ZEGU Journals Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University
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The Housing Provision and Environmental Protection Dilemma A Cause-Impact Analysis of Urban Housing Development on Harare’s Wetlands
No full textThis article discusses the causes and impacts of urban housing development on wetlands in Harare. Being a local authority, the City of Harare has the mandate to provide housing for its inhabitants and at the same time protect the natural environment such as wetlands that are inherent in the city. Recent trends show that there has been a tradeoff between housing provision and wetlands protection. A qualitative research design, which entailed the use of interviews with town planners and environmentalists was used to gather data for this study. The data was analysed using content analysis. The study results revealed that fragmented legislation, lack of enforcement, deficient wetlands categorisation criteria, political interference, corruption and low wetlands prioritisation were the contributory factors for housing development on wetlands in Harare. Consequently, water retention capacity, flood attenuation strengths, biodiversity supporting services and spatial extent of the wetlands have been greatly affected. However, if these developments continue unabated, the residents of Harare will be affected by a serious water crisis and environmental problems such as flooding
Leveraging Digital Platforms to Promote Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Zimbabwe
No full textAgriculture is one of the chief anchors of the Zimbabwe’s economy with a contribution of more than 9% to the GDP. The agricultural sector has faced unprecedent challenges which impacted the smallholder farmers’ ability to maximise their yields and, hence, revenues. Various challenges are impacting smallholder farmers\u27 ability to effectively maximise their productivity on their land. The issues include limited access to markets, limited advisory services from agriculture extension officers, limited capital as well as logistics and procurement limitations. The digital agriculture platforms have emerged as the solution to tackle bottlenecks in agriculture extension services, access to markets, weather services, finance, procurement services and logistics. Welthungerhilfe (WHH) has been developing digital apps for smallholder farmers such as Kurima Mari and Agri-Share. These apps have been adopted with the objective of propelling the achievement of the zero hunger United Nations Sustainable Goals (SDG) through increased productivity, which culminates in higher yields and revenues. This study’s aim is to establish the extent to which WHH digital platforms are able to promote food security and sustainable agriculture through enhanced productivity and improved livelihoods amongst smallholder farmers. A qualitative approach to data collection through the use focus groups and structured questionnaires is employed. The findings reveal the capability of the digital agricultural platforms to solve key challenges faced by smallholder farmers. The study also establishes the relationship between the use of digital platforms and an increase in agriculture productivity, resulting in improved livelihoods of farmers. The study identifies the challenges faced by the farmers in utilising digital agric platforms. It also shows opportunities that can be exploited by the farmers through technology in driving sustainable agriculture.
Advancing the New Urban Agenda through Promoting Urban Agriculture: The Case of Masvingo City, Zimbabwe
No full textThe New Urban Agenda is a new development agenda that seeks to introduce a new approach to development. It aims for innovative and transformative approach to development. Urban planning in many cities of the Global South has been lagging in terms of planning for realities in these cities. As a result, planning has not been able to cover emerging land uses, especially those that have been as result of human response to poverty. This research aims to examine how urban agriculture has been incorporated in Masvingo City. A mixed methods approach is adopted in which both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are used. Interviews were done with key informants and field observations were done in areas practising urban agriculture. The research found out that despite widespread practice of urban agriculture, Masvingo City is not innovative to include urban agriculture in its development agenda
Addressing Barriers and Creating Opportunities for Women with Disabilities in Gendered Economies: A Case of Masvingo Urban Zimbabwe
No full textWomen experience barriers in their day-to-day lives and the presence of a disability compounds the situation. Women with disabilities often face stigma and discrimination, hindering their active participation and recognition in the economic sector. This article aims to explore the challenges faced by women with disabilities in accessing economic opportunities and improving their livelihoods. Obstacles include cultural norms and values about women, limited access to education and lack of training. The qualitative study collected data using in-depth face-to-face interviews with 10 women with disabilities and three administrators from disability organisations in Masvingo who were purposively selected. The study is guided by The Feminist Disability Theory and the Capability Theory. The study found that despite the existence of legislation supporting rights of people with disabilities, gender inequality affects access to education, employment and empowerment for women with disabilities in socio-economic activities remains low. Their livelihoods are affected by the lack of opportunities to engage in meaningful economic activities, though some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are capacitating women with disabilities. The study recommends addressing education disparities, improving employment and economic opportunities for girls and women with disabilities through vocational training and access to financial resources for establishing own entrepreneurial businesses and strengthening legal frameworks to protect their rights
