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Connecting African scholarly stakeholders across the continent.
Full text linkThe AphrikeResearch is a database and networking portal that provides a centralised platform for information that:
- profiles and records African scientists, students and research managers in order to promote intra Africa collaboration and interventions for SDG realisation
- makes easy identification of collaborators, mentors and funding opportunities
- profile funders (specific fields/priorities/countries)
The portal also:
- maps the role of each party in the network
- mobilizes interaction between research managers, policy makers, researchers and research students
- provides a resource for STI and R&D strategy planning - who is involved & in what research.
Connecting African scholarly stakeholders across the continent. - AfricArXiv Open Science Webinar Series 2024
Watch the recording here: https://africarxiv.pubpub.org/pub/mwghmt8h
The use of mobile phones by secondary school teachers and students in Cameroon: m-learning as a possible educational strategy
Full text linkThis research paper examines the extent to which m-learning (the use of mobile phones for pedagogical purposes) can be implemented in secondary education in Cameroon – not on its own, and not to replace face-to-face teaching, but as part of a repertoire of educational strategies. Secondary research (about m-learning and about Cameroon) and primary research (carried out in Yaoundé in June 2022 to collect data from 140 students and 42 teachers about their access to technological devices, especially mobile phones) show that m-learning can be put in place in Cameroon without too many difficulties. It needs, however, to be a version of m-learning that is conceptually different from the one common in countries where access to the internet is illimited, uninterrupted and stable: that “Western” form of m-learning is no suitable for Cameroon, neither technologically nor economically. This research paper concludes that m-learning is possible and even desirable in Cameroon, but it must be contextualized
التدبيركدبلوماسية بحرية: الوالية الخارجية العثمانية في املمارسة في حالة طرابلس قبل عام
Full text linkThe marine diplomacy of Tripoli in the Qaramanlı era was deeply shaped by the Ottoman Foreign Jurisdiction. Yet, especially Yusuf Paşa with his tadbir (Ar.) [governing through taking measures] application carried the implication of this jurisdiction to a global tributary system that all European states as well as USA obeyed. The ignorance of the historians from Europe and USA about the Ottoman Foreign jurisdiction led them to believe that the tributary system of Tripoli was “piracy”. A thorough examination shows that actually even some European and USA consuls in the 19th century were aware of the fact that the tributary system had nothing to do with piracy, but they named this system in this way to express their dissatisfaction. In reality, Yusuf Paşa of Tripoli was successfully applying Ottoman Foreign jurisdiction in form of tributary system. Furthermore, between 1790s and 1835, he was so successful on this application that this system became a global politic in the Mediterranean without using any brute force
The mental health toll among healthcare workers during the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Malawi
Full text linkContributions
L.M., Y.N., J.K., S.N., F.K., M.M., and C.M. conceptualised the idea and reviewed the manuscript. L.M., M.M., J.K., C.M. and F.K. analysed the data. L.M., Y.N., and F.K. drafted the paper. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Corresponding author
Correspondence to Yamikani Ndasauka.The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers worldwide, with frontline personnel experiencing heightened rates of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess the mental health toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers in Malawi. A cross-sectional survey utilising the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) was conducted among 109 frontline healthcare workers. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 healthcare workers to explore their experiences and challenges during the pandemic. The results indicated a high prevalence of COVID-19-related depression (31%; CI [23, 41]), anxiety (30%; CI [22, 40]), and PTSD (25%; CI [17, 34]) among participants. Regression analysis revealed significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among healthcare workers in city referral hospitals compared to district hospitals. Qualitative findings highlighted the emotional distress, impact on work and personal life, and experiences of stigma and discrimination faced by healthcare workers. The stress process model provided a valuable framework for understanding the relationship among pandemic-related stressors, coping resources, and mental health outcomes. The findings underscore the urgent need for interventions and support systems to mitigate the mental health impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare workers in Malawi. Policymakers should prioritise the assessment and treatment of mental health problems among this critical workforce to maintain an effective pandemic response and build resilience for future crises.This study was carried out under the Covid-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund (Grant no. COV19200603527586), supported under the auspices of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) and administered by South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF) in collaboration with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), South Africa's Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ), the United Kingdom's Department of International Development (DFID), United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Newton Fund, and the SGCI participating councils across 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa
በአማርኛ በትግርኛ እና በኦሮምኛ ቋንቋዎች ለዊኪፔድያ፣ አስተዋፅኦ በማድረግ ሂደት የሚያጋጥሙ ችግሮችን ስለመረዳት
Full text linkThis a translation of the summary of the article: Hellina Hailu Nigatu, John Canny, Sarah Chasins. (2024). "Low-Resourced Languages and Online Knowledge Repositories: A Need-Finding Study" Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (ACM CHI). https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642605ብዙ መረጃ በሌላቸው ቋንቋዎች ለዊክፒዲያ አስተዋጽኦ የሚያደርጉ ሰዎች የሚያጋጥሟቸውን ችግሮች ለመረዳት በዊኪፒዲያ መድረክ ውይይት የተደረገባቸውን መረጃዎች ለመተንተን የሚያስችለንን ጥናት አድርገናል፣ በትግርኛ ወይም በኦሮምኛ ወይም በአማርኛ ለመጻፍ የሞከሩ 14 ተሳታፊዎች አግኝተን አነጋግረናል፡፡ በዚህ ሁኔታ ባገኘነው ውጤት ላይ ተመስርተን አካታች የሆኑ ቴክኒዮሎጂዎችን ለመገንባት የሚያግዙ የዲዛይን ምክረ ሀሳቦችን በዚህ ፅሁፍ በተካተተ የግኝት መግለጫ አቅርበናል፡
Investing in [African] Open Infrastructure
Full text linkInvesting in [African] Open Infrastructure - AfricArXiv Open Science Webinar Series 2024
Watch the recording here: https://africarxiv.pubpub.org/pub/lemddk7d
Yizani Sifunde Impact Infographic
No full textThe Yizani Sifunde (isiXhosa for ‘Come, let’s read) was designed as a model to improve preschool children’s early learning outcomes. The project combined abundant book ownership (Book Dash), training on an in-classroom early literacy programme called Little Stars (Wordworks) and community activations (Nal’ibali).
More information about Yizani Sifunde is available on the Book Dash website https://bookdash.org/yizani-sifunde/
The document is published with permission by Liberty Community Trust and in acknowledgement of the contribution of Social Impact Insights Africa, who planned and implemented the external evaluation.
Katie Huston wrote the text and Skyboy Design produced the graphics.The infographic is a 4-page summary of the multi-pronged early literacy project called Yizani Sifunde, and the impact it has had, based on the results of an independent evaluation. The project was a collaboration of five South African NGOs and implemented between 2021 and 2023 in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
The infographic starts by explaining the problem that the project was trying to address and the multi-pronged project that was designed in response to it, loosely inspired by the "triple cocktail for education" developed for foundation phase classes in South Africa (training, resources and support/modelling). However, being designed for 4-5 year-olds, the project design went beyond a mere classroom intervention to include intervention elements targeting the homes, caregivers, and the broader community.
The document then summarises findings from internal monitoring and external evaluation, revealing remarkable learning gains on the ELOM (Early Learning Outcomes Measure) for the participating children, that go far beyond the expected child maturation. These learning gains are particularly remarkable for children who were identified as vulnerable at baseline. The document then goes on to describe the shifts that were observed in the participating ECD centres (using qualitative observations and ECERS results) as well as in the homes and communities.
