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Investigating Local Community Perception About Climate Change in Gatsibo and Nyagatare Districts, in Rwanda
Get PDFThe main objective of this paper was to investigate the perception of local community about climate change in drought prone areas of Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts in Rwanda. This paper perceived changes of climate and their effects, causes of climate change and perception of adaptation measures. Understanding community perception on climate change issues is critical in designing community-based adaptation actions and programs. Data were collected using questionnaire administered to 480 households selected in six sectors. Data were analysed using SPSS Statistics 28.0.1. to generate descriptive results. 89% of responds perceived a decrease in amount of rainfall while 70% perceive changes in reduction of length of rain season. Reported causes of climate change are dominated by environmental degradation (85.6%), deforestation (57.2%). Perceived effects of climate change on community livelihoods include decline of annual households’ income (88.3%), increased incidences of pests and diseases in crops (90.1%). The research results indicate that ongoing adaptation initiatives have failed to meet expected results. This is partly because local perception and knowledge are not considered. It is therefore, recommended to change the approach and adopt more community-based approach and considers local characteristics and local knowledge in designing adaptation actions. This will increase community resilience, ownership and address real community needs
Impact of Ungulates on Vegetation Composition Around Waterholes in the Western Part of Etosha National Park, Namibia
Get PDFEtosha National Park (ENP) is one of the largest conservation areas located in the semi-arid regions of Namibia. Artificial waterholes (boreholes) are the main sources of water for game in the park. Water availability has been largely viewed as a major factor driving ungulate’s impact on vegetation composition around waterholes. A nested-intensity sampling design was adopted to collect data from fifty-four (54) quadrats (25m x 25m) on six transects (two at each waterhole) measuring 1 800m from Renostervlei, Dolomietpunt and Olifantsrus waterholes. Results showed that there was no significant difference in species composition with increasing distance away from the waterholes. Herbivory, soil trampling, playing and fighting of ungulates among vegetation before and after drinking has impacted vegetation composition around waterholes. The impacts imposed on vegetation around waterholes by ungulates cannot be completely avoided but be reduced. To reduce the ungulate’s impacts on vegetation composition around waterholes, adaptive management measures such as controlled burning, closure of waterholes during rainy seasons, creation of new waterholes that will be evenly distributed within the park and destocking of ungulates is recommended to restore some of the plant species that may have been lost from within those localities
Hospital wastewater physico-chemical and biological characteristics in the Coastal Zone Hospitals of Tanzania: A case of Muhimbili and Tumbi Hospitals
Get PDFHospitals wastewater contains a wide range of contaminants which may pose potential risks to the environment, public health, and ecological damage. However, knowledge on the extent to which the hospital wastewater is contaminated in Tanzania is still limited. The study aimed to investigate the quality of hospital wastewaters discharged from Muhimbili national (MNH) and Tumbi regional referral (TRH) hospitals. Eight sampling points were established and sampled in triplicates at each of the two hospitals and analyzed for physical, chemical and biological parameters following the standard methods as presented in APHA- AWWA-WEF (1998) and TZS 860:2005. The results showed that pH, electric conductivity, total dissolved solids, cadmium, chromium, zinc and Nickel are within Tanzania Standards. However, MNH, PO4 NO3 Pb and COD quality exceed the Tanzania standards. The COD ranged from 53 mg/l to 776 mg/l and 92 mg/l to 1099 mg/l for MNH and TRH, respectively. The COD has value higher than permissible level of 60 mg/l. Bacteriological results indicated that hospital wastewater is contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Faecal coliform (FC) and total coliform (TC) for MNH ranged from 5-23 x 106 cfu/100ml and 14 -41 x 106 cfu/100ml, respectively, while FC and TC ranged from 0.5 - 4x106 cfu/100 ml and 0.5-9 x 106 cfu/100ml for wastewater from TRH. The results of FC and TC from both hospitals are far higher than the allowable standard as specified in Tanzania standard (TZS 860:2005) which limits to 0.01x106 cfu/100ml, which may render the human health and other ecosystems. The hospital wastewater is polluted physically, chemically and biologically which need treatment before disposal in order to protect human health and another ecosystems’ life
Vicarious Experience as a Predictor of Self-efficacy in Condom Use among Adolescents in Tanzania: Reflections from Media, Peers and Adults
Get PDFCOVID-19 Pandemic in Pre-Primary Children in Tanzania: Strategies and Challenges
Get PDFThis study aimed at exploring challenges faced by pre-primary children during COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies adapted to help them to cope with the pandemic in a Tanzanian context. Fifteen parents whose children were in pre-primary schools were interviewed through mobile phones on the challenges faced children and the strategies used to help their children cope with COVID 19 pandemic. The main challenges reported were loneliness and inactiveness. Majority of the parents could not device strategies that would help their children cope with the pandemic but reported to connect their children with the media such as educative cartoons. Based on the findings, it is recommended that necessary measures should be taken to empower parents to stimulate, play, communicate, and support their children’s learning at home. Guidance should be provided to parents on how to engage their children in age-appropriate ways in order to develop literacy and numeracy skills at home
Impact of COVID-19 on Inclusive Education in Higher Learning Institutions in Rwanda
Get PDFThis study analysed the impact of COVID – 19 pandemics on the inclusive learning process of students in the higher learning institutions in Rwanda. A quantitative research design was adopted. Primary data was collected from 1170 students in 30 learning institutions in Rwanda using a closed ended questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical analytical tools. The results indicated covid -19 has impacted the inclusive learning process of students in the higher learning institutions in different ways. Students in rural areas were more affected due to limited access to internet connections, lack of internet data and limited access to electricity all of which were caused by limited infrastructure in the online learning. Students from poor families regardless of their locations suffered more due to limited access to electricity and internet connections in their homes. The study contributed to the existing knowledge in two ways, Firstly, it established the impact of covid–19 pandemic on the inclusive learning process in higher learning institutions. Secondly, it established the learning inequality based on location and social economic status
