Search

The PanAfrican Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of information and communication technology (ICT; PanAf) research project was initiated in 2006 to support initiatives in African countries to integrate ICT into teaching and learning through the frequent collection and analysis of data on ICT usage. The article examines the congruence between the intended and implemented ICT curricula in six African countries (Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa) that participated in the study. Data obtained from the PanAf observatory (at www.observatoiretic.org) on these countries' use of ICT in education revealed that the national curricula documents (intended curricula) and teachers' classroom practices (implemented curricula) both emphasize ICT as the subject of learning rather than as a means of learning.

Medical education in Africa is in desperate need of reforms, evident in widespread diseases, and an inability to mobilise and train the required medical workforce to deal with these health issues. However, the exponential rise in the use of mobile technologies due to the spread of the Internet and increased telecommunication networks offer an opportunity for the transformation of medical education and practice through the deployment of mobile devices as a medium for learning and conveying health care services to the remote and resource-constrained locations of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper reviewed articles on the affordances of m-learning for distributed medical education in SSA published between 2010-2018. Results from 18 articles identified in the review revealed a slow-paced ascendancy of practice and research in the field; it further exposed competing priorities, infrastructural deficit, and chronic workforce shortages as the bane of m-learning implementation in the subregion. This paper makes recommendations that will enhance the growth of mobile-based distance medical education and practice in SSA.

The growing population of young people in the world today makes them an indispensable factor in international, regional, national and local development today. The UN World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) and the African Union's African Youth Charter all attest to the concern development stakeholders pay to youth development. This paper analysis youth policy within 9 member states of the Central African Sub region, showcasing the vital, yet significant role that polities are creating in fostering an enabling environment for youth participation. It explores the tenets of youth policy within this sub region by depicting how the participation of youths in societal activities and decision making instances should be an asset and a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth and social development. It also expresses abysmal concern about the magnitude of youth unemployment and underemployment throughout in Africa and its profound implications for the future of our societies, particularly those residing in the Central African sub region. The study is descriptive and applies a qualitative approach based on expert interviews and desk research. It employs the explanatory case study approach, and the combined anthropological research techniques through the use of key informant interview, written records and non-participant observations. The authors also conducted research in major databases like google scholar, PUB Med with the search phrase being youth policies, participation and youth governance. The 2016 Youth Development Index Report indicates that all 9 Central African countries have a low index, and 4 of the 9 countries are ranked in the bottom 10 of the classification. The findings also reveal that conflicts, underdevelopment and lack of political willingness are customarily accountable for the lagging of this Sub region in youth policy matters. The paper also proposes indicators to monitor and evaluate Youth Policies in the Central African Sub region, using the model proposed by Tanya BASARAB, develop initiatives to promote youth participation, and encourage networking among youth organizations and institutions with the Central African Sub region.

This paper is the second in a set of two on the extent to which Catholic and other faith-based schools are serving the poor well. Catholic and other faith-based schools reach millions of children who live in poverty, yet this does not necessarily mean that they are serving these children well enough. The paper considers two separate issues. First, beyond academic subjects, Catholic and other faith-based schools emphasise learning related to values and religion. Do they succeed in doing so? Based on small sample survey data and qualitative fieldwork, as well as broader data on parental satisfaction with schools, the paper provides a tentative and mostly positive answer to this question, at least from the view of parents. The second issue is where performance is weaker. Education systems are affected by a learning crisis in the developing world. All schools should ensure that students learn, but too often this is not the case. The second part of the paper documents this learning crisis and the fact that Catholic and other faith-based schools are not immune to it. This is done in part through a rapid review of the recent World Development Report on education's promise, and a companion piece for sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates of performance for selected African countries are also provided. The results are sobering: too many children are not learning while in school. Finally, the paper briefly summarises evidence from the literature on interventions that could improve learning, including in Catholic and faith-based schools. [For Part I of the series, see EJ1206878.]

With the growing demand for tertiary education, especially in Africa, the transformation of contact universities to dual-mode institutions is critical. However, conventional universities have had limited success establishing the dual-mode delivery stream. This paper assesses barriers to adoption and implementation of open and distance learning (ODL) in conventional higher education institutions in Cameroon, Kenya and Rwanda by applying a framework on innovation adoption to case studies of ODL in higher education in these countries. This qualitative meta-study shows that the transition to dual-mode is not systematic and that there are various barriers, ranging from national policy and funding; infrastructure, organisational structure and capacity; complexity and cost of ODL; as well as student and staff skills and perceptions, which have impeded adoption. Based on the findings, this paper makes recommendations for implementing ODL in existing conventional universities. Cases of successful transition to dual-mode are provided.