Finally, the document highlights elements that have contributed to the project's success, namely the mechanisms of the collaboration and the supportive attitude of the funder.Liberty Community Trust funded the project, the evaluation and the production of this infographic
Artificial Intelligence: The Game Changer in Scientific Research
No full textAn Artificial Intelligence Seminar paper.Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised scientific research by enhancing data analysis, accelerating research processes, and improving accuracy. AI's applications span various fields, including biomedicine, environmental science, physics, and materials science. This paper explores AI's transformative impact on scientific research, highlighting its role, applications, challenges, and future prospects. AI tools, such as Explain Paper, Paper Digest, and Chatdoc, facilitate research by summarizing papers, explaining complex concepts, and assisting with literature reviews. Despite AI's benefits, challenges persist, including data privacy and security concerns, bias, and transparency issues. To address these challenges, the paper emphasizes the need for ethical guidelines, robust security measures, and interpretable AI models. The future of AI in scientific research holds promise, with emerging trends and technologies, interdisciplinary innovations, and collaborative platforms driving progress. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of addressing AI's challenges to ensure its beneficial impact on science and society
Coverage and Predictors of Enrollment in the State-Supported Health Insurance Schemes in Nigeria: A Quantitative Multi-Site Study
No full textWe thank our research assistants: Abdulmajid Mahmud, Baba Gazali, Chuseh Bello, Blessing Cornelius, Reuben Iliya, Abdulmajeed AGBOOLA, Abdullahi Soliu, Lateefat BABATUNDE, Maryam IBRAHEEM, Yahaya habibat, Ayomipo Mojisola, Deborah Egwuonwu, Nomeh Somtochukwu, Muoneke Amaka, Victor Okorie, Abubakar Umar, Mohammed Isah, Emmanuel Elebesunu, Aishat HammanjodaBackground:
In efforts to advance universal healthcare coverage (UHC) in Nigeria, the federal government empowered sub-national entities such as states to develop and implement their respective state-supported health insurance schemes (SSHIS). This study assessed the coverage and predictors of enrollment in the SSHIS in six Nigerian states.
Methods:
This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design. Respondents were recruited across six Nigerian states with operational SSHIS, corresponding to the country's six geopolitical zones. These include the Cross River, Enugu, Oyo, Kwara, Sokoto, and Taraba states, representing the South-South, South-East, South-West, North-Central, North-West, and North-East zones respectively. Data were collected from community members in congregate settings such as markets, churches/mosques, schools, bus stations/parks, and healthcare facilities. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25.
Results:
The number of study respondents was 3732. The greater majority of the respondents were self-employed 1855(49.7%) and were living with an average monthly income of <10,000 naira 1175(31.5%). Coverage of the state health insurance was highest in the North-Central Kwara State 326(37.3%), but lowest in the South-Eastern Enugu State 6(1%). Among beneficiaries, overall satisfaction with the scheme was highest in Oyo State 73(77.7%), but lowest in Cross River State 16(32.7%). After adjusting for confounders, several covariates were identified as decreasing the odds of enrolling into the schemes; however, lack of awareness about the scheme was most significant across all the six states.
Conclusion:
Low coverage due to poor awareness, financial barriers, and enrollee dissatisfaction currently affect the SSHIS in Nigeria. To improve enrollment and sustainability, nationwide educational campaigns and consolidation of health insurance schemes are recommended.Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH
COVID-19 information seeking: a survey of residents of Chilinde and Chinsapo Townships in Malawi
No full textThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak spread anxiety among the general public, which was exacerbated by an excessive amount of misleading information. This study investigated the behaviour of Chilinde and Chinsapo residents in seeking COVID-19 information. The study used a quantitative research approach, whereby a modified Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) questionnaire was used to collect data from 627 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the characteristics of the study participants and the sources and types of COVID-19 information used. Most of the participants (71.3%, n=447) reported that they had looked for information about COVID-19 from different sources. Doctors and healthcare providers were the main sources of information on COVID-19. There were 58.1% (n=364) of participants who indicated that they were extremely worried about getting infected with COVID-19. It was further found that there was limited use of online platforms to access COVID-19 information. Multiple logistic regression results showed that male respondents had a higher chance of having online access to COVID-19 information than their female counterparts. Chilinde participants were more likely to have online access, unlike those residing in Chinsapo. This study recommends raising awareness to the masses regarding the use of reputable online sources in crisis situations in the future.This study was conducted with funding from the South Africa National Research Foundation under the COVID-19 Africa Rapid-Grant Fund