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No full textPresentation held at the Africa PID Alliance (africapidalliance.org) Webinar: How effective FAIR data management aids in the visibility of African funding output
"Effective FAIR data management significantly aids in the visibility of African funding outputs by making research more discoverable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. This not only boosts the profile of African research on the global stage but also fosters collaborations, enhances credibility, informs policy, and attracts further funding. For more on how we have been doing this please join our partners Crossref and Research Organization Registry(ROR) as we take you through what we have been doing and listen to some of the African funders case studies from National Research Fund Kenya and National de la Recherche et de l’Innovation pour le Développement - FONRID (Burkina Faso) in addition with the contributions from Association of African Universities and African Open Science Platform who will share the research management and policy-making implications on making African funders output accessible."
Watch the recording at https://doi.org/10.21428/359fb1d2.0361a9d
Factors Influencing Voluntary Enrollment in National Health Insurance Funds among Market Vendors: A Case of Mwanza, Tanzania
No full textThis manuscript examines the factors influencing voluntary enrollment in National Health Insurance Funds (NHIF) among market vendors in Mwanza, Tanzania. With the growing importance of health insurance coverage in low-income settings, understanding the barriers and motivators for enrollment is crucial for improving coverage and ensuring sustainable health systems. The study investigates socio-economic, demographic, and awareness-related factors that impact the willingness of market vendors to join the NHIF. Data was collected through a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys and interviews, to provide both quantitative insights and qualitative understanding of the decision-making process. The findings offer valuable implications for policy-makers and health practitioners, aiming to enhance the uptake of health insurance among informal sector workers and marginalized groups. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on universal health coverage in Tanzania and similar settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) recently developed new affordable packages aimed at attracting enrolment of new clients into the health insurance scheme, however, NHIF still faces low enrollment of clients primarily from the informal sector. This study aims to understand the factors affecting the uptake of voluntary NHIF in the informal sector, focusing on how demographic factors, socioeconomic status, level of awareness, and perceived quality of health care affect the uptake of voluntary NHIF in the informal sector. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine factors influencing voluntary uptake of NHIF among market vendors in Mwanza.
Method: The study design was cross-sectional descriptive to establish factors associated with the uptake of NHIF in the informal sector. The factors explored were socio-demographic, economic, NHIF awareness and perception of health care quality. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. The respondents were from two municipal city markets in Mwanza. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 software. Descriptive analysis was performed for the background characteristics of respondents, awareness, and perception. Chi-square was used to determine factors associated with NHIF uptake.
Results Data were collected from 323 market vendors from two municipal markets of Mwanza. Main source of income, perception, and awareness were positively associated with NHIF enrollment. The odds of enrolling in NHIF among respondents with low NHIF awareness were 92% lower than among respondents with high NHIF awareness. The odds of enrolling in NHIF among respondents with negative perceptions on the quality of health care services was 83% lower than among respondents with positive perceptions.
Conclusion: NHIF uptake among market vendors in Mwanza City was still low. The study reports that source of income, poor awareness of the fund by the respondents, and negative perceptions with regard to quality of health care negatively affect enrollment in NHIF. The study recommends using information, education, and communication strategies to raise awareness of NHIF and create demand for insurance in the informal sector. Moreover, a review of the affordability of NHIF packages in relation to the income earned by the majority in the informal sector is important to attract enrollment.Non
Antimicrobial resistance: One health approach in Rwanda
Full text linkThis commentary provides the authors' views related to the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) profile in Rwanda in terms of prevalence, knowledge, attitudes, practices, and existing interventions at the one health interface.
AMR is a critical and global health concern posing a significant threat to the effective treatment of infections and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Among few studies that have been conducted on AMR in Rwanda, the issue was found to be widespread in both human and animals. A high resistance has been found among the commonly used antibiotics seconded by the lack of knowledge and appropriate practices among different groups of people. Some interventions, including “one health” approach are in place aiming to address these issues, but challenges are still around due to developing surveillance system, limited studies, and low public awareness. Extensive studies and enhance surveillance are recommended to better understand AMR to inform the public and policy makers for effectively tackling of the AMR issue, particularly in rural areas
Mapping the Future of Artificial Intelligence-Large Language Models in Light of Academic Integrity at Chinhoyi University of Technology: Addressing Concerns and Safeguarding Educational Ethics.
