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Status of Beekeeping practices, Challenges and Opportunities among smallholder farmers around Desa’a Forest, Tigray, Ethiopia
No full textDesa’a forestland scape is one of the potential forest land coverage areas having high forest cover suitable for beekeeping. However, there was no systematic study being carried out to indicate status of beekeeping practices, challenges and opportunities associated with beekeeping in the study area. This study was therefore designed to assess status of beekeeping practices, opportunities, challenges and on improved beekeeping system having importance to address the challenges and to exploit the resources. The study was carried out in four purposively selected kebelles found in Desa’a forestland scape based on their potential in improved beekeeping. Accordingly, a total sample size of 200 beekeepers was selected using systematic random sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire, field observation and focal group discussion were employed to collect primary data. Descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency, and standard deviation was used to analyze the data. Improved beekeeping system in the study area was dominated by male (91.5%) with average experience in improved beekeeping system 8.37 years, 92 beekeepers having only modern hive and 102 beekeepers have both modern and traditional hive. The study reveals modern hive was more productive 16.25kg per hive per year than tradition 7.25kg per hive per year in the study area. Plant species influenced the test and color of honey. Hence, honey produced especially from Hypoestes forskaoli, Leucas abyssinica,Becium grniform is a special white and highly demanded honey in Desa’a forestland. Beekeepers indicating a large amount of honey were harvested in October and November. However, low amount of honey harvested in July and September of the year. High demand and price of honey, presences of multiple bee flora, wide area closers, presence of supporting NGOs and governmental institutions, having indigenous knowledge of beekeeping and socio economic value as good opportunities to improved beekeeping in the study area. However, the study area having constraints frequent drought, absconding bee, lack of beekeeping skill, application of agrochemical, high cost of beekeeping material and disease, pests and predators. Governmental organization, NGOs, Extension service providers, research institutions and higher education institution have to focus on strengthen beekeeping cooperatives, farmer groups , delivering practical hand on training beekeeping , developing regulations on agrochemical pesticides and herb sides usage ,develop honey marketing centers and quality checking technology
HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES AT WUKRO ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND CHERKOS ROCK-HEWN CHURCH, TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA
No full textThis thesis documents the current heritage management practices at Wukro archaeological museum and Cherkos Rock-Hewn Church in Tigray. It also attempts to identify the prevailed management challenges that negatively affects the heritage management practices. It is generally understood that by managing their heritage, people ensure the preservation of cultural identity, facilitate education, generate economic benefits, and promote community and social cohesion. Museums and churches play a crucial role in the preservation and management of heritage collections. They serve as custodians of cultural artifacts, providing a controlled environment for the storage, display, and interpretation of heritage items. At the same time, however, they face several challenges in managing the collections they housed. In order to document the management practices and identify the challenges, the researcher employed both qualitative and quantitative method in order to gather the data as well as analyze the data. The result of the study shows that human factor such as low level of awareness, lack of trained personnel and the absence of the required infrastructure including finance are the primary challenge to the museum and church collection. Additionally, the study reveals that environmental factors such as water leakage, cracking, flacking and the ever-changing climatic conditions are the secondary challenge. Finally, it is concluded that the active participation of the local community as well as collaborative planning and action of the stakeholders are important steps towards the enhancement of management practices as well as making sustainable use of heritage resources within these priceless heritage custody in Wukro, Tigra
JOINT MODELING OF TIME TO DEVELOP TUBERCULOSIS AND CHANGE IN CD4 COUNT AMONG HIV PATIENTS UNDER ART IN MEKELLE, ETHIOPIA, 2024
No full textBackground: In patients with HIV, tuberculosis remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Little is known about the predictors and the median time to develop tuberculosis while considering for the effect of the variation of longitudinal CD4 cell count.
Objective: To investigate the time to develop tuberculosis accounting for longitudinal CD4 cell count change and its predictors among HIV patients who are under ART follow-up at Mekelle General Hospital and Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia, 2024.
Methodology: A facility-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 449 adult PLHIV under ART follow-up from March 2018 to May 2024. The study participant were selected via a simple random sampling. The secondary data were collected from the patients’ medical records via Kobocollect version 2021.2.4 and exported to STATA version 17.0. The final model was a joint random intercept Cox-proportional hazard model. A model with the lowest Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion was selected.
