers and equipped them with the necessary skills and knowledge to utilize VLs in their teaching practices. This study may assist future trainers to design successful teacher training programs in laboratory education.

A Model to Prevent Substance Use/Abuse by Student Nurses at Limpopo College of Nursing, South Africa.

Substance use/abuse is a global challenge that has detrimental effects on nations' health, wealth, and security. Substance users in Africa make up roughly 17% to 21% of global illicit drug users in Africa and cannabis abuse (63%) (UNODC, 2010). We aimed to develop, describe, and evaluate a model that could be used as a framework of reference to prevent substance use/abuse by student nurses at Limpopo College of Nursing, South Africa. A mixed-method study approach was used following a qualitative exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design to explore factors contributing to substance use/abuse by student nurses and quantitatively examine the impact of substance use/abuse on students' academic achievements in Limpopo Province. The results of the first empirical phase reveal two themes and seven subthemes from the semi-structured interviews with lecturers, students, and support staff. The literature supported the results. In phase 2, we analyzed the concept of the "prevention" of substance use/abuse by student nurses following the process of a concept analysis by Walker and Avant (2016). The results were conceptualized within the six elements of practice theory: context, agent, recipient, dynamic, process and procedure, and outcome. The relational statements provided the basis for the model description. A reliable method was used to describe and evaluate the model.

A Brief Introduction to Exploratory Data Analysis

EDA is a process of tidying, processing and analyzing acquired data sets. Data science is an interdisciplinary field that combines scientific methods, systems, and processes from statistics, information science, and computer science to provide insight into phenomena through structured or unstructured data. This article will describe this process in detail in terms of purpose and method, including upload, tidy and visualization. In addition, the dataset of world Internet users was processed to conclude that the number of Internet users in Africa, the Americas and Europe accounted for more than 50% of the total population of each continent, Asia and Oceania for more than 30%, and finally the Middle East for 10 percent. In the example above, the basic profile of Internet users on each continent and the differences between each other can be seen very clearly and intuitively. This process of using data visualization to make it usable can be seen in all walks of life.

A framework for advancing sustainable magnetic resonance imaging access in Africa.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology has profoundly transformed current healthcare systems globally, owing to advances in hardware and software research innovations. Despite these advances, MRI remains largely inaccessible to clinicians, patients, and researchers in low-resource areas, such as Africa. The rapidly growing burden of noncommunicable diseases in Africa underscores the importance of improving access to MRI equipment as well as training and research opportunities on the continent. The Consortium for Advancement of MRI Education and Research in Africa (CAMERA) is a network of African biomedical imaging experts and global partners, implementing novel strategies to advance MRI access and research in Africa. Upon its inception in 2019, CAMERA sets out to identify challenges to MRI usage and provide a framework for addressing MRI needs in the region. To this end, CAMERA conducted a needs assessment survey (NAS) and a series of symposia at international MRI society meetings over a 2-year period. The 68-question NAS was distributed to MRI users in Africa and was completed by 157 clinicians and scientists from across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). On average, the number of MRI scanners per million people remained at less than one, of which 39% were obsolete low-field systems but still in use to meet daily clinical needs. The feasibility of coupling stable energy supplies from various sources has contributed to the growing number of higher-field (1.5 T) MRI scanners in the region. However, these systems are underutilized, with only 8% of facilities reporting clinical scans of 15 or more patients per day, per scanner. The most frequently reported MRI scans were neurological and musculoskeletal. The CAMERA NAS combined with the World Health Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency data provides the most up-to-date data on MRI density in Africa and offers a unique insight into Africa's MRI needs. Reported gaps in training, maintenance, and research capacity indicate ongoing challenges in providing sustainable high-value MRI access in SSA. Findings from the NAS and focused discussions at international MRI society meetings provided the basis for the framework presented here for advancing MRI capacity in SSA. While these findings pertain to SSA, the framework provides a model for advancing imaging needs in other low-resource settings.

