scholarly journals The COVID-19 pandemic in francophone West Africa: from the first cases to responses in seven countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bonnet ◽  
O. Bodson ◽  
F. Le Marcis ◽  
A. Faye ◽  
N. E. Sambieni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Public ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
State Responses

Abstract Background In early March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit West Africa. In response, countries in the region quickly set up crisis management committees and implemented drastic measures to stem the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The objective of this article is to analyse the epidemiological evolution of COVID-19 in seven Francophone West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal) as well as the public health measures decided upon during the first 7 months of the pandemic. Methods Our method is based on quantitative and qualitative data from the pooling of information from a COVID-19 data platform and collected by a network of interdisciplinary collaborators present in the seven countries. Descriptive and spatial analyses of quantitative epidemiological data, as well as content analyses of qualitative data on public measures and management committees were performed. Results Attack rates (October 2020) for COVID-19 have ranged from 20 per 100,000 inhabitants (Benin) to more than 94 per 100,000 inhabitants (Senegal). All these countries reacted quickly to the crisis, in some cases before the first reported infection, and implemented public measures in a relatively homogeneous manner. None of the countries implemented country-wide lockdowns, but some implemented partial or local containment measures. At the end of June 2020, countries began to lift certain restrictive measures, sometimes under pressure from the general population or from certain economic sectors. Conclusion Much research on COVID-19 remains to be conducted in West Africa to better understand the dynamics of the pandemic, and to further examine the state responses to ensure their appropriateness and adaptation to the national contexts.

Tony Allott, Pioneer of the Study of African Law: A Personal Memoir

1987 ◽  
Vol 31 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 15-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Cotran
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
International Law ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Financial Assistance ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Customary Laws ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Research Officer

In 1959 I had just completed my Diploma in International Law at Cambridge under the supervision of Eli Lauterpacht, who was assisting me in finding a post in the international law field. One day; he said that he had been approached by the School of Oriental and African Studies to find a Research Officer in “African Law”—would I be interested? I asked him what on earth “African Law” was. He wasn't sure, but suggested that I go and discuss things with a Dr. Allott at SOAS.Tony Allott was full of enthusiasm about a new comprehensive research scheme, the Restatement of African Law Project (RALP), set up at SOAS with substantial financial assistance from the Nuffield Foundation. The object was to facilitate, undertake and assist in the recording of customary laws in Commonwealth African countries in a systematic legal fashion (the choice of the term “restatement” having been influenced by the restatements of American common law). Tony said that two Research Officers had just been appointed: W. C. (Bill) Ekow Daniels of Ghana would deal with West Africa; Bill McClain (an American) would deal with Central/Southern Africa and, if I took the job, East Africa would be assigned to me.I told Tony that this sounded all very exciting, but I knew nothing about Africa or African law, let alone customary law. How could I begin to restate something of which I knew nothing? Tony was not deterred.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic in Francophone West Africa: From the First Cases to Responses in Seven Countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Bonnet ◽  
oriane Bodson ◽  
Fréderic Le Marcis ◽  
Adama Faye ◽  
Emmanuel Sambieni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Cote D'ivoire ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Côte D’Ivoire ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cote D’Ivoire ◽  
Côte D'ivoire

Abstract Background: In early March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit West Africa. Countries in the region quickly set up crisis management committees and organised drastic measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The objective of this article is to analyse the epidemiological evolution of COVID-19 in seven Francophone West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal) as well as the public health measures decided upon during the first four months of the pandemic. Methods: Our method is based on quantitative and qualitative data from the pooling of information from a COVID-19 data platform and collected by a network of interdisciplinary collaborators present in the seven countries. Descriptive and spatial analyses of quantitative epidemiological data and content analyses of qualitative data on public measures and management committees were performed. Results: Attack rates for COVID-19 range from less than 10 per 100,000 inhabitants (Benin) to more than 45 per 100,000 inhabitants (Guinea). The spatio-temporal analysis shows three phases of incidence clusters. By the end of June 2020, case numbers had plateaued in some countries (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali) while others continued to see the number of infections increasing (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal). The countries all reacted quickly to the crisis, in some cases before the first reported infection, and implemented public measures in a relatively homogeneous manner. None of the countries implemented country-wide lockdowns, but in some cases implemented partial or local containment measures. At the end of June 2020, countries began to lift certain restrictive measures, sometimes under pressure from the general population or from certain economic sectors. All the countries have adopted response plans and organized multiple crisis management committees, although their content and functioning have not always been transparent or easy to understand. Conclusion: Much research remains to be done in West Africa. It will be necessary to better understand the dynamics of the pandemic, which appears to be largely under control, as well as the effectiveness and implementation of the state responses, which have been rapidly formulated.