Results: The incidence density of TB disease was 6.77 cases/100 person-years with a restricted mean survival time of 60 months. The joint analysis provided an association parameter alpha with
AHR=0.854; 95% CI(0.8-0.91), indicating that for a unit increase in the average √CD4 cell count , the hazard of TB infection decreased by 14.6%, keeping other variables constant. The study also revealed that advanced WHO clinical stage (AHR = 1.024, 95% CI: 1.017–1.033), sex (AHR= 1.62, 95% CI: 1.09,2.4), CPT intake (AHR= 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35,0.89), and adherence (AHR= 0.38, 95% CI: 0.28,0.52) were significantly associated with the time to develop tuberculosis. The random intercept model indicated that greater variation in CD4 counts at baseline contributed strongly to the hazard of tuberculosis.
Conclusion and Recommendation: This research highlights that PLHIV with a decreasing trajectory of CD4 count, advanced WHO clinical stage, female sex, history of CPT intake, and poor adherence have a higher risk of tuberculosis. On the basis of these findings, it is strongly recommended that the government and relevant health actors working on TB/HIV should intensify activities that improve patient adherence and a regular CD4 cell measurement
DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN ETHIOPIA
No full textForeign Direct Investment (FDI) plays a vital role in accelerating economic growth and development in developing countries like Ethiopia by supplementing domestic capital, creating employment, and enhancing technology transfer. The main objective of this study is to investigate the determinants of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia during the period 1990-2022. The analysis employed both descriptive and econometric techniques to identify the key macroeconomic and institutional factors influencing FDI. This study examines the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Ethiopia using recent data and extended variables such as government expenditure and political instability. The ARDL model used in this study is specifically tailored to capture the dynamic relationship between FDI and its determinants, allowing for the analysis of both short-run and long-run interactions despite policy reforms, FDI inflows remain low compared to the country’s potential. The findings aim to provide insights for policymakers to design strategies that effectively attract and sustain foreign investment.Variables such as gross domestic product per capita (GDPk), inflation rate, exchange rate, trade openness, government expenditures (EXPN), and political stability were included in the model. The regression results reveal that GDPk, trade openness, and EXPN have a positive and significant effect on FDI inflows, while inflation, exchange rate volatility, and political instability have a negative and significant impact. The findings imply that maintaining macroeconomic stability, improving infrastructure, and ensuring political and institutional stability are crucial for attracting and sustaining foreign investment in Ethiopia. The study recommends that policymakers focus on creating a stable investment environment and strengthening economic reforms to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the global investment market
An Assessment of Integration Levels and Implementation Challenges in Smart City Development: The Case of Mekelle City, Ethiopia.
No full textThe aspiration to develop smart cities is seen globally as a strategic solution to urbanization challenges, aiming to improve infrastructure and enhance the quality of life. In developing countries, the potential for smart cities is high, but significant challenges hinder successful implementation. Smart, sustainable city development in developing countries is not as closely studied as it has been in developed countries. Furthermore, academic studies about smart sustainable city development preparedness have been applied largely to the narrow context of developed countries. This study is an effort to help fill that gap. This study focuses on Mekelle City as a case study to assess the extent of smart city development, the integration and implementation challenges faced, and assessment to overcome these challenges. The research adopts a multi-method approach, including a comprehensive literature review, surveys and interviews with key informants, and field observations. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted using tools like SPSS, supported by materials such as questionnaires, interview guides, and access to relevant documentation in Mekelle. The findings aim to provide valuable insights into overcoming the barriers that developing countries face in their efforts to build sustainable, livable smart cities. The study identifies several key challenges: limited financial resources, deficiency of coordination and externalities, governance inefficiencies or lack of public-private partnerships, lack of smart city operational framework, lack of system integration and sustainable focused strategies, and a lack of integration between technology and urban planning. To address these issues, strategic solutions are proposed, including raising revenues and diversifying financing sources for smart city development, stepping up the effort to fulfil basic infrastructure needs, constructing regulatory frameworks for smart city governance, creating a supportive ecosystem that nurtures start-ups and strengthening public private partnerships, promoting public-private partnerships, and improving policy frameworks. The study concludes that, while Mekelle faces significant hurdles, it has the potential to achieve sustainable smart city development. By implementing socioeconomic, human, legal, and regulatory reforms and focusing on innovation, capacity building, and governance, Mekelle can serve as a model for smart city development in developing regions, particularly in the Tigray region