Cashless Travelers from China, Is Tanzanian Tourism Industry Ready? A Review on Tourism Transactions in Connection with Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Tourism World

Cashless transactions also known as mobile payments have been a huge form of money exchange that replaced the use of cash and credit cards especially on COVID-19 pandemic period in different parts of the world. It broke world record for China making it the first cashless most user nation. Exchanges are done via devices like phones, tablets and the like. In order to cope with tourism transactions dynamics that truly affects the industry such abrupt changes forces tourist destinations like Tanzania to adapt. Using a qualitative approach the study examines on literatures pertaining to increased use of cashless transactions especially after COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that though Tanzania is one of the fast cashless transactions users in Africa it is not well prepared to host cashless travelers from China. It has not yet incorporated the giant Chinese cashless transactions platforms and still uses cash and cards in most of tourism financial transactions. With the huge shift of form of Chinese transaction behavior which has created a cashless society in China, the study advice African destinations on the importance of incorporating Chinese cashless platforms to be competent in attracting more tourists from that giant source market.

‘I cannot stop taking weed cos it makes me survive’: cannabis use, criminal sanctions and users’ experiences in Nigeria

Studies on cannabis criminalization that interrogate the experiences of users are mostly of western origin. Relatively little is known about the experiences of cannabis users in Africa. This study explored cannabis use and criminal sanctions based on the experiences of users. It draws on qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with street-involved youth (n = 97) recruited through time-location sampling from 11 purposively selected cannabis hot-points in Uyo, Nigeria. Data were transcribed, coded and analysed thematically. Cannabis was used by these young people for recreational and functional purposes, including stress relief, work performance and coping with life’s difficulties. Criminal sanctions for cannabis use, which included arrest and (pre-trial) detention following crackdowns on hot-points by police officers, did not produce desistance, but encouraged corrupt and unlawful policing practices (e.g. extortion) that exacerbated social and health harms for marginalized youth. Law enforcement officers’ complicity in the supply and use of cannabis within detention facilities further undermined desistance. The failure of criminal sanctions to reduce cannabis use highlights a need to explore alternative measures, including decriminalization of minor cannabis offences (e.g. retail, consumption) and provision of treatment services for dependent users as an alternative to custodial sentencing.

WhatsApp, COVID-19 Related Misinformation in Africa and the Need for Continuous Infoveillance

WhatsApp is a social media application preferred for its ease-of-use in sharing real-time information during COVID-19 and public health emergencies in Africa. Yet, like a double-edged sword, the absence of fact-checking avenues within the app allow for the spread of health misinformation, hindering prevention and control efforts. In this commentary, we help readers understand the patterns of use and factors that influence the sharing of COVID-19-related misinformation among WhatsApp users in Africa, based on already available literature, and to make recommendations on how to reduce the public health implications through a multi-stakeholder approach.

Preliminary Insights Into the Applications of IT in Diverse Disciplines in Africa

This paper seeks to contribute to research work done on applications of information technologies (IT) for solving problems in Africa. This was achieved via a systematic literature review on extant literature on IT use in Africa. Relevant articles with how IT are applied to the work activities of users in Africa are retrieved from various databases and analyzed to reveal the role IT plays in the African user's information journey. The results show that healthcare, agriculture, education, and banking and finance sectors have received considerable attention from researchers. Regarding methodologies adopted, most of the papers used a quantitative approach as compared to qualitative. Considering the limited literature reviews on scholarly technology adoption studies more especially in Africa where people are still yet to appreciate the use and impact of technology in their life, this paper makes significant contributions to the few scholarly studies that have been done in this regard.

Desirable or debatable? Putting Africa's decentralised solar energy futures in context

After decades of terrible ecological impacts, inefficiencies, corruption, and spatial injustices associated with dependencies on both centralised power generation and distribution in Africa, decentralised solar photovoltaic (PV) electrification is presented in the literature as an ‘irresistible’ alternative or complement necessary for a just, development-oriented and low-carbon energy transition. Affordable decentralised solar energy systems, however, currently have restrictive usage whereas systems with a larger capacity are accessible to a few richer social groups. The massive promotion of decentralised solar electrification does not even guarantee energy justice for all. This is due to contested notions of entitlements to and use of grid-based and off-grid electricity, relative spatial advantages or disadvantages, practical constraints linked to the pursuit of low-carbon energy solutions – particularly in situations where people/governments do not feel (morally) obliged to make commitments to climate change mitigation, and monopolistic tendencies of electricity distributors/suppliers. Furthermore, many electricity users in Africa lack the technical know-how and financial resources required for efficient self-organisation of decentralised solar PV electrification. Meanwhile, paradoxically, global north actors championing low-carbon energy technologies in Africa are sustaining their economies via massive use of fossil fuels – a behaviour referred to as ‘energy bullying’. Nonetheless, these quandaries should not be taken to imply ‘throwing away the baby with the bathwater’. Evidence presented from four idiographic cases suggests even that though context/country-specific conditions are decisive of the desirability of decentralised solar energy systems, certain general conditions necessary for the wider development of the technology in Africa are still discernible.