The borrowing and transfer of policies, ideas and practices from one system to another may in part explain the convergence of educational systems. Using text documents as research material, this paper examines the adoption and transfer of Bologna Process (BP) ideas in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and in the Cameroonian higher education (HE) system through the lens of policy borrowing and transfer, and policy convergence, in order to understand the justification for such transfer at the local level. In 1999, in what is known as the BP, 29 ministers of HE signed the Bologna Declaration with the intention of creating a European HE area. In 2005, the heads of state of the CEMAC region signed the Libreville Declaration with the intention of creating the CEMAC Space for Higher Education, Research and Professional Training through licence, master and doctorat reform. The justification for the adoption of BP ideas in the CEMAC region was attributed to the convergence of educational systems. The need to legitimise the harmonisation of the degree structure and to adhere to international standards for international recognition of certificates and graduates was found to be the major justification for the reform in the Cameroonian HE system. This paper draws attention to two aspects: first, how the BP, a European model of harmonisation, has spread beyond Europe and is influencing reforms in other parts of the world, including Africa; and second, how borrowed models are justified at the local level.

This paper analyzes China's new approaches of education aid to Africa through a case study of Cameroon. China's cooperation has been characterized by different discourses and different historic relationships with recipient countries than those of traditional donors. Sino-African policies have gone through different stages, each connected to wider political and economic realities. Currently, a broadening of China's engagement with Africa can be noticed through increasing aid packages and the inclusion of African countries other than those that had traditionally been close to China. Cameroon has been one of the countries that have had a relatively extended cooperation with China. Four types of Chinese education aid to Africa are illustrated by this paper: (i) Confucius Institutes, which are providing language and culture-related training in host countries; (ii) longer term scholarships and short-term training for Africans in China; (iii) school construction; and (iv) stand-alone education projects. By analyzing how these three different types of aid are taking place in Cameroon, various and apparently contradictory strategies and discourses materialize.

This paper describes the contribution of the Tuning Methodology toward harmonisation of undergraduate mechanical engineering programmes in Africa. This methodology is an interactive process in which academics develop high quality curricula and learning standards for students through the identification of generic and subject specific competences in consultation with employers, students, graduates, peers and other stakeholders involved in Mechanical Engineering higher education. The current Tuning process involves academics in 11 universities drawn from across Africa. The aim is to collaboratively contribute to revitalizing and reforming Mechanical Engineering higher education in Africa to make it more responsive to Africa's developmental needs. The results so far show that such a project is not only highly feasible but also holds promise for establishing compatible academic structures and reference standards across Africa, which would facilitate student and staff mobility as well as enhance cooperation not only among African academic institutions, but also between African institutions and those in the rest of the world. Eighteen generic competences and nineteen mechanical engineering-specific competences are developed, analysed and synergised to form a meta-profile that will inform the next phase of the project, which is the actual curriculum development. This activity is part of "Tuning Africa" project, which is funded through European Union-African Union collaboration.

The major contribution of this paper is to help bridge the gap between the credit unions movement's history in Europe and their fundamental trends in Cameroon. Little research by economists addressing credit union movement's history, linking the European origins to Africa in general and Cameroon in particular has been articulated. Little is also known about how credit union spread to Africa and their fundamental trends in Cameroon. Discussion on the origins of credit unions and their profile in Cameroon has indicated that the credit union movement is an adaptation of the European and North American models. The main policy issues affecting credit unions from this paper is the desirability of increasing credit union assets in Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of terrain ruggedness on child stunting in Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Using a cross‐section analysis with data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and a measure that captures variation in the terrains of the countries, we find that the more difficult it is to traverse the terrain in Burundi, Cameroon and Nigeria, the higher the likelihood of child stunting. However, this association is not consistent for Ethiopia until we account for the Oromia region, which has the capital city Addis Ababa. These results remain robust with the inclusion of socio‐economic factors related to child health (e.g. maternal health, maternal education and household income), demographic factors (e.g. gender of child), other geographical factors (e.g. rainfall patterns and malaria prevalence) and survey and region effects. The results suggest that there are complementary factors to geography that may contribute to poor child health outcomes, such as the quality of infrastructure and the ability to access healthcare services. Given that child health is a key development outcome, understanding such spatial variations associated with child health inequalities can assist in designing effective intervention programmes and allocating resources where they are most needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paul Biya, who has been in power in Cameroon as a prime minister from 1975 to 1982 and as a president since 1982, is now the longest-ruling non-royal national leader of the world. While this durability has baffled many observers worldwide, it has not yet attracted much attention from academia. In fact, the current literature on Cameroonian politics generally focuses on the dictatorial characteristics of the Paul Biya regime, not on its durability. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap in the literature. Adopting a micro-level (or bottom-up) approach, we try to understand why most Cameroonians are willing to stay under the same ruler for at least two generations. Using the Afrobarometer's round 7 national surveys in Cameroon, we apply simple statistical analyses and machine learning (or predictive analytics) to determine to what extent the Cameroonian people support their president and his regime and to identify the predictors (or determinants) of such support. As a result, we find that, despite the socalled "Anglophone crisis" and Boko Haram's attacks in the North, most Cameroonians, especially the French speakers, still approve of the job performance of Biya. The main factors behind this approval have more to do with their trust in the president himself, the approval of the job performance of their parliament members, and their regional location than with the conduct of the country's political affairs or the management of the national economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven theme articles focus on serving rural youth in the International Youth Year and describe vocational agricultural education in developing nations, new models for international agricultural education, and goals and objectives of the Association for International Agricultural Education. (SK)

