Establishing jujube trees in sub-Saharan Africa: response of introduced and local cultivars to rock phosphate and water supply in Burkina Faso, West Africa

The 1918–19 influenza pandemic killed between 30 and 50 million people worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, as Terence Ranger points out, the pandemic left an indelible mark, including the unforeseen emergence of anti-medical religious movements. None were as significant as Faith Tabernacle Congregation, the Philadelphia-based divine-healing church that spurred a massive revival in West Africa – and a network stretching from Ivory Coast to Nigeria – without ever sending missionaries. They evangelised through personal letters exchanged across the Atlantic, and Faith Tabernacle literature sent from Philadelphia to various leaders in West Africa. The 1918–19 influenza pandemic was the spark that led to the church's massive growth, from one small branch before the pandemic began in 1918 to 10,500 members and nearly 250 branches of Faith Tabernacle in West Africa at its zenith in 1926. After the church's rapid demise between 1926 and 1929, leaders of Faith Tabernacle established most of the oldest Pentecostal Churches in the Gold Coast and Nigeria – such as the Apostolic Faith, the Apostolic Church, the Christ Apostolic Church and the Assemblies of God (Nigeria). Classical Pentecostalism, therefore, is Faith Tabernacle's legacy in West Africa, while abstinence from orthodox medicine continued to be debated within these Pentecostal circles.

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Assessing Future Water Demand and Associated Energy Input with Plausible Scenarios for Water Service Providers (WSPs) in Sub-Saharan Africa

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14082169 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

pp. 2169

Author(s):

Pauline Macharia ◽

Nzula Kitaka ◽

Paul Yillia ◽

Norbert Kreuzinger

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Water Demand ◽

Energy Input ◽

Service Providers ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Water Losses ◽

Water Service ◽

Current State ◽

Per Capita ◽

Sub Saharan

This study examined the current state of water demand and associated energy input for water supply against a projected increase in water demand in sub-Saharan Africa. Three plausible scenarios, namely, Current State Extends (CSE), Current State Improves (CSI) and Current State Deteriorates (CSD) were developed and applied using nine quantifiable indicators for water demand projections and the associated impact on energy input for water supply for five Water Service Providers (WSPs) in Kenya to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach based on real data in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the daily per capita water-use in the service area of four of the five WSPs was below minimum daily requirement of 50 L/p/d. Further, non-revenue water losses were up to three times higher than the regulated benchmark (range 26–63%). Calculations showed a leakage reduction potential of up to 70% and energy savings of up to 12 MWh/a. The projected water demand is expected to increase by at least twelve times the current demand to achieve universal coverage and an average daily per capita consumption of 120 L/p/d for the urban population by 2030. Consequently, the energy input could increase almost twelve-folds with the CSI scenario or up to fifty-folds with the CSE scenario for WSPs where desalination or additional groundwater abstraction is proposed. The approach used can be applied for other WSPs which are experiencing a similar evolution of their water supply and demand drivers in sub-Saharan Africa. WSPs in the sub-region should explore aggressive strategies to jointly address persistent water losses and associated energy input. This would reduce the current water supply-demand gap and minimize the energy input that will be associated with exploring additional water sources that are typically energy intensive.

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Contraceptive dynamics during COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: longitudinal evidence from Burkina Faso and Kenya

BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health ◽

10.1136/bmjsrh-2020-200944 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bmjsrh-2020-200944

Author(s):

Celia Karp ◽

Shannon N Wood ◽

Georges Guiella ◽

Peter Gichangi ◽

Suzanne O Bell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Unintended Pregnancy ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Universal Access ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Contraceptive Services ◽