scholarly journals Taenia solium cysticercosis in West Africa: status update

Parasite ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihen Melki ◽  
Eugène Koffi ◽  
Marcel Boka ◽  
André Touré ◽  
Man-Koumba Soumahoro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Taenia Solium ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
West African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Porcine Cysticercosis ◽  
Epileptic Patients ◽  
Tongue Inspection ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Existing Data

Cysticercosis is caused by the larvae of the cestode Taenia solium. Few data are available on the prevalence of this disease in pigs and humans in West African countries. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of existing data concerning the spread of this parasitosis in the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the basis of the literature published over the last five decades. Systematic searches for publications were carried out on PubMed and Google Scholar, as well as in certain regional and local journals. From a total of 501 articles initially retrieved concerning T. solium cysticercosis in West African countries, only 120 articles were relevant for this review and therefore finally retained. For pigs, only eight out of sixteen countries of the region have reported porcine cysticercosis. Post-mortem examination of carcasses at slaughterhouses, meat inspection at butcheries or tongue inspection in herds have been the main source of data, but may not entirely reflect actual parasite distribution. For humans, only five out of sixteen countries reported epidemiological data on neurocysticercosis. Most data referred to neurocysticercosis prevalence among epileptic patients or isolated clinical cases. Furthermore, existing data are often old. Overall, T. solium cysticercosis remains largely neglected in West Africa, and its prevalence appears not to be affected by any religion in particular. There is an urgent need to promote and implement health partnerships and programs on this disease in order to collect more data and identify sensitive populations in the countries of the ECOWAS area.

scholarly journals The Effects of Pandemics on the Vulnerability of Food Security in West Africa—A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12888
Author(s):  
Liette Vasseur ◽  
Heather VanVolkenburg ◽  
Isabelle Vandeplas ◽  
Katim Touré ◽  
Safiétou Sanfo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Civil Unrest ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Scoping Literature Review ◽  
Restrictive Measures

The purpose of this paper was to show the effects of the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics on food security vulnerability in West Africa. The methodology is based on a scoping literature review using the PRISMA method. The study showed that food security was affected by the restrictive measures in the different West African countries. In addition, it shows that this region is highly vulnerable to such crises, which can combine their effects with those of other events such as climate change and civil unrest. In both pandemics, all pillars of food security were affected. The effects on urban and rural centers may be very different. The study suggests a better understanding of the differences between rural and urban centers and between men and women and how long-term restraint measures can affect rural areas where agriculture is the main lever for reducing food insecurity. Food security must be seriously considered by governments when implementing restrictive measures during a pandemic. Consideration of health factors alone at the expense of food security can greatly exacerbate health problems and even increase cases of disease.

scholarly journals Legal Intervention in Planning Regulations: Cooper v Wandsworth in a West African Context.

Afrika Focus ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 119-132
Author(s):  
Kwadwo B. Mensah
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Judicial Review ◽  
West African ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Legal Intervention ◽  
Planning Decisions ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
Administrative Effectiveness ◽  
Set Up

One of the most important problems facing many West African cities in recent times is rapid and seemingly uncontrollable urbanization. The enormous pressure which these developments have had on public systems in general - sanitation, sewage, housing, health care and transport, has forced many cities to think of innovative ways of handling these crisis. Planning departments with substantial expertise in urban problems, are being set up or are being re-organized to meet these new challenges. The powers that planning departments have, and their impact on the lives of ordinary citizens cannot be over-estimated. To prevent abuse of power and to make them responsive to the needs of citizens, several methods are used to control them. Judicial review of administrative actions is the legal method used to control many public bodies in English speaking West African countries. In this article, I shall argue that in spite of its strengths, there is a general tendency to use judicial review to protect common law values like individual proprietary rights against the claims of state institutions. In West Africa, because of the weakness of public institutions, the intervention of the law, while protecting important private rights may hamper administrative effectiveness. Anticipating the use of the leading English case, Cooper v Wandsworth2 in reviewing planning decisions in West Africa, I shall conclude that such a position may not only diminish administrative effectiveness, but it may also diminish property rights.

scholarly journals Transforming Public Service Performance in West Africa Through Innovations: Experiences from Ghana and Nigeria

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Felix Olanrewaju Awosika
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Improve Performance ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
The Public

Public service reflects the state of the nation and no nation has been able to advance beyond its public service. The need for innovation in the public service therefore cannot be underestimated. It is at the heart of the public service’s efforts to improve performance and productivity. It is important to note that the logic of public service performance is changing profoundly due to innovations. This development paves the way for new forms of interaction and socio-economic composition in social and economic life. This article provides an overview of the on-going service transformation and applies it to public service delivery in West Africa. Our focus is on innovation in public service delivery, which refers to innovations that aim at renewing or improving public service performance. Using secondary data and content analysis, this article examines the phenomenon of low performance in the public service in two West African countries and recommends measures for improvement. The article concludes that innovations in the public sector guarantee survival and improve performance in public service delivery.