Copyright of Parasite (1252607X) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In the Cameroon, previous efforts to identify Buruli ulcer (BU) through the mobilization of community health workers (CHWs) yielded poor results. In this paper, we describe the successful creation of a BU community of practice (BUCOP) in Bankim, Cameroon composed of hospital staff, former patients, CHWs, and traditional healers. Methods and principle findings: All seven stages of a well-defined formative research process were conducted during three phases of research carried out by a team of social scientists working closely with Bankim hospital staff. Phase one ethnographic research generated interventions tested in a phase two proof of concept study followed by a three- year pilot project. In phase three the pilot project was evaluated. An outcome evaluation documented a significant rise in BU detection, especially category I cases, and a shift in case referral. Trained CHW and traditional healers initially referred most suspected cases of BU to Bankim hospital. Over time, household members exposed to an innovative and culturally sensitive outreach education program referred the greatest number of suspected cases. Laboratory confirmation of suspected BU cases referred by community stakeholders was above 30%. An impact and process evaluation found that sustained collaboration between health staff, CHWs, and traditional healers had been achieved. CHWs came to play a more active role in organizing BU outreach activities, which increased their social status. Traditional healers found they gained more from collaboration than they lost from referral. Conclusion/ Significance: Setting up lines of communication, and promoting collaboration and trust between community stakeholders and health staff is essential to the control of neglected tropical diseases. It is also essential to health system strengthening and emerging disease preparedness. The BUCOP model described in this paper holds great promise for bringing communities together to solve pressing health problems in a culturally sensitive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems of the Baka pigmies is an interesting but a delicate subject at the same time. Compared to any other indigenous population, "pygmies" in general and the Baka in particular are dependant on rainforest resources. The economy of Cameroon is largely based on the exploitation of natural resources, especially logging industry, a fact that makes the Baka face even more pressure than other indigenous people in Africa. This mainly happens because of conflicting interest on rainforest resources. There are international provisions which define and safeguard the indigenous populations. Unfortunately the Cameroonian legislation often does not put in practice the conventions that they sign. The present paper found its legal roots in UN, WLO, and World Bank provisions regarding the rights of the indigenous people and data analysis will be undertaken according to these international standards. The paper will analyse the current status of the Baka people of Cameroon, accordingly to the literature available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review approaches to providing support to entrepreneurs adopted by four business support organisations, originally created with similar objectives, in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Cameroon to examine entrepreneurial heterogeneity in Africa and the hypothesis that local solutions are required to support entrepreneurs effectively. Design/methodology/approach - An empirical review of each business support organisation's approach, including a stakeholder analysis was undertaken. Findings - Although the trusts were established to achieve broadly similar objectives, all have followed a different path, apparently in response to the need to provide support in different ways. All are successful, demonstrating the importance of this approach. All learn from each other, adopting and, importantly, adapting successful programmes. Research limitations/implications - The research whilst systematically covering stakeholders was limited to gathering qualitative perceptions of the organisations and their successes. Further research, based on systematic performance measurement by the trusts, and with appropriate control groups, could provide further insights. Practical implications - The study is relevant to policy makers, particularly in donors and multi-lateral institutions, considering how further to encourage and support small business development. It should encourage the designers of new programmes to spend more time ensuring that they understand how the needs of local entrepreneurs can best be addressed. Originality/value - The study is unique in being able to use four business support organisations, in four countries, all with a common core sponsor and similar values, to make comparisons of supporting entrepreneurs. The paper makes a contribution towards demonstrating that there is little homogeneity amongst entrepreneurs in Africa and those entrepreneurs therefore require assistance tailored to meet their particular culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse enterprises' performance in terms of the National Innovation System – NIS in three Africans countries: Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon. Drawing inspiration from the Schumpeterian approach of innovation and using the World Bank Enterprises Survey (WBES-2016) data, we estimated a multinomial logit model. The results show that innovation system's different spheres (academic, governmental, enterprise, societal and environmental) of the quintuple helix contribute more to improving the performance of technological innovation in Egypt than in other countries. In addition, the analyses enabled us to highlight the embryonic state of the NIS in Africa. Thus, underlying innovation policies have been proposed to improve enterprises' performance in terms of the NIS in the different countries studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a short presentation of the Lake Chad water conflict and demonstrates the dependency between