Anxiety, isolation and diminishing resources: the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on residential care home facilities for older people in south-east Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prince Chiagozie Ekoh
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Institutionalized older adults in care homes and long-care facilities have been identified as being at greater risk of COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Thus, this paper aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on care homes in south-east Nigeria given the recent increasing popularity of care homes in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted qualitative research method, and data was collected from 10 older residents and 5 caregivers using interviews from two care homes, while ensuring the safety of the researcher and participants. The collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings Findings revealed that the physical health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not a major problem in the homes. However, fear and anxiety, social disconnection and economic hardship were the major problems identified by the older residents and caregivers in the homes. Originality/value The popularity of care homes in Nigeria is growing as family structures continue to change. However, previous studies which have revealed devastating effect of COVID-19 on institutionalized older adults have been from the global north. This is the first study designed to bridge the gap in literature and contribute to knowledge on this topic from Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Does the poor matter” in pro-poor driven sub-Saharan African cities? towards progressive and inclusive pro-poor tourism

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regis Musavengane ◽  
Pius Siakwah ◽  
Llewellyn Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Urban Tourism ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Cities ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to question the extent to which Sub-Saharan African cities are progressing towards promoting pro-poor economies through pro-poor tourism (PPT). It specifically examines how African cities are resilient towards attaining sustainable urban tourism destinations in light of high urbanization. Design/methodology/approach The methodological framework is interpretive in nature and qualitative in an operational form. It uses meta-synthesis to evaluate the causal relationships observed within Sub-Saharan African pro-poor economies to enhance PPT approaches, using Accra, Ghana, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Harare, Zimbabwe, as case studies. Findings Tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa has been dominantly underpinned by neoliberal development strategies which threaten the sustainability of tourism in African cities. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to three Sub-Saharan African countries. Further studies may need to be done in other developing countries. Practical implications It argues for good governance through sustainability institutionalization which strengthens the regulative mechanisms, processes and organizational culture. Inclusive tourism approaches that are resilient-centered have the potential to promote urban tourism in Sub-Saharan African cities. These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive Institutions for Sustainable Development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Social implications These findings contribute to the building of strong and inclusive institutions for sustainable development in the Sub-Saharan African cities to alleviate poverty. Originality/value The “poor” are always within the communities, and it takes a community to minimise the impact of poverty among the populace. The study is conducted at a pertinent time when most African government’s development policies are pro-poor driven. Though African cities provide opportunities of growth, they are regarded as centres of high inequality.

Innovation, institutions and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa – an IV estimation of a panel threshold model

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ato Forson ◽  
Rosemary Afrakomah Opoku ◽  
Michael Owusu Appiah ◽  
Evans Kyeremeh ◽  
Ibrahim Anyass Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Panel Regressions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe significant impact of innovation in stimulating economic growth cannot be overemphasized, more importantly from policy perspective. For this reason, the relationship between innovation and economic growth in developing economies such as the ones in Africa has remained topical. Yet, innovation as a concept is multi-dimensional and cannot be measured by just one single variable. With hindsight of the traditional measures of innovation in literature, we augment it with the number of scientific journals published in the region to enrich this discourse.Design/methodology/approachWe focus on an approach that explores innovation policy qualitatively from various policy documents of selected countries in the region from three policy perspectives (i.e. institutional framework, financing and diffusion and interaction). We further investigate whether innovation as perceived differently is important for economic growth in 25 economies in sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1990–2016. Instrumental variable estimation of a threshold regression is used to capture the contributions of innovation as a multi-dimensional concept on economic growth, while dealing with endogeneity between the regressors and error term.FindingsThe results from both traditional panel regressions and IV panel threshold regressions show a positive relationship between innovation and economic growth, although the impact seems negligible. Institutional quality dampens innovation among low-regime economies, and the relation is persistent regardless of when the focus is on aggregate or decomposed institutional factors. The impact of innovation on economic growth in most regressions is robust to different dimensions of innovation. Yet, the coefficients of the innovation variables in the two regimes are quite dissimilar. While most countries in the region have offered financial support in the form of budgetary allocations to strengthen institutions, barriers to the design and implementation of innovation policies may be responsible for the sluggish contribution of innovation to the growth pattern of the region.Originality/valueSegregating economies of Africa into two distinct regimes based on a threshold of investment in education as a share of GDP in order to understand the relationship between innovation and economic growth is quite novel. This lends credence to the fact that innovation as a multifaceted concept does not take place by chance – it is carefully planned. We have enriched the discourse of innovation and thus helped in deepening understanding on this contentious subject.

Does economic freedom improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa?