Enhancing Programming Proficiency, Evaluating the Impact of AI-powered Code Assistant Tools on Learning Outcomes
No full textThere always exists a naiver, tinier approach to writing good code and, likewise, a longer and more comprehensive way. Imagine a tool that takes advantage of deep machine learning algorithms to fish the most appropriate code and put it in a drop-down menu only for a programmer to select. In recent years, the use of AI-powered programming tools has grown in leaps and bounds and gained much attention. Whereas AI has been around for roughly 30 years, it is still uncertain for educators on how to make instructive advantage of it on a larger scale and how it can essentially have a profound effect on teaching and learning in tertiary education. This article investigates the effectiveness of AI-powered code assistant tools in learning programming. For the research, two leading coding platforms were picked (eclipse and VS code) and a selected AI-powered code assistant tool (Tabnine) was installed. After training the research participants, an experiment was carried out, whereby all 40 participants were given two tests, one on AI-assistant enabled coding platform and the other on non-AI-assistant enabled coding platform. Results indicate that AI-coding tools significantly increase students’ coding efficiency and general motivation to code. Results also show that AI code assistant tools do not affect participant’s code comprehension. From the results found it is recommended that AI code assistant tools must be incorporated to aid students in developing a positive attitude towards programming and also to improve their coding efficiency
Risk Factors Influencing the Prevalence of Hypertension in Low-and Middle-income Countries: A Scoping Review
No full textHypertension is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in modern society. Despite the issue having existed for years, no long-term interventions have been proven to completely curb it. This scoping review aims at examining the risk factors that influence the high prevalence of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic approach to literature collection is employed through a broad search strategy. The search utilised the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, DoPHER and TRoPHI. These databases were chosen because they provide the largest health science article collections, especially in public health, medicine and intervention research in LMICs. The initial search yielded 1 267 articles. However, through rigorous analysis and application of the exclusion criteria, only 30 articles were found to meet the inclusion criteria and thus used for the research analysis. The data analysis used the Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework. The results indicate that most people in LMICs have limited resources to enable quality and affordable access to health facilities. The government and relevant health departments have not invested significantly in ensuring the availability of health facilities and amenities. Another factor identified are lifestyle factors, as people in these countries have a high intake of unhealthy processed and fast foods. Most of the population is always trying to gain enough income to meet their basic needs and thus lack enough time to engage in physical exercise. However, the prevalence is also affected by regional levels, rationalising the need for specific interventions to address the prevailing issues. The research concludes with a recommendation for developing significant interventions and more regionally specific research, as root causes differ from country to country. There is also need to have more specific research that seeks to identify the relationship between cultural practices and hypertension prevalence
The Mediating Role of Institutional Quality in the Re-industrialisation-Export Performance Nexus: Evidence from the Zimbabwean Manufacturing Sector
No full textThis study investigates the mediating effect of institutional quality in the relationship between re-industrialisation and export performance within Zimbabwe\u27s manufacturing sector. The study employs a descriptive research design, using structured questionnaires to collect data from 384 officials from active manufacturing exporters. The collection of primary research data was done by way of an online questionnaire survey administered to the 384 participants selected by way of stratified random sampling. The study analysed data using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) which was performed in R studio. The study found that institutional quality had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between re-industrialisation and export performance. It also found that re-industrialisation had a significant direct effect on export performance. It is evident from the findings that there is an urgent need for the Zimbabwean government to institute comprehensive institutional reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law, improving government effectiveness and Government policy enhancing governance accountability. should deliberately prioritise the establishment of a robust predictable legal environment, anticorruption measures and streamlining bureaucracy to buttress growth and export competitiveness. Manufacturers should engage policy-makers on issues of policy, diversify export markets and adopt cost-saving technologies to navigate institutional challenges. The study is motivated by the lack of empirical evidence drawn from Zimbabwe on the moderating effect of institutional quality. Therefore, the study contributes to the bridging of this gap by proffering research evidence in that regard. The study also advances recommendations for policy reform in Zimbabwe.