water scarcity and security. The conflict shows the consequences and effects of climate change and overpopulation; furthermore, it highlights the link between global warming and armed conflicts. Despite the fact that the conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon is over, there is no satisfactory solution to the root of the problem. The Lake Chad conflict is an extraordinarily complicated situation, because Lake Chad is a transnational lake. Its shares borders with Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. The water shortage unleashed an armed conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon. Finally, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a judgement in the dispute in 2002. Although interstate conflicts and disputes were solved with the assistance of an intergovernmental organization, the Lake Chad Basin Commission, intrastate problems are still unsolved and this is an important social and security related issue. As a result of the climate change and the lack of the international cooperation in the field of water resource management, more and more disputes and conflicts are expected to occur in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in forestry policies in Cameroon have often been initiated by different stakeholders in line with their respective interests, political and/or economic power, capacities and views. Consequently, communities, and especially women, inhabiting forest areas have faced difficulty using and managing forests, for cultural, social, economic and institutional reasons that limit their rights regarding the forest. This paper argues that institutional changes in Cameroon around ownership, use and management of forest resources have had far-reaching impacts on women who are dependent on these forests. We use secondary and primary data to support our analyses. Our findings reveal that over time, forestry reforms in Cameroon have been gender-blind or gender-neutral, with no clauses in forestry reforms that consider women’s vulnerabilities, needs and responsibilities. These reforms continue to impose secondary roles on women. By using gender-inclusive success stories from Nepalese forest communities, this research presses on policymakers to be more gender-inclusive when enacting forestry policies. Raising awareness and enforcing accountability that supports women will both improve the standards of living for everyone in forest communities and enhance sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the advancement in sexual and reproductive healthcare services and several public health measures aimed at controlling fertility rates, countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) still experience higher adolescent fertility rates than other low-and middle-income countries. This study examined the disparities in adolescent fertility in 39 countries in SSA, focusing on socioeconomic and residence-based dimensions. Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from 39 recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in SSA. The measures of difference (D), ratio (R), population attributable fraction (PAF), and population attributable risk (PAR) were estimated using the Health Equity Assessment Tool (HEAT) software version 3.1 developed by the World Health Organization. The measures: D, R, PAF, and PAR were used to examine the inequalities in adolescent fertility across the socioeconomic and residence-based dimensions. Results: Out of the 39 countries included in the study, Guinea (D=27.70), Niger (D=27.50), Nigeria (D=23.90), and Côte d'Ivoire (D=23.60) exhibited the most significant residence-based inequalities in the rate of adolescent fertility, with the higher rate observed among adolescents in rural areas. Rwanda was the sole country that showed a slight inclination towards rural inequality in terms of the rate of adolescent fertility, with a value of D = -0.80. The burden of adolescent fertility was disproportionately higher among young women with low economic status across all the countries, exacerbating wealth-based inequities. The countries with the largest absolute discrepancies were Nigeria (D=44.70), Madagascar (D=41.10), Guinea (D=41.00), and Cameroon (D=40.20). We found significant disparities in educational attainment contributing to unequal inequalities in adolescent fertility, particularly among young women who lack access to formal education. Countries such as Madagascar (D=59.50), Chad (D=55.30), Cameroon (D=54.60), and Zimbabwe (D=50.30) had the most significant absolute disparities. Conclusion: This study revealed that young women residing in rural areas, those in households with low economic status and those with limited educational opportunities experience a disproportionately high burden of adolescent fertility across the 39 countries in SSA. The current findings offer valuable information to governmental entities at all levels regarding the need to ensure the provision of equitable, accessible, and dependable sexual and reproductive health services to the populace, particularly for young women. Therefore, the various stakeholders need to enhance the effectiveness of health policies and legislation pertaining to adolescent women living in rural areas, those from economically disadvantaged households, and those with limited or no access to formal education. Such interventions could potentially reduce adolescent fertility rates and mitigate the adverse maternal and child outcomes associated with high adolescent fertility in SSA. Plain summary: Adolescent fertility is a major health problem for many developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although several sexual and reproductive health initiatives have been introduced in these countries, the number of births among adolescents continues to be high. The present study looked at the socioeconomic and geographical differences in adolescent fertility across 39 countries in SSA using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys embedded into the World Health Organization's Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (WHO HEAT) software. The study found that in countries like Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire, the rates of adolescent fertility varied a lot, with higher rates in rural areas. Generally, poorer young women were more likely to have babies, which made the gap between the rich and the poor even wider. Nigeria, Madagascar, Guinea, and Cameroon had the biggest differences. Education also played a role. In countries like Madagascar, Chad, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe, young women who did not go to school (had no education) were more likely to have children as teenagers. The study showed that in all 39 countries, young women living in rural areas, those who were poorer and those who did not go to school (had no education) faced a bigger problem with adolescent fertility. The study suggests that if people who make health policies pay more attention to teenage girls in the rural areas, those who are poor and do not have much education, they could make a significant difference in reducing adolescent fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cameroon introduced the malaria vaccine in its routine immunization program on 22 January 2024 in the 42 districts out of 200 that are among the most at risk of malaria. A cross-sectional analysis of the data on key vaccine events in the introduction roadmap and the vaccine uptake during the first 30 days was conducted. In addition to available gray literature related to the introduction of the malaria vaccine, data on the malaria vaccine uptake by vaccination session, collected through a digital platform, were analyzed. A total of 1893 reports were received from 22 January 2024 to 21 February 2024 from 766 health facilities (84% of overall completeness). Two regions out of ten recorded less than 80% completeness. As of 21 February 2024, 13,811 children had received the first dose of the malaria vaccine, including 7124 girls (51.6%) and 6687 boys (48.4%). In total, 36% of the children were vaccinated through outreach sessions, while 61.5% were vaccinated through sessions in fixed posts. The overall monthly immunization coverage with the first dose was 37%. Early results have shown positive attitudes towards and acceptance of malaria vaccines. Suboptimal completeness of data reporting and a low coverage highlight persistent gaps and challenges in the vaccine rollout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the results of a research project entitled Passive beneficiary versus local partner of development projects. Conceptualisation and adaptive strategies concerning development cooperation of African local communities (Comparative study). The research was conducted in Cameroon, Mali and Morocco in 2011-2013. Author's experiences from previous research conducted in Africa were also used to write this paper. The Author, by referring to a postmodern development critics, analyses two models of development project conceptualisation. He labels them with contrary phrases: 'let's do something' and give us something'. The analysis gains from the theory o f linguistic games by Ludwig Wittgenstein and from the concept of two scripts of a project (public and secret ones). The basic thesis of the paper says that applying the given model depends on the place in a chain of presence in the project. The first model is associated by the Author with project initiators (so called 'developpers'), while the second with the beneficiaries (so called 'being developed'). Existence of these two models of development projects conceptualisation is connected with selective attitudes towards what the particular development project can offer (including its technological package). Selecting one of these two models has essential meaning for project's effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, which is conceptually located at the intersection of trade–economics, resource politics, and environmental assessment, is a narrative-analytic review of Chinese economic expansionism in Africa especially its quest for the continent’s natural resources in the past 10 years. We seek to examine the environmental, ecological, and sociopolitical impacts of the current China–Africa engagement within the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The EKC hypothesis posits that an inverted U-shape relationship exists between economic growth and environmental quality. This implies that the quality of a country’s environment will initially decrease due to its economic growth, but will soon start to improve when the country attains a certain threshold level of economic development/income per capita. We argue that by virtue of its ‘omission’ and/or ‘commission’ factors, the EKC hypothesis can be misleading if not dangerous. Using the case study of China’s engagement with Cameroon in the forest sector, the paper illustrates the high threshold level of economic development/income per capita that is required before the quality of the country’s environment can begin to improve. The paper ends with the environmental, ecological, and sociopolitical impacts of Chinese involvement in the Cameroonian forest sector and concludes that this engagement and the larger Chinese economic expansionism in Africa under current trading conditions is fairly detrimental to the welfare of African peoples and their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Past and present literature has suggested that human capital is a key socio-economic development tool (Nam, Sonobe, and Otsuka 2010; Quisumbing, and McNiven 2010). Countries are encouraged to expand and develop a robust educational system, yet many of these countries face barriers to development through human capital. This paper used case studies to examine the barriers that have presented obstacles to human capital development in Swaziland, Cameroon, and Kenya. The findings suggest that all three countries have experienced barriers that prevent human capital development due to HIV/AIDS, land tenure issues, and political corruption. The authors suggest that all three barriers work interdependently to stifle economic growth by preventing social and economic development by barring the acquisition of human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the relationship between experiential and statistical uncertainties in the timing of births in Cameroon (Central Africa). Most theories of fertility level and change emphasize the emergence of parity-specific control, treating desired family size as both central, and stable across the life course. By contrast, this paper argues for a theory of reproduction that emphasizes process, social context, and contingency. The paper concentrates on the second birth interval, showing that it is longer and more variable among educated than among uneducated women. The paper argues that this difference is due to the specific forms of uncertainty associated with education in contemporary Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant literature has explored the effects of foreign aid on armed conflicts and state repression, but not on public demonstrations. This article compares distribution patterns of Chinese and World Bank-funded projects and public demonstrations in Cameroon, receiving predominantly Chinese official finance, and Uganda, receiving predominantly traditional, Western aid. Distributive patterns suggest negative and positive associations between Chinese and traditional official finance on the one hand and public demonstrations on the other. However, with respect to anti-project demonstrations specifically, I find through fieldwork interviews in Cameroon that Chinese-funded projects are more prone to anti-project demonstrations owing to less stringent risk management standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research ethics review is a critical aspect of the research governance framework for human subjects research. This usually requires that research protocols be submitted to a research ethics committee (REC) for review and approval. This has led to very rapid developments in the domain of research ethics, as RECs proliferate all over the globe in rhyme with the explosion in human subjects research. The