No full textExploring the Potential of Aquaponics Systems in Advancing Food Security in Kenya: A Scoping Review
No full textThe pressing issue of global food insecurity demands immediate attention, particularly in developing nations like Kenya. Traditional agricultural methods in these regions often involve high resource consumption, limited nutrient recycling, and substantial negative environmental impacts. In light of the escalating demand for food production and the imperative for sustainable food systems, it is crucial to explore innovative and efficient technologies capable of concurrently addressing nutrient management, water utilization, and food production challenges. The prevalent reliance on chemical fertilizers within Kenya's food production sector adversely affects both soil and environmental health, leading to a gradual decline in agricultural productivity. Additionally, many regions in Kenya grapple with water scarcity, posing a significant obstacle to food production. The heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture further exposes food production to fluctuations in climatic conditions. Monoculture-based food systems demonstrate inefficiencies in land, water, and nutrient usage. Despite its current limited adaptability, aquaponics emerges as a promising solution to confront these challenges by optimizing water, nutrient, and land utilization in food production. Case studies in Kenya have demonstrated the potential of aquaponics in enhancing food production. This scoping review provide information on the status of aquaponics adoption in Kenya, challenges and barriers to adoption and the possible solutions to enhance adoption of aquaponics in the Kenyan food production sector.This study was funded by the Kenya National Research Fund (NRF) through Research Grant No. Food Systems and Climate (FOSC) 2022 awarded to Dr. Erick Ogello of Maseno University
Débats politico-théologiques à Ghadamès entre les années 1770 et 1850 dans une perspective globale
No full textThis article aims to shed light on the history of politico-theological debates in Ghadames, focusing on two distinct case studies through discourse analysis. The particular geographical location of Ghadames, situated between two prominent states—Morocco and the Ottoman Empire—each with their respective caliphal claims, has historically enabled the scholars of the city to formulate and substantiate their own political stances. As a result, a substantial body of written materials, including chronicles, biographies, and letters, has emerged from Ghadames, reflecting the political discourse as articulated by its scholars, who adapted their perspectives in response to shifts in regional power dynamics. Notably, this adaptation was facilitated by the active intellectual engagement of the city’s scholars. In this context, the article investigates the politico-theological discussions in Ghadames from the 1750s to the 1850s, analysing the persistent yet varied arguments and justifications, as well as the intellectual milieu that intersected with them
Exploring the impact of a collaborative, multi-pronged early literacy intervention on 4- and 5-year-olds, Brief 3
No full textYizani Sifunde (isiXhosa for “come, let’s read”) aimed to boost early literacy outcomes at under-resourced early childhood development (ECD) centres in the Eastern Cape. It was implemented in three one-year cycles between 2021 and 2023.
The project was initiated and funded by the Liberty Community Trust, and jointly designed and delivered by three literacy nonprofits: Book Dash, Nal’ibali and Wordworks. Local Eastern Cape partners ITEC and Khululeka supported implementation. Social Impact Insights Africa delivered the external evaluation.
More information on the Yizani Sifunde project can be found on https://bookdash.org/yizani-sifunde/
This Learning Brief was written for the Yizani Sifunde project by Dr Magali von Blottnitz, with input from other project partners. It draws extensively on an external evaluation conducted by Social Impact Insights Africa. Liberty Community Trust holds the intellectual property rights to the evaluation results and gave permission for them to be shared subject to specific acknowledgements.This is the third in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of Yizani Sifunde, a collaborative multi-pronged intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief summarises the quantitative evidence on how the Yizani Sifunde project effectively closed gaps in early learning, with a focus on early language and literacy. Specifically, the brief:
* reviews available evidence about the South African early literacy gaps, particularly in rural provinces and among speakers of African languages, and describes the methodology followed by the evaluators
* compares the ELOM assessment results achieved by project children at baseline and endline, against the provincial average
* isolates the part of the children's learning gains corresponding to programme effect, after correcting for the expected maturation effect
* summarises the findings from regression analyses on contributors, mediators and moderators of the learning gains.
Key findings are that within 8 months of the intervention, the children have achieved remarkable improvement in their ELOM scores, including in domains that were not targeted by the intervention, such as numeracy. After correcting for maturation, the children on average gained 3 to 6 extra months of learning, and the most vulnerable children gained up to 13 months of learning in addition to the expected 8 months of maturation. Importantly, these positive results hold irrespective of context factors such as class size or presence of other interventions in the ECD centre. An improvement in the children's task orientation appears to have been a key contributor to the learning gains. The number of books received, and owned by the child, was a significant predictor of the endline achievement.
These findings confirm the value of the intervention design, including the provision of books to be owned by the children.Liberty Community Trust
