Impact of regional water supply, sanitation et hygiene (WASH) program in Senegal on rural livelihoods and sustainable development

In 2006, Senegal benefited from the African Development Bank's (AfDB) Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI) a WASH sub-program for 17,100 households in rural areas in the regions of Louga, Ziguinchor and Kolda. A project results assessment was conducted in 2016 by the AfDB Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) to measure the sub-program impacts on the living conditions of the communities. This approach allowed the measurement of project impacts based on comparative pre-and post-intervention data, as well as beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries' groups considering collected quantitative data (963 households, 38 schools, 23 health centres and 46 GPS points of infrastructures) and qualitative data (31 individual interviews and 4 focus group discussions). Several analysis (descriptive statistics, correlative analysis, effects and impact analysis with Average Treatment Effect (ATE) and cartographic treatment) were carried out to determine the project's results indicators as well as their overall effects. The results show an access rate of 73% for drinking water among beneficiaries against 6% among non-beneficiaries, and an access rate of 72% for sanitation (improved latrine) in the treatment areas against 33.7% in the control areas. In sub-program focus areas, it was observed an increase in the quantity of water used per household by 157 liters, a reduction in water price by 0.072 USD and in time taken to supply drinking water by 65 minutes. Also, it was noted a reduction in arduousness of carrying water by 2 km from the supply point, an increase in the schooling rate of children, especially girls, in income-generating activities, a decrease in the number of sick people avoided by 2 persons and gain in medical treatment avoided.The progress made by the project's achievements demonstrate that improvement in water access, sanitation and hygiene access is one of the main drivers and levers of change and transformation of the households living conditions in rural areas, often explaining the priority given to this area of intervention within the implementation of the MDGs and SDGs.

Integrated Sustainable Energy for Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Machinga Boma in Malawi

Nearly 60% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa still live without access to electricity. Comparing the access rate of the countries in the region, Malawi ranks as one of the least electrified, with electricity available to only 14.6% of its population, as of 2018. This issue makes Malawi the case study of this research and poses the research question, “How can the low electricity access rate in Malawi be addressed?”. To address this research question, possible off grid, integrated, sustainable energy systems based on locally available energy resources—solar, wind, and diesel—are proposed. The multiyear and sensitivity analysis function of HOMER Pro microgrid simulation software is used to analyze the off grid performance of the proposed combinations of diesel generators, wind turbines, solar Photovoltaics, and battery storage, in providing power for an estimate of 400 households and nonresidential outlets in Machinga Boma, a community in the Southern region of Malawi. Based on the analysis, the Solar Photovoltaic/Diesel Genset/battery system combination consisting of 750 kWp solar Photovoltaic array, 460 kW (575 kVA) diesel generator and 3000 kWh nominal capacity battery bank is shown to be the most optimal system, with an overall energy cost of $0.339/kWh. Under the imposed design constraints and the sensitivity analysis performed to analyze the impact of changing the base fuel price, varying load growth, changing solar irradiation, and wind levels on the system performance, the most optimal system remained the preferred system choice.

On the Performance of a UAV-Aided Wireless Network Based on NB-IoT

In recent years, interest in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a means to provide wireless connectivity has substantially increased thanks to their easy, fast and flexible deployment. Among the several possible applications of UAV networks explored by the current literature, they can be efficiently employed to collect Internet-of-Things (IoT) data because the non-stringent latency and small-size traffic type is particularly suited for UAVs’ inherent characteristics. However, the implications coming from the implementation of existing technology in such kinds of nodes are not straightforward. In this article, we consider a Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) network served by a UAV base station. Because of the many configurations possible within the NB-IoT standard, such as the access structure and numerology, we thoroughly review the technical aspects that have to be implemented and may be affected by the proposed UAV-aided IoT network. For proper remarks, we investigate the network performance jointly in terms of the number of successful transmissions, access rate, latency, throughput and energy consumption. Then, we compare the obtained results on different and known trajectories in the research community and study the impact of varying UAV parameters such as speed and height. Moreover, the numerical assessment allows us to extend the discussion to the potential implications of this model in different scenarios. Thus, this article summarizes all the main aspects that must be considered in planning NB-IoT networks with UAVs.