Reverse logistic practice in recycling plastic bottles in Mekelle city :An Embedded Case Study of SPA and Mercy Natural Spring Water Producing Companies
No full textThe purpose of this study is to explore the understanding and practice of reverse logistics in Mekelle city, Ethiopia. To achieve the study’s goal, the researcher used a descriptive research design where a combination of primary and secondary data sources was employed. Primary data was collected from 196 respondents, while secondary data was taken from office manuals and yearly reports. The findings of the study show that poor practice of disposing and collecting used plastic bottles are all apparent in the environment, making the city and its environs filthy and unpleasant to live in. This study also discovered that reuse and recycling have become less common and are rarely practiced. Even though plastic waste disposal guidelines have been incorporate in their operational manuals, the study revealed that there is a lack of community understanding regarding solid waste management, and almost all stakeholders actively disregard waste management proclamations. Thus, it is recommended that all stakeholders, including the government, business owners, plastic bottled water makers, and the public, pay close attention to waste disposal, particularly of non-biodegradable used plastic bottles in Mekelle city
Predicting birth asphyxia in newborns via supervised machine learning: a cross sectional study in Tigray, Ethiopia 2025
No full textBackground: Birth asphyxia, a critical condition characterized by insufficient oxygen supply to a newborn before, during, or after birth, is the second leading cause of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia. It contributes substantially to preventable neonatal morbidity and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment. The burden is especially high in low-resource regions like Tigray, where healthcare systems have been severely impacted by conflict and limited infrastructure. Early and accurate prediction of at-risk newborns is essential, and supervised machine learning (ML) offers a powerful data-driven solution to support clinical decision-making. Objective: To predict birth asphyxia in newborns using supervised machine learning: a cross sectional study in Tigray, Ethiopia (2025).
Methods: An institution-based prospective study was conducted among 1014 mothers and their newborns who delivered at four selected hospitals in Tigray (Ayder, Mekelle, Quiha, and Wukro) between February 25 and April 10, 2025. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit eligible participants. The dataset underwent thorough preprocessing, including handling missing values, one-hot encoding, normalization, hybrid feature selection approach, and class balancing. Seven ML models—logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest (RF), naive bayes, k-nearest neighbors, and extreme gradient boosting were trained and evaluated. The data were split into 80% for training and 20% for testing, with model performance assessed using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals. Shapley Additive Explanations was employed for model interpretability, validated across cross-validation folds.
Results: Of the 1014 neonates included, 195 (19.2%) were diagnosed with birth asphyxia based on APGAR scores and physician confirmation. The random forest classifier achieved the best performance, with an AUC of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98–1.00) and Brier score of 0.0099 (95% CI: 0.008–0.012). SHAP analysis identified fetal heart rate (38.6%), birth weight (11.2%), mal-presentation (8.1%), hypothermia (7.7%), referral status (7.5%), and prolonged labor (6.5%) are collectively contributing 79.6% to the model’s predictive capacity, consistent across folds (standard deviation of SHAP values <0.02).
Conclusion: The RF model demonstrated excellent performance in predicting birth asphyxia and offered strong interpretability. Nearly 80% of the model's predictive power was explained by a small number of clinically actionable variables. These findings support the integration of interpretable machine learning tools into routine labor management to reduce birth asphyxia. Future external validation and deployment as a web-based tool are planned
Factors that Affect the Productivity of Sesame of Smallholder farmers: The Case of Tahtay Adiyabo Woreda, Northwestern Zone, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.
