scholarly journals Evaluating Sub-Saharan Africa’s COVID-19 Research Contribution: A Preliminary bibliometric Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toluwase Asubiaro ◽  
Hafsah Shaik
Keyword(s):  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

The response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the science community is unprecedented as indicated by the high number of research publications. Deeper insight into COVID-19 research at regional, and national levels through bibliometric research has revealed different levels of research evolution, depth, contribution, and collaboration patterns. Such reliable and evidence-based information is important for health research planning and policy making. This study aims at providing some evidence-based insight into Sub-Saharan Africa’s preliminary COVID-19 research by evaluating its research contributions, patterns of collaboration, and funding sources. COVID-19 publication data from all the 41 Sub-Saharan African countries was collected from Scopus for analysis. Results show that Sub-Saharan Africa contributed about two percent to global COVID-19 research. South Africa contributed 50.95% of all the COVID-19 publications from Sub-Saharan Africa while USA (28.48%) and the UK (24.47%), the top two external contributors, collaborated with Sub-Saharan African countries three times more than other countries. Collaborative papers between Sub-Saharan African countries - without contributions from outside the region- made up less than five percent of the sample, whereas over 50% of the papers were written in collaboration with researchers from outside the region. Organizations based in USA, UK, and EU funded more than 60% of all the COVID-19 research from Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 60% of all the funding from Sub-Saharan African countries came from South African organizations. This study provides evidence that pan-African COVID-19 research collaboration is low, perhaps due to poor funding and institutional support within Africa. There is a need to forge stronger pan-African research collaboration networks, through funding from Africa’s national and regional government organizations, with the specific objective of meeting COVID-19 healthcare needs of Africans.

scholarly journals Sub-Saharan African Countries‘ COVID-19 Research: An analysis of the External and Internal Contributions, Collaboration Patterns and Funding Sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-277
Author(s):  
Toluwase Victor Asubiaro ◽  
Hafsah Shaik
Keyword(s):  
Research Collaboration ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk

Abstract This study aims at providing some evidence-based insight into Sub-Saharan Africa’s first eighteen months of COVID-19 research by evaluating its research contributions, patterns of collaboration, and funding sources. Eighteen months (2020 January 1-2021 June 30) COVID-19 publication data of 46 Sub-Saharan African countries was collected from Scopus for analysis. Country of affiliation of the authors and funding agencies data was analyzed to understand country contributions, collaboration pattern and funding sources. USA (23.08%) and the UK (19.63%), the top two external contributors, collaborated with Sub-Saharan African countries about three times more than other countries. Collaborative papers between Sub-Saharan African countries - without contributions from outside the region- made up less than five per cent of the sample, whereas over 50% of the papers were written in collaboration with researchers from outside the region. Organizations that are in the USA and the UK funded 45% of all the COVID-19 research from Sub-Saharan Africa. 53.44% of all the funding from Sub-Saharan African countries came from South African organizations. This study provides evidence that pan-African COVID-19 research collaboration is low, perhaps due to poor funding and lack of institutional support within Sub-Saharan Africa. This mirrors the collaborative features of science in Sub-Saharan Africa before the COVID-19 pandemic. The high volume of international collaboration during the pandemic is a good development. There is also a strong need to forge more robust pan-African research collaboration networks, through funding from Africa’s national and regional government organizations, with the specific objective of meeting local COVID-19 and other healthcare needs.

scholarly journals Sub-Saharan African Countries' COVID-19 Research: An analysis of the External and Internal Contributions, Collaboration Patterns and Funding Sources

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toluwase Victor Asubiaro ◽  
Hafsah Shaik
Keyword(s):  
Research Collaboration ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk

This study aims at providing some evidence-based insight into Sub-Saharan Africa's first eighteen months of COVID-19 research by evaluating its research contributions, patterns of collaboration, and funding sources. Eighteen months (2020 January 1-2021 June 30) COVID-19 publication data of 46 Sub-Saharan African countries was collected from Scopus for analysis. Country of affiliation of the authors and funding agencies data was analyzed to understand country contributions, collaboration pattern and funding sources. USA (23.08%) and the UK (19.63%), the top two external contributors, collaborated with Sub-Saharan African countries about three times more than other countries. Collaborative papers between Sub-Saharan African countries - without contributions from outside the region- made up less than five percent of the sample, whereas over 50% of the papers were written in collaboration with researchers from outside the region. Organizations that are in USA and the UK funded 45% of all the COVID-19 research from Sub-Saharan Africa. 53.44% of all the funding from Sub-Saharan African countries came from South African organizations. This study provides evidence that pan-African COVID-19 research collaboration is low, perhaps due to poor funding and lack of institutional support within Sub-Saharan Africa. This mirrors the collaborative features of science in Sub-Saharan Africa before the COVID-19 pandemic. The high volume of international collaboration during the pandemic is a good development. There is also a strong need to forge more robust pan-African research collaboration networks, through funding from Africa's national and regional government organizations, with the specific objective of meeting local COVID-19 and other healthcare needs.

scholarly journals Inequalities in COVID-19 Research from Sub-Saharan Africa: Differences in the Prestige of Journal Articles with Internal and External Lead Authors, Collaborations and Publishers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toluwase Victor Asubiaro
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
First Year ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Citation Data ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Publish Or Perish ◽  
Inequality In Health ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Inequality in health research in Sub-Saharan Africa existed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic because of the dearth of research resources. The onset of COVID-19 has exacerbated inequality because of the changes in workplace settings. This study presents an insight into the extent of inequalities during the first year of COVID-19 using citation data of Sub-Saharan African countries' COVID-19 research. Citation data of all the 46 Sub-Saharan Africa countries was collected from Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed. After data cleaning and removal of duplicate records, collaboration type and publishers' country information was coded. Author processing charges of the Open Access articles were obtained from publishers' websites. CiteScore data was collected using Publish or Perish software and Scopus CiteScore report. Only 13.4% of the publishers are in Sub-Saharan African countries, and 21.14% of the articles were published in Sub-Saharan African journals. USA (20.92%) and the UK (13.73%), and India (6.21%) house the highest number of publishers. Publishers from the Netherlands (30.72%), the UK (24.23%) and the USA (14.81%) published the highest number of journals. The CiteScore of journals and mega journals published outside Sub-Saharan Africa was five and twenty-five times more prestigious than those published in the region, respectively. More equitable research practices that will recognize local authors from Sub-Saharan Africa as lead authors in studies about or in Sub-Saharan Africa and journals that are published in the region as a choice for important research may reduce the imbalances as observed in this study.

Mapping collaboration and impact of library and information science research in sub-Saharan Africa, from 1995 to 2016

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 349-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Citation Impact ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Citation Indexes ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to map and visualise collaboration patterns and citation impact of the library and information science research in sub-Saharan Africa between 1995 and 2016. Design/methodology/approach Data were extracted from the Thomson Reuters’ citation indexes using the name of the country in an advanced search platform. The search was limited to documents designated as articles. Data were analysed using the VosViewer software to obtain network maps and frequencies of occurrence. Findings The findings reveal that publication and citation impact of LIS research in sub-Saharan Africa has continued to grow since 1995; foreign countries have immensely contributed to the evolution and development of LIS research in the region; research collaboration occurs both regionally and internationally, with the latter being the most prominent; South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are the most active participants in LIS research collaboration in the region; and that on average, international collaboration in LIS research in sub-Saharan Africa attracts more citations than other types of collaboration. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to the data indexed in the Web of Science citation indexes and focused on sub-Saharan African countries only. Practical implications Collaboration is said to lead to increased research output and impact, hence the need for sub-Saharan African researchers and institutions to initiate strategies that will create conducive environments for research collaboration. There is need for collaborative ventures between LIS practitioners and educators as well as increased cooperation among LIS schools within and outside of sub-Saharan African countries. Partnerships involving students and programmes such as research fellowship, post-doctoral researchers as well as visiting researchers may complement any existing strategies that can be pursued to increase collaborative research in LIS in the region. Originality/value The paper, while drawing lessons from previous papers, adopted a variety of techniques to examine collaboration patterns and impact of LIS research over a longer period of publication time, i.e. 1995 to 2016, and a larger geographic scope.