Monitoring and Evaluation Systems: The Missing Strand in the African Transformational Development Agenda

Today, monitoring and evaluation systems are structural arrangements many governments and other development agencies are building and strengthening to enhance their performance and as a way of demonstrating results to stakeholders. The systems are also used to meet internal information needs. The practice and commitment is more evident in developed than in developing countries. In many African countries, the practice and commitment towards implementing functional M & E systems is noticeably on the low side. Most M & E systems in Africa are still in their embryonic stage—not able to supply relevant information for stakeholder use. Even worse, the demand for M&E information by stakeholders, both internal and external is minimal among and across potential users in Africa. We have not seen a transformational resolve and thrive especially by governments and key development agencies to sustainably build and strengthen M & E systems in Africa. Nonetheless, for the African continent to face and resolve its several social, economic and political challenges, it is inevitable to dedicatedly engage in a transformational development agenda. Despite the gloomy M & E arrangements currently, there are notable efforts (though often fragmented) in some countries as well as in the continental and regional development blocs such as the AU, SADC, AMU, CEN-SAD, COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, and the IGAD. This paper contends that commitment by African governments to building and sustaining M&E systems as an instrument of good governance should be top on the transformational development agenda—not rhetorically but pragmatically. Identified as the missing strand, M&E systems are deemed key to promoting and achieving the desired culture of results across the African continent. Troubled with endless and increasing reports on corruption and bad choices in development interventions due to lack of strategic prioritisation, M&E systems stand handy to offer evidence-based information to support sound decision making, policy formulation and implementation. Consequently, if Africa was not going to channel its political, organisational, human, technical, technological and financial resources towards transforming M & E in every country, the hope for a better Africa as enshrined in the continental Vision 2063 of the Africa We Want will remain a wish, only never to be realised. Essentially, a culture of results is something Africa and its people should cherish and pursue without thinking twice.

Mining Social Media for Political Communication: Lessons from an Analysis of Twitter Use between Citizens and the African National Congress pre-2014 South African National Elections

ABSTRACTPolitweeting is becoming increasingly popular globally. It offers benefits to politicians and to citizens, especially during election periods. Twitter users in Africa are five times more likely to use the platform to voice their political views than those in the US and UK. Yet, few studies from African countries provide insight into such use. This paper attempts to provide insight into the use of the African National Congress (ANC) Twitter account by citizens and politicians in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. The Adaptive Structuration Theory is relevant to the study and netnography was applied to the study. Findings show that the platform was mostly used by citizens rather than the political party and its politicians. Citizens mostly engaged in political commentary amongst each other about party activities and officials. The political organisation mostly used it for image management for the party and its officials. If harnessed through planned design and implementation of digital communication strategies, social media has the potential to be used as effectively for mass communication, yet simultaneously enable interpersonal persuasion between participants, especially during times of elections.

Evidence-based medicine for all: what we can learn from a programme providing free access to an online clinical resource to health workers in resource-limited settings

The rapidly changing landscape of medical knowledge and guidelines requires health professionals to have immediate access to current, reliable clinical resources. Access to evidence is instrumental in reducing diagnostic errors...

Medroxyprogesterone acetate levels among Kenyan women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate in the FEM-PrEP trial

ObjectiveTo describe medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) levels among Kenyan depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) users in the FEM-PrEP HIV prevention trial, and to compare MPA levels between ARV for HIV prevention (treatment) and placebo groups. Study DesignWe measured MPA in previously collected plasma samples from 63 Kenyan trial participants who used DMPA for one or two complete intervals. We separately assessed MPA levels among the nine DMPA users who became pregnant at this site. ResultsMean MPA levels at the end of each 12week injection interval were 0.37ng/ml (95% CI: 0.25, 1.99) and 0.28ng/ml (95% CI: 0.19, 1.22) among participants assigned TDF/FTC and 0.49 (95% CI: 0.40, 1.27) and 0.39 (95% CI: 0.31, 1.17) among those assigned placebo. The difference between groups was not statistically significant overall, or in an analysis which adjusted for the observed low adherence to TDF/FTC. Unanticipated findings of this analysis were low 12-week MPA levels among DMPA users in both study arms. Of 61 women who contributed data for the first DMPA injection interval, 26.2% had MPA levels<0.1ng/ml and 9.8% had levels below the detection level (0.02ng/ml) at 12weeks post-injection. Levels were similar at the end of the second injection interval. Five of nine women who became pregnant had levels below 0.15ng/mL at the time of their last negative pregnancy test. ConclusionsUse of TDF/FTC did not appear to affect serum MPA levels, however we found lower than expected MPA concentrations at the end of the dosing interval among DMPA users in the FEM-PrEP trial, the cause of which are unknown. ImplicationsThis study presents some of the few available data on MPA levels among DMPA users in Africa. The low levels among users described here, together with a number of pregnancies among DMPA users, are potentially concerning and require further investigation.