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1633-1649
Author(s):  
Anand Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of economic freedom on four key health indicators (namely, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate and neonatal mortality rate) by using a panel dataset of 34 sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2016.Design/methodology/approachThe study obtains data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) of the World Bank and the Fraser Institute. It uses fixed effects regression to estimate the effect of economic freedom on health outcomes and attempts to resolve the endogeneity problems by using two-stage least squares regression (2SLS).FindingsThe results indicate a favourable impact of economic freedom on health outcomes. That is, higher levels of economic freedom reduce mortality rates and increase life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa. All areas of economic freedom, except government size, have a significant and positive effect on health outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study analyses the effect of economic freedom on health at a broad level. Country-specific studies at a disaggregated level may provide additional information about the impact of economic freedom on health outcomes. Also, this study does not control for some important variables such as education, income inequality and foreign aid due to data constraints.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that sub-Saharan African countries should focus on enhancing the quality of economic institutions to improve their health outcomes. This may include policy reforms that support a robust legal system, protect property rights, promote free trade and stabilise the macroeconomic environment. In addition, policies that raise urbanisation, increase immunisation and lower the incidence of HIV are likely to produce a substantial improvement in health outcomes.Originality/valueExtant economic freedom-health literature does not focus on endogeneity problems. This study uses instrumental variables regression to deal with endogeneity. Also, this is one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the relationship between economic freedom and health in the case of sub-Saharan Africa.

El Nino spells multiple humanitarian crises for Africa

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Cocoa Production ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Subject Outlook for El Nino in sub-Saharan Africa. Significance The current El Nino weather system, one of the three strongest since 1950, is causing drought in some areas and flooding in others. Past instances have resulted in significant drops in agricultural production, livestock deaths, infrastructure damage and lost income. Together with likely higher incidence of disease, similar effects could trigger humanitarian crises across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Impacts Poor sanitation infrastructure in many major SSA cities will facilitate the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera. In Southern Africa, strong institutions overseeing intra-regional water sharing will limit prospects for diplomatic disputes over water. Unusual rain and wind patterns in West Africa could curb cocoa production, creating shortages that will push up global prices. Likely lower agricultural output across SSA will compound the impact of low commodity prices on cooling GDP growth.

Impact of globalization on human rights: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1453-1480
Author(s):  
Aman Takiyar ◽  
N.V.M. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of globalization and its multiple dimensions on human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe study extends the Poe and Tate (1994) model, which enumerates the various determinants of human rights. Ordered probit estimation is used to estimate the impact of globalization and its dimensions. For the purpose of empirical analysis, the period has been divided into three phases: short, medium and long term. This helps in understanding how the impact of the different dimensions of globalization has evolved over a period of time. Furthermore, analysis has been carried out to detect causality between human rights and globalization.FindingsAs per the results, overall globalization and social dimension of globalization do have a positive impact on human rights in long and medium term and, also, Granger-cause human rights. The political dimension of globalization has a positive relation with human rights, though there exists no causality between the two. On the other hand, the economic dimension of globalization fails to have a statistically significant impact on human rights. Impact of the social dimension of globalization dominates that of other dimensions of globalization.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that examine, in an empirical fashion, the impact of globalization on human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Living in a care home during COVID-19: a case study of one person living with dementia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Davies-Abbott ◽  
Catrin Hedd Jones ◽  
Gill Windle
Keyword(s):  
Study Design ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to understand the lived experience of a person living with dementia in a care home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It responds to the absence in research of the voices of people with dementia living in care homes during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a single case study design applied thematic analysis to semi-structured interview data to discover the experiences of one person living with dementia in a care home during a period of lockdown. Findings Five themes reveal how the participant responded to the practical and emotional challenges of the pandemic: autonomy; fears; keeping connected; keeping safe and other people living with dementia. These themes highlight the participant’s ability to adapt, accept and dispute lockdown restrictions, revealing considerable insight into their situation. Research limitations/implications The pandemic has restricted access to care homes, which informed the single case study design. This approach to the research may restrict the generalisability of the findings. Other researchers are encouraged to include the voices of people with dementia living in care homes in further studies. Practical implications Implications for practice, presented in this paper, promote quality psychosocial approaches when health-care workers engage with people living with dementia during periods of restricted activity. Originality/value Unlike other studies about the impact of the pandemic on care homes, this paper explores the experience of the pandemic in care homes from the perspective of a person living with dementia.