scholarly journals In Whose Interest? Gender and Mass–Elite Priority Congruence in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Clayton ◽  
Cecilia Josefsson ◽  
Robert Mattes ◽  
Shaheen Mozaffar
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Substantive Representation ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Representative Process ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Insight Into

Do men and women representatives hold different legislative priorities? Do these priorities align with citizens who share their gender? Whereas substantive representation theorists suggest legislators’ priorities should align with their cogender constituents, Downsian-based theories suggest no role for gender. We test these differing expectations through a new originally collected survey data set of more than 800 parliamentarians and data from more than 19,000 citizens from 17 sub-Saharan African countries. We find that whereas parliamentarians prioritize similar issues as citizens in general, important gender differences also emerge. Women representatives and women citizens are significantly more likely to prioritize poverty reduction, health care, and women’s rights, whereas men representatives and men citizens tend to prioritize infrastructure projects. Examining variation in congruence between countries, we find that parliamentarians’ and cogender citizens’ priorities are most similar where democratic institutions are strongest. These results provide robust new evidence and insight into how and when legislator identity affects the representative process.

scholarly journals Patients with presumed tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa that are not diagnosed with tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamanthi Jayasooriya ◽  
Francesca Dimambro-Denson ◽  
Claire Beecroft ◽  
Julie Balen ◽  
Babatunde Awokola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Past History ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Case Finding ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Active Case Finding ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Active Case ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: Many patients in sub-Saharan Africa whom a diagnosis of tuberculosis is considered are subsequently not diagnosed with tuberculosis. The proportion of patients this represents, and their alternative diagnoses, have not previously been systematically reviewed. Methods: We searched four databases from inception to April 27, 2020, without language restrictions (PROSPERO: CRD42018100004). We included all adult pulmonary tuberculosis diagnostic studies from sub-Saharan Africa, excluding case series and inpatient studies. We extracted the proportion of patients with presumed tuberculosis subsequently not diagnosed with tuberculosis and any alternative diagnoses received. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis to obtain pooled estimates stratified by passive and active case finding. Results: Our search identified 1799 studies, of which 18 studies with 14527 participants from 10 African countries were included. The proportion of patients with presumed tuberculosis subsequently not diagnosed with tuberculosis was 48.5% (95% CI 38.4-56.7) in passive and 92.7% (95% CI 83.1-97.0) in active case finding studies. This proportion increased with declining numbers of clinically diagnosed tuberculosis cases. Past history of tuberculosis was documented in only 55% of studies, with just five out of 18 reporting any alternative diagnoses. Discussion: Nearly half of all patients with presumed tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa do not have a final diagnosis of active tuberculosis. This proportion may be higher when active case finding strategies are used. Little is known about the healthcare needs of these patients. Research is required to better characterise these patient populations and plan health system solutions that meet their needs. Funding NIHR, UK MRC

scholarly journals The Critical Need for Pooled Data on COVID-19 in African Children: An AFREhealth Call for Action through Multi-Country Research Collaboration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia A Sam-Agudu ◽  
Helena Rabie ◽  
Michel Tshiasuma Pipo ◽  
Liliane Nsuli Byamungu ◽  
Refiloe Masekela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
Research And Education

Abstract Globally, there are prevailing knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents; however, these gaps are especially wide in African countries. The availability of robust age-disaggregated data is a critical first step in improving knowledge on disease burden and manifestations of COVID-19 among children. Furthermore, it is essential to improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with comorbidities and co-infections such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, sickle cell disease and malnutrition, which are highly prevalent among children in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) COVID-19 Research Collaboration on Children and Adolescents is conducting studies across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa to address existing knowledge gaps. This consortium is expected to generate key evidence to inform clinical practice and public health policymaking for COVID-19, while concurrently addressing other major diseases affecting children in African countries.