Understanding information and communication technology behavioral intention to use: Applying the UTAUT model to social networking site adoption by young people in a least developed country

According to many studies, social network sites (SNS) have become some of the most popular online destinations. It has been pointed out that very little is known about the psychosocial variables that predict people's use of these websites. In this article, our general objective is to understand behavioral intentions to use SNS employing the well‐known unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), which has been validated in a number of studies. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey from a final sample of 1,039 social networking website users in Africa. We have shown that there are contexts, such as the African context, in which the UTAUT does not hold up. Explanations are provided to support the findings.

Determinants of Digital Distraction: A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Users In Africa, China and The U.S.

INTRODUCTION The promise of instant communication offered by modern information technologies has created digital distractions that reduce employee productivity and erode workplace etiquette (Rigby, 2006; PR Newswire, 2013). Even education is not immune to this. Information technologies such as laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and the Internet are invaluable tools that on the one hand enhance teaching and learning in the classroom (Maki, Maki, Patterson, & Whittaker, 2000; Saunders & Klemming, 2003; Wen, Tsai, Lin, & Chuang, 2004). But on the other hand, they lead to distraction among students while attending classes. There is substantial empirical and anecdotal evidence that suggests that, globally, university students are prone to use these technologies in class for activities that are irrelevant to the classwork (e.g. playing computer games, emailing and texting, engaging in social networks, surfing the web and shopping online) - leading to underperformance in learning (Akst, 2010; Burns & Lohenry, 2010; Campbell, 2006; Hefferman, 2010; Rajeshwar, 2010). Studies have shown that cognitive overload and attention distraction caused by non-class-related technology use in the classroom were negatively associated with course performance and self-reported understanding of course material (Fried, 2008; Junco & Cotton, 2011; Kraushaar & Novak, 2010; Martin, 2011; Wurst, Smarkola, & Gaffney, 2008). As the result, many universities and professors are reacting to this phenomenon by implementing an overall ban on technology use in the classroom (Adams, 2006; Melerdiercks, 2005). Such classroom policies are often deployed without educators' or administrators' full understanding of the underlying causes of why students are drawn to such uses of information technology in the classroom. This is due to the lack of research effort in this area. In fact, there is a paucity of research focused on this issue, and a few prior studies only provide a limited explanation of the motivations behind digital distraction. This paper intends to identify the factors that influence the intensity of in-class digital distraction among university students through an empirical and crosscultural study. A systematic study on the topic will reveal valuable insights regarding the psychological and cognitive factors behind distractive behaviors as well as structural issues in pedagogy. In addition, cross-cultural comparison of university students from three different regions will offer interesting insights on the impact of culture, economy, and technological infrastructure on digital distraction. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. First, as part of the theoretical foundation for this study, the need for a cross-cultural perspective for studying digital distraction among university students is discussed. This is followed by the presentation of the research model of this study and arguments supporting the proposed hypotheses. Next, the research methodology section discusses the measurement development and data collection processes. Data analysis and hypotheses testing results are then presented. This is followed by a discussion of the findings. Finally, the paper concludes by discussing the implications to research and practice, limitations and directions for future research in this area. THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT Cross-Cultural Perspective of Digital Distraction In addition to identifying the underlying reasons behind in-class digital distraction, this study intends to lend insights into cross-cultural differences in the levels of digital distraction, factors influencing digital distraction and strategies to reduce such distraction among three regions that are vastly different in terms of culture, economy and technological infrastructure: U.S., Africa and China. This objective of the study is also motivated by prior studies that have found that individual behaviors in the context of information technology adoption and use do not universally hold across cultures (e. …

An Empirical Investigation into the Effect of Usability on Adoption of Desktop Open Source Software by University Students in Kenya

The adoption of Open Source products among expert users has been high over the years. Open Source Software (OSS) development tools and server applications have also been gaining popularity. There is however a significant lag in the uptake of desktop open source software especially by ordinary users in Africa. Usability issues have been raised as a major hindrance to the adoption of desktop OSS products. The objective of this paper is to present the results of OSS adoption levels by Kenyan university students and also to establish the effect of usability on adoption of Open Source desktop operating systems and applications by university students in Kenya. The empirical study revealed that in the absence of software piracy, OSS adoption is positively influenced by its usability.