Indirect Effect of Information and Communication Technology on Business Performance in Small and Medium Manufacturing Industries in Tanzania
Get PDFThis study investigated the indirect effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on business performance in Tanzania's small and medium manufacturing industries (SMMIs). This study was motivated by the poor research results that show the indirect application of ICT on product innovation and business performance in SMMIs in the country. Thus, the study was carried out to understand the extent to which the application of ICT enhances product innovation in SMMIs. The study was conducted in four regions namely; Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, and Morogoro with a sample size of 474 SMMIs. The data were analyzed using IBM Amos version 26 and structural equation modeling (SEM). The analyzed data showed that the relationship between ICT use and product innovation techniques in Tanzanian SMMIs was highly significant. In the same sample size, the intensity and direction of the association between product innovation and business performance were the same. During the discussion of the findings, it became clear that ICT use and product innovation had increased among Tanzanian SMMIs. The results showed that the indirect effect of ICT use on business performance, when mediated by product innovation, was moderately significant for SMMIs in Tanzania once they were linked. These outcomes are comparable to those of companies in Mexico, Spain, and Italy. According to the findings, SMMIs in Tanzania should increase the application of ICT with a product innovation mindset to improve business performance. This strategy would help SMMIs in Tanzania to achieve their organizational objectives
Unravelling the Relationship between Governance Indicators and Foreign Direct Investment in Tanzania: An Empirical Analysis
Get PDFForeign Direct investment (FDI) is recognized as a significant source of capital inflows that can stimulate economic growth in developing countries. In order to attract and benefit from FDI, governments have implemented various economic reforms and focused on improving governance indicators. This study investigated the causality effect of governance indicators on FDI inflows in Tanzania. The governance indicators examined in this study include; rule of law, regulatory quality, government effectiveness, control of corruption, voice and Accountability, political stability and absence of violence. Before measuring the causality effect between the variables, a stationarity, test was conducted using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. Then the Granger Causality Test was used to address two-way linkages between variables. The data used in the study was secondary quantitative time series data obtained from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators and the Bank of Tanzania from 1996 to 2021. The findings suggested a long-run causality running from governance indicators to FDI inflows in Tanzania. In the short run, voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption individually influence FDI inflows. Furthermore, the Granger causality test indicates that voice and accountability and political stability and absence of violence Granger cause FDI inflows. The other governance indicators also exhibited significant causality with FDI inflows. These results call for policy makers in Tanzania to focus on strengthening governance framework, ensure accountability, enhance investor protection, ensure political stability, promote the rule of law and prevent corruption in achieving increased FDI for sustained economic growth
Decision making Practices on the Implementation of Curriculum in Community-Based Secondary Schools in Tabora Region, Tanzania
Get PDFThe main purpose of this study was to examine the opinions of educational stakeholders concerning the practices of decision-making on the curriculum implementation in community-based secondary schools in Tabora region in Tanzania. Thirty interviewees took part in the study. A qualitative research methodology was used in the investigation. Purposive sampling was utilised as a method of sampling. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data after they had been acquired using a semi-structured interviewing method. Findings found out that most community-based secondary schools used decision-making techniques that did not conform to every step and procedures that needed to be followed in order to make rational decisions about teaching, learning, and evaluation in schools. The findings thus corroborated the main argument of the bounded rationality model of decision-making, which assert that whenever a leader engages in decision-making without adhering to proper procedures starting with problem identification and ending with review and evaluation, the decisions made frequently fail to address the real problems that exist in an organization. Finally, the study makes the following recommendations for Tanzania's local authorities who are in charge of overseeing the community-based secondary schools: ensure that heads of schools regularly participate in training on school pedagogical leadership; ensure that there is effective monitoring and evaluation of how heads of schools make daily decisions regarding teaching and learning; and ensure that there are effective mentorship programmes in place
Efficiency of Mutual Funds and Portfolio Performance Measurement: A Case of Selected Mutual Funds in Tanzania
Get PDFThis study examines the current efficiency trends in the Tanzanian mutual fund industry over a five-year span (2018-2022), focusing on six specific funds: Umoja Fund, WekezaMaisha, Watoto Fund, Jikimu Fund, Liquid Fund, and Bond Fund. Employing a non-parametric approach, specifically Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the research collects secondary data from diverse sources, including newspapers, journals, books, periodicals, and the websites of UTT and the Bank of Tanzania (BOT). Monthly Net Asset Values (NAVs) of the selected mutual funds are scrutinized from each scheme's inception. Motivated by the limited understanding of mutual fund efficiency in Tanzania despite reported successes in increased asset values, profitability, and investor numbers, the study reveals distinctive performances under Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) and Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) assumptions. Under VRS, all mutual funds consistently achieve nearly 100% efficiency, signifying optimal operational scales. However, under CRS, efficiency scores fluctuate over time, underscoring the importance of mutual funds' adaptability for enhanced efficiency. Furthermore, the research suggests that mutual fund size significantly influences efficiency and potential scale economies. Smaller mutual funds demonstrate superior resource utilization efficiency, attributed to their focused investment approach. The analysis of inputs and output slacks provides insights into efficiency and resource utilization, identifying areas of optimal resource management and highlighting opportunities for improvement. The findings offer valuable insights into mutual fund efficiency under different scale assumptions, emphasizing the importance of scale flexibility and efficient resource management for superior performance. Implications suggest avenues for further research to explore external factors, efficiency fluctuations, portfolio management practices, and longitudinal trends within the mutual fund industry