Shifting Maghreb migration may prompt EU cooperation

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
North African ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Migrant Populations ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Alternative Routes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Difficult Transition ◽  
The Eu

Subject Migration impact on Maghreb. Significance Morocco hosted a summit on African migration on October 31, calling for a common African stance to the growing migration challenge. EU incentives to Libya and Sahelian governments have decreased migrant crossings from Libya, which has been the primary channel for sea crossings. As a result, more migrants are using alternative routes in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and staying longer in those countries. Shifting migration trends are forcing North African governments to think about the impact of growing sub-Saharan migrant populations within their borders. Impacts Sub-Saharan migrants could become lightning rods for governments in North Africa struggling with high unemployment and low economic growth. North African policies towards migrant populations will affect bilateral relations with governments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The EU may need to pay more attention to Tunisia, which is grappling with economic problems and a difficult transition.

scholarly journals The “Cameos of Care Homes” project – care home staff’s Vanguard involvement and reflections

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Jess Harris ◽  
Jill Manthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Learning Cultures ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The Cameos of Care Homes project is an opportunity to use the medium of film to showcase the experiences and reflections of frontline care home staff whose employers participated in the National Health Service (NHS) England Vanguard programme. Reflecting on their involvement in one of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Vanguards, 12 staff describe, in front of the camera, the impact on themselves and their colleagues, on their care for their older residents, and on the wider culture of the care home. The paper aims to discuss this initiative. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports the experiences of care home staff that were purposefully recorded on film about their participation in a care home Vanguard. The recruitment of the care homes and staff is described, as are the development of interview questions and approaches needed when filming is considered as a research method. Findings Participating care home staff reported that their involvement in the Vanguard programme had improved knowledge, confidence, morale, communication skills and the homes’ learning cultures. They were enthusiastic about reporting their experiences on film. Examples were given of proactive early support from local NHS staff leading to improvements in care, thereby reducing demand on the NHS. However, participation was resource intensive for care homes. Care home staff hoped the support that accompanied the Vanguard programme would continue but were uncertain to what degree this would happen once the Vanguard programme ceased. Research limitations/implications The interviews were undertaken with a self-selecting group of care home staff from two care homes operating in one of the six Vanguard sites in England. By their very nature, interviews for a public film cannot provide anonymity. Practical implications Researchers seeking the views of care home staff may wish to consider filming interviews and presenting the film as a research output that is engaging and informative for care home and wider audiences. Originality/value The paper presents an analysis of filmed interviews with care home managers and care workers working with older people. Their views on the Vanguard initiative have not been widely considered, in contrast to the sizeable literature relating to NHS activity and expenditure.

Grey relational evaluation of impact and control of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawiah Kwatekwei Quartey-Papafio ◽  
Sifeng Liu ◽  
Sara Javed
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent States ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control ◽  
Grey Relational ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The rise in malaria deaths discloses a decline of global malaria eradication that shows that control measures and fund distribution have missed its right of way. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study and evaluate the impact and control of malaria on the independent states of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region over the time period of 2010–2017 using Deng’s Grey incidence analysis, absolute degree GIA and second synthetic degree GIA model. Design/methodology/approach The purposive data sampling is a secondary data from World Developmental Indicators indicating the incidence of new malaria cases (per 1,000 population at risk) for 45 independent states in SSA. GIA models were applied on array sequences into a single relational grade for ranking to be obtained and analyzed to evaluate trend over a predicted period. Findings Grey relational analysis classifies West Africa as the highly infectious region of malaria incidence having Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Benin, Liberia and Gambia suffering severely. Also, results indicate Southern Africa to be the least of all affected in the African belt that includes Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. But, predictions revealed that the infection rate is expected to fall in West Africa, whereas the least vulnerable countries will experience a rise in malaria incidence through to the next ten years. Therefore, this study draws the attention of all stakeholders and interest groups to adopt effective policies to fight malaria. Originality/value The study is a pioneer to unravel the most vulnerable countries in the SSA region as far as the incidence of new malaria cases is a concern through the use of second synthetic GIA model. The outcome of the study is substantial to direct research funds to control and eliminate malaria.

The nexus between foreign bank presence and credit to the private sector: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Fiador ◽  
Lordina Amoah ◽  
Emmanuel Abbey
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Financial Integration ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Foreign Bank ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to explore the implications of global financial integration on host economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study tests the competing views on the impact of foreign bank penetration on private sector access to credit in developing host economies.Design/methodology/approachUsing data on a panel 25 SSA economies over a period of 22 years from 1995 to 2016, the study employs fixed effects and Prais-Winsten estimations as well as generalized methods of moments (GMM) to test the foreign bank impact.FindingsThe findings show support for the hypothesis that global financial integration has positive implications for participating economies. In other words, financial sector liberalization and deregulation leading to the influx of foreign banks has positive implications for access to credit by the private sector in SSA economies. The study also finds other standard determinants of access to credit like lending rate and broad money supply conforming to the existing literature in terms of impact.Originality/valueOverall, the findings hold relevant implications for banking sector policies and the financial sector in general regarding the priority that policy makers and advisors attach to reforming financial sector policies.

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