Implications of mandatory registration of mobile phone users in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks among the top regions in terms of growth in the number of mobile phone users. The success of mobile telephony is attributed to the opening of markets for private players and lenient regulatory policy. However, markets may be increasingly saturated and new regulations introduced across Africa could also have a negative impact on future growth. Since 2006, the majority of countries in the region have introduced mandatory registration of users of prepaid SIM cards with their personal identity details. This potentially increases the costs of using mobile telephony. Herein a fixed effects model for the estimation of the impact of mandatory registration on mobile subscription penetration growth is presented, which is based upon a panel dataset of 32 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for the years 2000 to 2010. The results show that the introduction of mandatory registration depresses growth in mobile penetration. Further, the potential impact of mandatory registration on competition and consumer privacy is critically discussed.

Implications of Mandatory Registration of Mobile Phone Users in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks among the top regions in terms of growth in the number of mobile phone users. The success of mobile telephony is attributed to the opening of markets for private players and lenient regulatory policy. However, markets may be increasingly saturated and new regulations introduced across Africa could also have a negative impact on future growth. Since 2006, the majority of countries in the region have introduced mandatory registration of users of prepaid SIM cards with their personal identity details. This potentially increases the costs of using mobile telephony. I present a fixed effects model for the estimation of the impact of mandatory registration on mobile penetration growth, which is based upon a panel dataset of 32 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for the years 2000 to 2010. The results show that the introduction of mandatory registration depresses growth in mobile penetration.

Internet and the Egyptian Public Sphere

The Internet offers many actors in the society ways to present and raise discussion of ideas that is not possible or easy to engage in, especially in societies with conservative facades such as the Egyptian society. The number of Internet users in Egypt had reached 8.6 million by March 2008. This means that more than 10.per cent of the total Egyptian population had access to the Internet. The number of Internet users in Egypt is the third highest in Africa and represents about 17 per cent of the total number of users in Africa. By taking advantage of the opportunity of having greater access to the Internet and using the security of being anonymous, if one desired, provided by this medium of communication, increasing numbers of Egyptians started using the Internet to gain information and engage in political, social and religious discussions. This new E-public sphere in Egypt is not completely virtual, nor is it completely real. The Internet facilitated more chances to networking, forming alliances and addressing the public. This has led to the emergence of a kind of alternative media run by professionals, semi-professionals and amateurs. And of equal importance, an increasing number of blogs and websites started addressing highly controversial social and religious issues. This article, focusing on websites and blogs, explores the new trends which the Internet gave rise to, as well as institutions &ndash; such as government and established religious institutions &ndash; whose power to monopolise public debates has been challenged by the Internet in Egypt, till 2008. The paper also shows how the state interacts with these trends through recent attempts to increase censorship of the Internet, and in particular its usage for political mobilisation.

European digital archive on soil maps (EuDASM): preserving important soil data for public free access

Historical soil survey paper maps are valuable resources that underpin strategies to support soil protection and promote sustainable land use practices, especially in developing countries where digital soil information is often missing. However, many of the soil maps, in particular those for developing countries, are held in traditional archives that are not easily accessible to potential users. Additionally, many of these documents are over 50 years old and are beginning to deteriorate. Realising the need to conserve this information, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the ISRIC-World Soil Information foundation have created the European Digital Archive of Soil Maps (EuDASM), through which all archived paper maps of ISRIC has been made accessible to the public through the Internet. The immediate objective is to transfer paper-based soil maps into a digital format with the maximum possible resolution and to ensure their preservation and easy disclosure. More than 6,000 maps from 135 countries have been captured and are freely available to users through a user-friendly web-based interface. Initial feedback has been very positive, especially from users in Africa, South America and Asia to whom archived soil maps were made available to local users, often for the first time. Link: http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/maps/country_maps/list_countries.cfm