The Coin of the African Realm

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Herbst
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
West Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Regional Economies ◽  
African Countries ◽  
New Strategies

This chapter examines the politics of the currency in West Africa from the beginning of the twentieth century. A public series of debates over the nature of the currency occurred in West Africa during both the colonial and independence periods. Since 1983, West African countries have been pioneers in Africa in developing new strategies to combat overvaluation of the currency and reduce the control of government over the currency supply. The chapter charts the evolution of West African currencies as boundaries and explores their relationship to state consolidation. It shows that leaders in African capitals managed to make the units they ruled increasingly distinct from the international and regional economies, but the greater salience of the currency did not end up promoting state consolidation. Rather, winning the ability to determine the value of the currency led to a series of disastrous decisions that severely weakened the states themselves.

Water Pollution and Its Impact on Environment of Society

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Thyagaraju
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Biological Entities ◽  
Micro Organisms

The present seminar paper mainly highlight  the concept of  water pollution, causes of water pollution,  Its Effects, Elements of  pollutants, Methods  used to prevent the water pollution in environment  and the mandatory initiatives taken by the concerned authorities for prevention of  water pollution. Water   is essential for survival of all living organisms on the earth. Thus for human beings and plants to survive on land, water should be easily accessible. The term “Pollution” is generally refers to addition of any foreign body either living or non – living or deletion of anything that naturally exists. The basic Sources of Water pollution causes due to Culmination into lakes, rivers, ponds, seas, oceans etc. Domestic drainage and sanitary waste, Industrial drainage and sewage, Industrial waste from factories, Dumping of domestic garbage, Immersion of Idols made of plaster of Paris, Excess use of Insecticides , pesticides, fungicides, Chemical fertilizers, Soil erosion during heavy rains and floods, Natural disasters, tsunami etc. General pollutants  which are also caused for water pollution  which include Organic, Inorganic, and Biological entities, Insecticides, Pesticides, Disinfectants ,Detergents, Industrial solvents, Acids, Ammonia fertilizers, heavy metals, Harmful bacteria, Virus, Micro –Organisms and worms, Toxic chemicals. Agricultural lands become infertile and thereby production also drops, Spread of epidemic diseases like Cholera, Dysentery, Typhoid, Diarrhea, Hepatitis, Jaundice etc. The  basic responsibility of the Government, NGOs, National Pioneer scientific Research Institutions may conduct  research oriented programs on control of water pollution by create  awareness among the public through mass media and Environmental Education on recycling units,  and  water treatment plants must be established both at domestic levels and Industry levels, Every citizen must feel responsible to control water pollution. There have been many water pollution prevention acts that have been set up by the governments of the world. But these are not enough for permanent water pollution solutions. Each of us needs to take up the responsibility and do something at an everyday at individual level. Otherwise we can’t survive in a society forever in a future. 

scholarly journals Identifying and bridging the knowledge-to-practice gaps in rehabilitation professionals working with at-risk infants in the public health sector of South Africa: a multimethod study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e039242
Author(s):  
Pragashnie Govender
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Sector

IntroductionEarly childhood is a critical time when the benefits of early interventions are intensified, and the adverse effects of risk can be reduced. For the optimal provision of early intervention, professionals in the field are required to have specialised knowledge and skills in implementing these programmes. In the context of South Africa, there is evidence to suggest that therapists are ill-prepared to handle the unique challenges posed in neonatal intensive care units and wards with at-risk infants in the first few weeks of life. This is attributed to several reasons; however, irrespective of the causative factors, the need to bridge this knowledge-to-practice gap remains essential.Methods and analysisThis study is a multimethod stakeholder-driven study using a scoping review followed by an appreciative inquiry and Delphi process that will aid in the development, implementation and evaluation of a knowledge translation intervention to bridge knowledge-gaps in occupational and physiotherapists working in the field. Therapists currently working in the public health sector will be recruited for participation in the various stages of the study. The analysis will occur via thematic analysis for qualitative data and percentages and frequencies for descriptive quantitative data. Issues around trustworthiness and rigour, and reliability and validity, will be ensured within each of the phases, by use of a content validity index and inter-rater reliability for the Delphi survey; thick descriptions, peer debriefing, member checking and an audit trail for the qualitative data.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received full ethical approval from the Health Research and Knowledge Management Directorate of the Department of Health and a Biomedical Research Ethics Committee. The results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and disseminated to the relevant stakeholders within this study.

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