work of RECs has increasingly become elaborate, complex, and in many cases urgent, necessitating supporting rules and procedures of operation. Guidelines for elaborating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the functioning of RECs have also been proposed. The SOPs of well-placed and well-resourced RECs have tended to pay much attention to details, resulting, as a consequence, in generally long, elaborate, intricate and complex SOPs; a model that can hardly be replicated by other committees, equally under ethics review pressures, but working under much more constraining conditions in resource-destitute environments.Methods: In this paper, we looked at the content and length of SOPs from African RECs and compared them to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s guidelines as the gold standard. We also looked at the SOPs from the Ethics Review and Consultancy Committee (ERCC) of the Cameroon Bioethics Initiative that we elaborated in a simplified way in 2013, and compared them to the WHO's guidelines and to the other SOPs.Results: Sixteen SOPs from 14 African countries were collected from various sources. Their average length was of 30 pages. By comparison to the guidance of the WHO, only six of them were found acceptable with more than 70 % of the criteria from the gold standard that were fully described. Among those six, two of them were very long and detailed (65 and 102 pages), while the four remaining SOPs ranged from 16 to 24 pages. The ERCC SOPs are seven pages long but maintain all that is of essence for the rigorous, efficient and timely review of protocols.Conclusions: We are convinced that, because of their brevity, simplicity, clarity and user-friendliness, the ERCC SOPs recommend themselves as a model template to, at least, committees similarly situated and/or circumstanced as the ERCC of the Cameroon Bioethics Initiative is. In fact, brevity, clarity, simplicity and user-friendliness are recognized values. Whatever is brief and clear is better than what is not and saves time. What is simple and user-friendly is better than what is not even though the two have the same aims because it saves both time and mental energy. And if this be true in general, it is even truer of the context and its peculiar constraints that we are addressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African economies depend largely on agriculture. Most people in Africa spend most of their lives in rural areas. Agriculture is an important sector of African industry and economy, it employs more than half of the population and accounts more than half of the national income. Due to population increase the food security remains an issue. In accordance of the lack of domestic capacities of African countries to deal with the problem, it is particularly important to increase assistance from developed countries. African States are expected to demonstrate the ability to implement policies that will change with the funds received/while receiving funds. However, for various reasons, despite numerous aid packages, it/Africa remains backward. This article examines the impact of foreign aid on agricultural productivity and the impact of the quality of management on development aid flows. As examples, it was decided to take such countries as Ghana, Cameroon and Mali. The purpose of this article is to confirm the hypothesis that development assistance correlates positively with the productivity of agriculture. The second hypothesis suggests that development aid flows respond to the quality of public administration. As for the results, the impact between the variables was recorded, but the results were ambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seroprevalence to orthoebolaviruses was studied in 9594 bats (5972 frugivorous and 3622 insectivorous) from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Guinea, with a Luminex-based serological assay including recombinant antigens of four orthoebolavirus species. Seroprevalence is expressed as a range according to different cut-off calculations. Between 6.1% and 18.9% bat samples reacted with at least one orthoebolavirus antigen; the highest reactivity was seen with Glycoprotein (GP) antigens. Seroprevalence varied per species and was higher in frugivorous than insectivorous bats; 9.1–27.5% versus 1.3–4.6%, respectively. Seroprevalence in male (13.5%) and female (14.4%) bats was only slightly different and was higher in adults (14.9%) versus juveniles (9.4%) (p < 0.001). Moreover, seroprevalence was highest in subadults (45.4%) when compared to mature adults (19.2%), (p < 0.001). Our data suggest orthoebolavirus circulation is highest in young bats. More long-term studies are needed to identify birthing pulses for the different bat species in diverse geographic regions and to increase the chances of detecting viral RNA in order to document the genetic diversity of filoviruses in bats and their pathogenic potential for humans. Frugivorous bats seem more likely to be reservoirs of orthoebolaviruses, but the role of insectivorous bats has also to be further examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Land affected by contamination from human activities has been identified as a major environmental problem in developed countries and there are established mechanisms for identifying, prioritising, characterising, assessing and remediating the land so that risks to human health and environmental receptors are minimised. However, comparative mechanisms and approaches for sustainable land management are often lacking in developing countries such as Cameroon. This paper presents a critical review of the existing policy framework in Cameroon in relation to environmental management, particularly land contamination. It is established that in Cameroon, there is an acute lack of comprehensive information on land contamination from economic development and industrialisation, inadequate legal and institutional framework, weak enforcement capacity and unsatisfactory coordination between various stakeholders towards sustainable land management practices. The coastal town of Douala, which has the highest level of industrial activity in the sub region is used to demonstrate how dealing with land contamination is a public health priority and requires attention in the context of sustainable development. The United Kingdom (UK) regulatory policy framework on land contamination risk management is used to show how land contamination issues and risk management approaches, including conceptual site models, could be introduced into the sustainability discourse in Cameroon. A number of recommendations including proposals for a radical overhaul of the current regulatory policy framework are formulated and presented. Specifically, the creation of an independent Cameroon Environment Protection Agency (CEPA) that will be the main regulatory body responsible for developing and implementing the policy proposals in this paper is advocated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: This paper analyzes China''s new approaches of education aid to Africa through a case study of Cameroon. China''s cooperation has been characterized by different discourses and different historic relationships with recipient countries than those of traditional donors. Sino-African policies have gone through different stages, each connected to wider political and economic realities. Currently, a broadening of China''s engagement with Africa can be noticed through increasing aid packages and the inclusion of African countries other than those that had traditionally been close to China. Cameroon has been one of the countries that have had a relatively extended cooperation with China. Four types of Chinese education aid to Africa are illustrated by this paper: (i) Confucius Institutes, which are providing language and culture-related training in host countries; (ii) longer term scholarships and short-term training for Africans in China; (iii) school construction; and (iv) stand-alone education projects. By analyzing how these three different types of aid are taking place in Cameroon, various and apparently contradictory strategies and discourses materialize. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Djinga is a monotypic genus restricted to the Cameroon Ridge (‘Dorsale Camerounaise’) of NW Cameroon. Besides the type locality Mount Djinga (Adamawa Province, near Tignère), it also grows in waterfalls near Mount Oku (NW Province). This paper describes the structure and development of Djinga felicis using scanning electron microscopy and microtome sections. Cusset's protologue is enriched considerably. Roots are green, dorsiventrally flattened and adherent to submerged rocks. They are broad ribbons or crusts (up to 1 cm broad) which branch exogenously. Root-borne shoots (up to 17 cm) have filamentous leaves with sheaths and (occasionally) attached stipules. Flowers are borne as part of reproductive short shoots which arise exogenously along the stems and endogenously along the roots. Djinga shows non-axillary stem branching. Reproductive shoots along the main stem usually stay short. They arise from the abaxial side of double-sheathed leaves, a key innovation of Podostemoideae. These short shoots shift into pocket-like stem positions clearly below their associated leaves. Each flower bud inside a spathella is erect, but with an inclined ovary. The flowers are unistaminate with a broad connective. Unlike many other Podostemoideae, the tricolpate pollen grains are arranged in both dyads and monads. The ovary is globular and unilocular. The mature 8-ribbed capsule dehisces by two slightly unequal valves, releasing 40–50 seeds. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 160, 64–81. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The African Guineo‐Congolian (GC) region is a global biodiversity hotspot with high species endemism, bioclimatic heterogeneity, complex landscape features, and multiple biogeographic barriers. Bioclimatic and geographic variables influence global patterns of species richness and endemism, but their relative importance varies across taxa and regions and is poorly understood for many faunas. Here, we test the hypothesis that turnover in endemic amphibians of the GC biodiversity hotspot is influenced mainly by the geographic distance between grid cells and secondarily by rainfall‐ and temperature‐related variables. Location: West and Central Africa. Major Taxa Studied: Amphibians. Methods: We compiled species‐occurrence records via field sampling, online databases, and taxonomic literature. Our study used 1205 unique georeferenced records of 222 amphibian species endemic to the GC region. Patterns of species richness were mapped onto a grid with a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°. We estimated weighted endemism and tested whether endemism was higher than the expected species richness (randomization test). We quantified species turnover using generalized dissimilarity modelling to evaluate the processes underlying observed patterns of species richness in GC endemic amphibians. We explored bioregionalization using agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages. Results: We identified seven areas within the lower GC region – forests in Cameroon, Gabon, Southern Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cote d'Ivoire – as having high species richness of endemic amphibians. The randomization test returned four major areas of significant weighted endemism: Nigeria‐Cameroon mountains, forest regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Our analysis revealed five bioregions for amphibian endemism, four of which were located within the lower Guineo‐Congolian forest. Species turnover was strongly related to the geographic distance between grid cells; contributing bioclimatic variables included precipitation of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, and mean diurnal temperature range. Main Conclusions: Our results indicate that geographic distance between grid cells is the primary determinant of turnover in GC endemic amphibians, with secondary but significant effects of rainfall‐ and temperature‐related variables. Our study identifies key areas of endemic amphibian richness that could be prioritized for conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical Africa, forests and savannas are the two most widespread biomes and potentially represent alternative stable states with a divergent species composition. A classic, but untested, hypothesis posited by White (1983) suggests that the transition zones between forests and savannas contain a floristically impoverished assemblage, with few representatives from each biome. Further, the evolutionary dimension of diversity has received limited attention, despite its importance for understanding the biogeographic history of biomes. Here, we quantified species richness and several measures of evolutionary diversity in 1° grid cells, using c. 300,000 occurrence records of trees and shrubs combined with biome affiliation data for 3203 species. We found that assemblages in transition zones hold fewer woody species than assemblages in forest and savanna zones, as posited by White. However, transition zones hold more phylogenetic diversity than expected given their species richness, whether one considers forest and savanna assemblages separately or together. We also show that the Congo Basin forest has low levels of phylogenetic diversity, given the number of species, and highlight south-eastern African savannas as a centre of savanna woody species richness and phylogenetic diversity. Regions with high phylogenetic diversity, given the number of both forest and savanna species, were centred around the Dahomey Gap and Cameroon, mainly in transition zones. Overall, our study shows that even if floristically impoverished, transition zones hold unexpectedly high evolutionary diversity. This suggests that they are important centres of evolutionary innovation and diversification and/or serve as evolutionary crossroads, where lineages that diversified in contrasting environments coexist within a single area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequately diversified food consumption during pregnancy can lead to micronutrient