Logistic Regressions ◽

Sub Saharan

IntroductionEvidence from health emergencies suggests COVID-19 will disrupt women’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH). In sub-Saharan Africa, which experiences the highest rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion globally, COVID-19 is projected to slow recent progress toward universal access to contraceptive services.MethodsWe used longitudinal data collected from women at risk of unintended pregnancy in Burkina Faso (n=1186) and Kenya (n=2784) before (November 2019–February 2020) and during (May–July 2020) COVID-19 to quantify contraceptive dynamics during COVID-19; examine sociodemographic factors and COVID-19 experiences related to contraceptive dynamics; and assess COVID-19-related reasons for contraceptive non-use. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine correlates of contraceptive dynamics amid COVID-19.ResultsMost women did not change their contraceptive status during COVID-19 (68.6% in Burkina Faso and 81.6% in Kenya) and those who did were more likely to adopt a method (25.4% and 13.1%, respectively) than to discontinue (6.0% and 5.3%, respectively). Most women who switched contraceptives were using methods as or more effective than their pre-pandemic contraception. Economic instability related to COVID-19 was associated with increased contraceptive protection in Burkina Faso but not in Kenya. Altogether, 14.4% of non-contraceptive users in Kenya and 3.8% in Burkina Faso identified COVID-19-related reasons for non-use.ConclusionsThe vast majority of women at risk of unintended pregnancy did not change their contraceptive status during COVID-19, and more women adopted than discontinued methods. A minority of women reported COVID-19-related reasons for non-use, underscoring the importance of expanding safe modes of service delivery during health crises.

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Wealth-related inequalities in demand for family planning satisfied among married and unmarried adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/s12978-021-01076-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Martin K. Mutua ◽

Yohannes D. Wado ◽

Monica Malata ◽

Caroline W. Kabiru ◽

Elsie Akwara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family Planning ◽

West Africa ◽

Adolescent Girls ◽

Young Women ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Sexually Active ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background The use of modern contraception has increased in much of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the extent to which changes have occurred across the wealth spectrum among adolescents is not well known. We examine poor-rich gaps in demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (DFPSm) among sexually active adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) using data from national household surveys. Methods We used recent Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys to describe levels of wealth-related inequalities in DFPSm among sexually active AGYW using an asset index as an indicator of wealth. Further, we used data from countries with more than one survey conducted from 2000 to assess DFPSm trends. We fitted linear models to estimate annual average rate of change (AARC) by country. We fitted random effects regression models to estimate regional AARC in DFPSm. All analysis were stratified by marital status. Results Overall, there was significant wealth-related disparities in DFPSm in West Africa only (17.8 percentage points (pp)) among married AGYW. The disparities were significant in 5 out of 10 countries in Eastern, 2 out of 6 in Central, and 7 out of 12 in West among married AGYW and in 2 out of 6 in Central and 2 out of 9 in West Africa among unmarried AGYW. Overall, DFPSm among married AGYW increased over time in both poorest (AARC = 1.6%, p < 0.001) and richest (AARC = 1.4%, p < 0.001) households and among unmarried AGYW from poorest households (AARC = 0.8%, p = 0.045). DPFSm increased over time among married and unmarried AGYW from poorest households in Eastern (AARC = 2.4%, p < 0.001) and Southern sub-regions (AARC = 2.1%, p = 0.030) respectively. Rwanda and Liberia had the largest increases in DPFSm among married AGYW from poorest (AARC = 5.2%, p < 0.001) and richest (AARC = 5.3%, p < 0.001) households respectively. There were decreasing DFPSm trends among both married (AARC = − 1.7%, p < 0.001) and unmarried (AARC = − 4.7%, p < 0.001) AGYW from poorest households in Mozambique. Conclusion Despite rapid improvements in DFPSm among married AGYW from the poorest households in many SSA countries there have been only modest reductions in wealth-related inequalities. Significant inequalities remain, especially among married AGYW. DFPSm stalled in most sub-regions among unmarried AGYW.