Using the Technology Acceptance Model in Assessing the Impact of Financial Intelligence Systems on Money Laundering Detection in Zimbabwean Financial Institutions
No full textMoney laundering posed significant global threats, prompting urgent reforms and technological advancements. In this context, a study was conducted to investigate the acceptance of financial intelligence systems (FIS) among employees in Zimbabwean financial institutions. Utilising a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), researchers collected data from 289 employees representing banks (52%), microfinance institutions (33%) and insurance firms (15%), achieving an impressive response rate of 82.57%. The demographic analysis revealed a diverse sample, with 58.82% of respondents identifying as male and 41.18% as female, the majority being aged 31-40 years (41.52%). Key findings indicated that Perceived Usefulness (PU) emerged as the strongest predictor of Attitude Towards Using (ATU) FIS, with a statistical coefficient of β = 0.60 (p < 0.001), while Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) showed a weak, non-significant relationship with PU (β = 0.18, p = 0.063). Facilitating Conditions significantly influenced PEU (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), as did Computer Self-Efficacy (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), with junior staff demonstrating better adaptability to new systems compared to their senior counterparts. Attitudes were moderately correlated with Behavioural Intention to Use (BI) FIS (β = 0.55, p < 0.001), while security concerns significantly affected attitudes (β = 0.46, p < 0.001), leading many employees to express scepticism about integrating advanced systems into their existing workflows. The researchers recommended that financial institutions enhance technological support through comprehensive training documentation
The Interplay among the ‘Small House\u27, African Heritage And Gender Rights for Societal Development
No full textThe family is central to development in all societies. However, changes in the family structures, including the emergence of the ‘small house’ (SH), have brought uncertainties on this role. This qualitative case study, embedded in Liberal Feminism and Ubuntu Theories thus sought the views of four of each of marriage officers, probation officers, educators, opinion leaders and members in ‘SH’ relationships about its impact on gender rights and socio-economic development in Zimbabwe through interviews. Participants were selected equitably as argued by gender. Focus Group Discussions were held with 12 university students. Thematic analysis indicates that the SH in its current form is impacting the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe negatively since it is gender blind, does not foster the Ubuntu concept of reverence for the first wife, disregards the rights of females, negatively encroaches into education of children, exposes siblings to possible incest, reduces family unity, promotes jealous among siblings and wives, exposes partners to health problems, leads to estate sharing wrangles and emotional trauma among the partners. The study recommends the classical vision of polygamy to restore trust among partners and for the concerned families to work towards agreed goals. Also, the SH should be discussed openly to encourage society to accept it
Global Pandemics and Public Policy: Future Direction
No full textThe article is based on a study that explored and discussed the impacts of global pandemics on social policy in search of future directions. Global pandemics have been around for many generations affecting populations and causing loss of life every time they occur. It discusses the impacts of pandemics on social policy as countries respond to these in different approaches. Global pandemics have been met with global responses backed by national policies due to the lack of authority on the global health regulating organisations. The problem in the study is that global pandemics expose the shortcomings of the public healthcare management systems in various countries as they lack preparedness to tackle pandemics and respond to the challenges, leading to infringement of social policies by the solutions developed. The research use a qualitative research methodology with a secondary information approach as a method of data collection. The study findings indicate that governments introduced lockdowns which limited the movement of people, affecting income security and led to the provision of social security measures that excluded migrant workers. The study concludes that the preparedness of healthcare systems can reduce the impacts of pandemics on social policy in future. The research recommends the creation of gender-inclusive responses to global pandemic