Crowdsourcing Covid-19 signals in sub-Saharan Africa: Leveraging digital contributor networks for participatory surveillance of Covid-19 symptoms and deaths (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngozi A Erondu ◽  
Sagal A Ali ◽  
Mohamed Ali ◽  
Schadrac C Agbla
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

BACKGROUND In sub-Saharan Africa, underreporting of cases and deaths has been attributed to various factors including, weak disease surveillance, low health-seeking behaviour of flu like symptoms, and stigma of Covid-19. There is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 spread mimics transmission patterns of other countries across the world. Since the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way research can be conducted and in light of restrictions on travel and risks to in-person data collection, innovative approaches to collecting data must be considered. Nearly 50% of Africa’s population is a unique mobile subscriber and it is one of the fastest growing smart-phone marketplaces in the world; hence, mobile phone platforms should be considered to monitor Covid-19 trends in the community. OBJECTIVE We demonstrate the use of digital contributor platforms to survey individuals about cases of flu-like symptoms and instances of unexplained deaths in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. METHODS Rapid cross-sectional survey of individuals with severe flu and pneumonia symptoms and unexplained deaths in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia and Zimbabwe RESULTS Using a non-health specific information platform, we found COVID-19 signals in five African countries, specifically: •Across countries, nearly half of the respondents (n=739) knew someone who had severe flu or pneumonia symptoms in recent months. •One in three respondents from Somalia and one in five from Zimbabwe respondents said they knew more than five people recently displaying flu and/or pneumonia symptoms. •In Somalia there were signals that a large number of people might be dying outside of health facilities, specifically in their homes or in IDP or refugee camps. CONCLUSIONS Existing digital contributor platforms with local networks are a non-traditional data source that can provide information from the community to supplement traditional government surveillance systems and academic surveys. We demonstrate that using these distributor networks to for community surveys can provide periodic information on rumours but could also be used to capture local sentiment to inform public health decision-making; for example, these insights could be useful to inform strategies to increase confidence in Covid19 vaccine. As Covid-19 continues to spread somewhat silently across sub-Saharan Africa, regional and national public health entities should consider expanding event-based surveillance sources to include these systems.

Managing African Urbanization in the Context of Environmental Change

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaib Lwasa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Urbanization Rate ◽  
Development And Management

Africa’s urbanization rate has increased steadily over the past three decades and is reported to be faster than in any other region in the world . It is estimated that by 2030, over half of the African population will be living in urban areas . But the nature of Africa’s urbanization and subsequent form of cities is yet to be critically analyzed in the context of city authorities’ readiness to address the challenges . Evidence is also suggesting that urbanization in African countries is increasingly associated with the high economic growth that has been observed in the last two decades . Both underlying and proximate drivers are responsible for the urbanization, and these include population dynamics, economic growth, legislative designation, increasing densities in rural centers, as well as the growth of mega cities such as Lagos, Cairo and Kinshasa, that are extending to form urban corridors . With the opportunities of urbanization in Sub–Saharan Africa, there are also challenges in the development and management of these cities . Those challenges include provision of social services, sustainable economic development, housing development, urban governance, spatial development guidance and environmental management, climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction . The challenge involves dealing with the development and infrastructure deficit, in addition to required adaption to and mitigation of climate change . This paper examines the current state of urban management in Africa .

Monetary Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Policy Regimes ◽  
Export Prices ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Policy Guidance

Having broadly stabilized inflation over the past two decades, many policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa are now asking more of their monetary policy frameworks. They are looking to avoid policy misalignments and respond appropriately to both domestic and external shocks, including swings in fiscal policy and spikes in food and export prices. In many cases they are finding current regimes—often characterized as ‘money targeting’—lacking, with opaque and sometimes inconsistent objectives, inadequate transmission of policy to the economy, and difficulties in responding to supply shocks. At the same time, little existing research on monetary policy is targeted to low-income countries. What do we know about the empirics of monetary transmission in low-income countries? (How) Does monetary policy work in countries characterized by a huge share of food in consumption, underdeveloped financial markets, and opaque policy regimes? (How) Can we use methods largely derived in advanced countries to answer these questions? And (how) can we use the results to guide policymakers? This book draws on years of research and practice at the IMF and in central banks from the region to shed empirical and theoretical light on these questions and to provide practical tools and policy guidance. A key feature of the book is the application of dynamic general equilibrium models, suitably adapted to reflect key features of low-income countries, for the analysis of monetary policy in sub-Saharan African countries.

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