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Cassava Processing in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Implications for Expanding Cassava Production

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/003072709402300307 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 197-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Felix Izu Nweke

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Water Supply ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Wide Range ◽

Intensive Use ◽

Cassava Production ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Processing Techniques ◽

Technical Solutions ◽

Poor Soil

Cassava makes an important contribution to improving food security and rural incomes in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is tolerant of drought and poor soil and its cultivation does not require much labour. However, the fresh roots are bulky and perishable and need to be processed before they can be marketed; processing also removes the cyanogens which make many varieties poisonous in their raw form. Cassava roots are turned into granules, flours, pastes and chips, with a wide range of flavours and appearances for different areas and markets. Many different processing techniques are used, some of which make intensive use of fuelwood while others require a plentiful water supply. These requirements, as well as the need for a good transport and marketing infrastructure, limit the expansion of cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa, but technical solutions are being found.

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Evaluating the Potential of Underdeveloped Land for Rice Production in Sub-Saharan Africa — A Case Study of Floodplains in the Northern Region of Ghana, West Africa

Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly JARQ ◽

10.6090/jarq.51.77 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 77-84

Author(s):

Keiichi HAYASHI ◽

Yasuhiro TSUJIMOTO ◽

Tamao HATTA ◽

Yukiyo YAMAMOTO ◽

Jun-Ichi SAKAGAMI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Northern Region ◽

Rice Production ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

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An investigation of private operator models for the management of rural water supply in sub-Saharan Africa

Waterlines ◽

10.3362/1756-3488.18-00005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 155-174

Author(s):

William van der Byl ◽

Richard C. Carter

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Rural Water Supply ◽

Rural Water ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Private Operator

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Viral Hepatitis E

10.2310/gastro.14073 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kenrad E Nelson ◽

Brittany L Kmush

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Viral Hepatitis ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Solid Organ ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Chronic Infections ◽

Genotype 3 ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Foodborne Infection

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infections are among the most frequent causes of viral hepatitis globally. They are especially common in southern Asia where large epidemics of waterborne hepatitis, primarily affect adults with increased mortality in pregnant women, occur frequently during and after monsoon rains when there is contamination of the drinking water supply. These epidemics have been recognized throughout modern history. Similar epidemics have been reported from Sub-Saharan Africa during humanitarian crises, when the water supply is compromised. The causal virus, HEV, was discovered in 1983. About a decade later, similar HEV viruses were found to be transmitted as a foodborne infection from infected pigs, deer, wild boar, and other zoonotic reservoirs. There are 4 genotypes of HEV that infect humans: genotypes 1 and 2 are strictly human pathogens, and genotypes 3 and 4 have zoonotic reservoirs and are transmitted as a foodborne infection or from contact with the zoonotic reservoir. Although most HEV infections cause asymptomatic infections or acute selflimited hepatitis in humans, in recent years, chronic infections among immunocompromised patients after solid organ transplants or other immunocompromising conditions have been reported among persons with genotype 3 infections. This review contains 4 figues, 4 tables and 162 references Key Words: epidemiology, global impact, Hepatitis E Vaccine, HEV, prevention, reservoirs, risk factors, treatment

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An Historical Assessment and Analysis of Economic Imperialism in West Africa

Journal of Labor and Society ◽

10.1163/24714607-bja10020 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale ◽

Natewinde Sawadogo

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Civil Wars ◽

National Development ◽

West African ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Skilled Workers ◽

The West ◽

West African Coast ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Economic Imperialism

Abstract The West African political economy has been shaped by the policies, decisions and actions of dominant European imperialist countries since about over 500 years. Starting with imperial merchant capitalism along the West African coast in the 16th Century and French gradual acquisition of Senegal as a colony as from 1677, West Africa has remained under the imperialist hold. West Africa remains economically dependent on its former colonial masters despite more than 60 years since the countries started gaining independence. The consequences of economic imperialism on West Africa have included exploitative resource extraction, proxy and resource influenced civil wars, illegal trade in natural resources, mass poverty, and external migration of skilled workers necessary for national development. The world sees and broadcasts poverty, starvation, conflict and Saharan migration in the West African sub-continent, but hardly reports the exploitative imperialistic processes that have produced poverty and misery in West Africa in particular and across sub-Saharan Africa in general.

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