deficiencies, which can affect maternal and newborn health outcomes. Previous studies on maternal dietary diversity have either been limited to a specific geographical region or consist entirely of systematic reviews, without meta‐analyses. Thus, this study aimed to determine the pooled estimate of the association between inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy, maternal anemia, and low birth weight in Africa. A systematic review of observational studies published between January 2000 and April 2022 was undertaken using the Google Scholar, PubMed, and CINAHL databases. The PRISMA checklist was followed to present the results. Microsoft Excel was used to abstract the data. STATA version 17 was used to analyze the data, and a random‐effects meta‐analysis model was applied to compute the pooled estimates. The study was registered in PROSPERO with protocol number CRD42022320873. A total of 22 publications with 9,696 participants were included in the final meta‐analysis. The pooled adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for inadequate dietary diversity and maternal anemia was 2.15 (95% CI, 1.66–2.65), while that for low birth weight was 2.04 (95% CI, 1.46–2.63). The highest pooled estimate of maternal anemia was reported in Cameroon (AOR = 9.8, 95% CI: 1.68–17.92), followed by Ethiopia (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.95–3.25). Similarly, the pooled estimates of low birth weight were highest in Cameroon (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.19–4.88) and Ethiopia (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.29–2.39). In Africa, pregnant mothers with inadequate dietary diversity are two times more likely to develop anemia and low birth weight. Social protection policies that prioritize pregnant women, maternal nutrition promotion in the community, and dietary counseling during antenatal care visits, using national food‐based dietary guidelines, should be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of power distance and orality in the internalization of ISO 14001 in Africa. The data was collected from 35 semi-structured interviews with a set of relevant stakeholders: managers, employees, environmental coordinators/directors, consultants, and auditors in Cameroon, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. The results point to the low power of action of the persons in charge of the implementation of ISO 14001, the tendency for managers to centralize decisions and to view the internalization of ISO 14001 as more of an issue for employees than for themselves, and the perfunctory implementation of the environmental management system. This seems to lead to low ownership of the environmental practices in place by managers and employees, and little change to behaviors and practices. This paper contributes to the literature on the internalization of environmental management practices and sheds light on the under-explored role of cultural issues in the effectiveness of ISO 14001. The managerial implications of the study and the avenues for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The connection between healthy housing status and health is well established. The quality of housing plays a significant role in infectious and non-communicable as well as vector-borne diseases. The global burden of disease attributable to housing is considerable with millions of deaths arising from diarrheal and respiratory diseases annually. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the quality of housing remains poor although improvements have been documented. There is a general dearth of comparative analysis across several countries in the sub-region. We assess in this study, the association between healthy housing and child morbidity across six countries in SSA. Methods: We use the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for six countries where the most recent survey collected health outcome data on child diarrhoea, acute respiratory illness, and fever. The total sample size of 91,096 is used in the analysis (representing 15, 044 for Burkina Faso, 11, 732 for Cameroon, 5, 884 for Ghana, 20, 964 for Kenya, 33, 924 for Nigeria, and 3,548 for South Africa). The key exposure variable is healthy housing status. We control for various factors associated with the three childhood health outcomes. These include quality housing status, residency (rural/urban), age of the head of the household, mother's education, mother's BMI status, marital status, mother's age, and religious status. Others include the child's gender, age, whether the child is from multiple or single births, and breastfeeding status. Inferential analysis using survey-weighted logistic regression is employed. Results: Our findings indicate that housing is an important determinant of the three outcomes investigated. Compared to unhealthier housing, healthy housing status was found to be associated with reduced odds of diarrhoea in Cameroon [Healthiest: aOR = 0.48, 95% CI, (0.32,0.71), healthier: aOR = 0.50, 95% CI,(0.35,0.70), Healthy: aOR = 0.60, 95% CI, (0.44,0.83), Unhealthy: aOR = 0.60, 95% CI, (0.44,0.81)], Kenya [Healthiest: aOR = 0.68, 95% CI, (0.52,0.87), Healtheir: aOR = 0.79, 95% CI, (0.63,0.98), Healthy: aOR = 0.76, 95% CI, (0.62,0.91)], South Africa[Healthy: aOR = 0.41, 95% CI, (0.18, 0.97)], and Nigeria [Healthiest: aOR = 0.48, 95% CI,(0.37,0.62), Healthier: aOR = 0.61, 95% CI,(0.50,0.74), Healthy: aOR = 0.71, 95%CI, (0.59,0.86), Unhealthy: aOR = 0.78, 95% CI, (0.67,0.91)], and reduced odds of Acute Respiratory Infection in Cameroon [Healthy: aOR = 0.72, 95% CI,(0.54,0.96)], Kenya [Healthiest: aOR = 0.66, 95% CI, (0.54,0.81), Healthier: aOR = 0.81, 95% CI, (0.69,0.95)], and Nigeria [Healthiest: aOR = 0.69, 95% CI, (0.56,0.85), Healthier: aOR = 0.72, 95% CI, (0.60,0.87), Healthy: aOR = 0.78, 95% CI, (0.66,0.92), Unhealthy: aOR = 0.80, 95% CI, (0.69,0.93)] while it was associated with increased odds in Burkina Faso [Healthiest: aOR = 2.45, 95% CI, (1.39,4.34), Healthy: aOR = 1.55, 95% CI, (1.09,2.20)] and South Africa [Healthy: aOR = 2.36 95% CI, (1.31, 4.25)]. In addition, healthy housing was significantly associated with reduced odds of fever among children in all countries except South Africa [Healthiest: aOR = 2.09, 95% CI, (1.02, 4.29)] where children living in the healthiest homes had more than double the odds of having fever. In addition, household-level factors such as the age of the household head, and place of residence were associated with the outcomes. Child-level factors such as breastfeeding status, age, and sex, and maternal-level factors such as education, age, marital status, body mass index (BMI), and religion were also associated with the outcomes. Conclusions: The dissimilarity of findings across similar covariates and the multiple relations between healthy housing and under 5 morbidity patterns show unequivocally the heterogeneity that exists across African countries and the need to account for different contexts in efforts to seek an understanding of the role of healthy housing in child morbidity and general health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]