No full textThis study analyzed the factors affecting the productivity of sesame among smallholder farmers in Tahtay Adiyabo Woreda, Northwestern Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia. The main objective was to identify agronomic, socio-economic, and institutional determinants influencing sesame productivity and to provide policy-relevant recommendations for improving output. A mixed research design was employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches to enhance data reliability. Primary and secondary data sources were used. The study relied on cross-sectional data collected from 242 smallholder farmers during the 2024/2025 production season through structured questionnaires. A multistage sampling technique was used to select three kebelles, based on their sesame production potential, followed by proportional random sampling of farm households. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies, percentages, and standard deviations, and an econometric model, particularly the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation technique, were used. The econometric analysis utilized an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model grounded on the Cobb–Douglas production function to estimate the determinants of sesame productivity. Descriptive results revealed that the average household head was 46.6 years old with a family size of 5.11, a mean landholding of 4.24 ha, and 13.6 years of farming experience. The mean log of sesame productivity was approximately 13.8 quintals per hectare. The OLS results (R² = 0.511, F = 20.99, p < 0.001) identified land size, market access, extension service, off-farm participation, and pesticide use as statistically significant variables influencing sesame productivity. The results show that variations in productivity across kebelles: Adiaser recorded the highest yield (16.38 quintals/ha), followed by Aditsetser (14.58 quintals/ha), while Ademiti had the lowest (11.45 quintals/ha). The results highlight that productivity gaps are mainly due to uneven institutional support, input access, and market linkages. Overall, the study found that sesame productivity in Tahtay Adiyabo Woreda is constrained by intertwined socio-economic and institutional factors rather than demographic ones. It recommends strengthening agricultural extension services, improving credit accessibility, promoting off-farm income diversification, and investing in market and infrastructure development. Additionally, promoting climate-resilient practices and soil fertility management is crucial to enhancing productivity and sustaining sesame farming
Traumatic Experiences of War Surviving Children Residing in Mekelle Saba Kare Internally Displaced Center
No full textThis study examined the traumatic experiences of war surviving children residing in Mekelle’s Seba Kara internally displaced center, focusing on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, associated factors, and resilience promoting factors. Employing a concurrent mixed method design, the research achieved a high response rate of 94.4% among 180 participants, including 85 children, 85 caregivers, and 12 professionals. The study focused on children aged 5 to 10. Simple random sampling was used to select both the children and their caregivers, while convenience sampling was used to select the professional participants. Data were gathered using validated PTSD and resilience measures, showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha values between .725 and .873). Findings showed a significant prevalence of PTSD, with 42.4% of children exhibiting severe symptoms. Major associated factors for PTSD included forced displacement, separation from parents, direct exposure to combat, and conditions of extreme poverty. However, resilience factors, such as supportive family relationships, community solidarity, and access to essential social resources, were critical in fostering resilience and protecting psychological distress. This study emphasized the crucial need for trauma-informed interventions and policies tailored to the unique needs of war affected children, supporting psychological recovery, healing and promoting long-term well-being in post-war Tigray
The Impact of War Damage on Energy Poverty and Energy Choice: Empirical Studies in Woredas Axum and Laelay Machew
No full textThis study investigates the impact of conflict-induced destruction on household energy poverty and energy choice in the Tigray Central Zone, Ethiopia, following the 2020–2022 war. Using cross-sectional data from 384 households and employing both descriptive and econometric analyses, the research explores how conflictrelated shocks have reshaped energy access and consumption behavior. Descriptive findings reveal high levels of energy poverty, particularly among rural households, with a heavy dependence on traditional biomass fuels and limited access to modern energy sources. Econometric results from Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), and robust IV regressions demonstrate that conflict-driven energy tool damage significantly exacerbates household energy poverty. Urban residence, by contrast, mitigates energy deprivation through improved infrastructure and access to diversified energy systems. Multinomial Logit (MNL) and Ordered Logit models further indicate that energy tool damage increases the likelihood of reverting to traditional fuels, reflecting adaptive but regressive coping strategies under infrastructure failure. Overall, the findings highlight that energy poverty in conflict-affected settings is shaped more by structural and infrastructural constraints than by individual socioeconomic characteristics such as income or education. The study concludes that post-conflict energy policy should prioritize restoring damaged energy assets, strengthening rural energy infrastructure, and promoting gender-sensitive clean energy interventions to foster equitable and sustainable energy recovery