Typologie des exploitations agricoles : caractérisation et accès aux services agricoles au Bénin (Afrique de l’Ouest)

Le secteur agricole constitue un levier très important du développement de l’économie béninoise. Il est dominé par la présence d’exploitations agricoles qui mènent plusieurs activités. L’objectif de cette étude était de caractériser ces exploitations agricoles et d’analyser leurs accès aux services agricoles au Bénin. Les données ont été collectées à l’aide des questionnaires et de guide d’entretien auprès d’un échantillon de 4880 exploitions agricoles. L’analyse typologique a été faite à l’aide d’une classification ascendante hiérarchique et d’une analyse en composantes principales. L’analyse du taux d’accès des exploitants agricoles aux services agricoles a été faite grâce aux statistiques descriptives et au calcul de pourcentage dans des tableaux croisés. L’analyse des variances a permis d’analyser les variations des taux d’accès des services agricoles entre les classes d’exploitations agricoles. Les résultats de l’étude ont montré qu’il existe trois catégories d’exploitations agricoles au Bénin. Il s’agit des gros agriculteurs (27,91%), des agriculteurs moyens (21,45%) et les petits agriculteurs qui sont majoritairement représentés (50,64%). L’appartenance à l’un ou l’autre des groupes d’exploitation est déterminée par la superficie des champs, le nombre d’actifs agricoles, l’utilisation de la traction motorisée, de la traction animale, le nombre de têtes de bovins, etc. L’analyse du taux d’accès des exploitations agricoles aux services agricoles a révélé que ces taux varient d’une catégorie d’exploitation à une autre. Cette étude permettra aux décideurs politiques de définir et bien orienter les politiques de recherches développement vers les acteurs du monde rural. The agricultural sector is a very important lever for the development of the Beninese economy. It is dominated by the presence of farms that carry out several activities. The objective of this study was to characterize these farms and to analyze their access to agricultural services in Benin. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guides from a sample of 4880 farms. The cluster analysis was done using an ascending hierarchical classification and principal component analysis. The analysis of the access rate of farmers to agricultural services was made through descriptive statistics and percentage calculation in cross tables. The analysis of variances was used to analyze the variations in the rates of access to agricultural services between the classes of agricultural holdings. The results of the study showed that there are three categories of farms in Benin. These are large farmers (27.91%), medium farmers (21.45%) and small farmers who are mostly represented (50.64%). Membership in one or another of the farming groups is determined by the area of the fields, the number of agricultural workers, the use of motorized traction, animal traction, the number of heads of cattle. , etc. Analysis of the access rate of farms to agricultural services revealed that these rates vary from one farm category to another. This study will enable political decision-makers to define and properly orient development research policies towards actors in the rural world.

Acceptance Rate of Independent Exercise Mobile Based Learning Application Using Android

Universitas Terbuka (UT) has prepared many learning services, one of which is Independent Exercises that can be used by students in the learning process. The still low utilization of IE by students needs to be examined. This paper will discuss the extent of IE-based mobile learning using Android. This study uses a quantitative descriptive method, with a population of 180 respondents, and with a sample of 71 respondents form the cities of Serang, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Manado,and Pangkal Pinang. Te results of the study show that the aspects of the ease of use, the usefulness, and the intention to use the Android Indepedent Exercises application generaly accepted by students, and it is supported by the access rate of them. Universitas Terbuka (UT) telah menyiapkan banyak layanan pembelajaran, salah satunya adalah Latihan Mandiri yang dapat digunakan oleh mahasiswa dalam proses pembelajaran. Masih rendahnya pemanfaatan IE oleh mahasiswa perlu dicermati. Makalah ini akan membahas sejauh mana pembelajaran mobile berbasis IE menggunakan Android. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kuantitatif, dengan jumlah populasi 180 responden, dan dengan sampel 71 responden dari Kota Serang, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Manado, dan Pangkal Pinang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa aspek kemudahan penggunaan, kemanfaatan, dan niat menggunakan aplikasi Latihan Mandiri Android secara umum diterima oleh siswa, dan didukung oleh tingkat akses mereka.

Financial Inclusion in East Africa: Does Economic Growth Matter?

Inclusive financial systems in any economy cannot be ignored. In fact, it has become a policy strategy in many governments around the world, including East Africa region economies – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Using panel data, this study presents a cross country analysis of the variables that determine financial inclusion levels with a key focus on economic growth through demand leading hypothesis. The study sought to test if economic expansion matters in financial inclusion in East Africa for the period 2006-2019. Panel ordinary least squares regression technique and fixed effect estimation method were adopted during the analysis. Following the findings of the study, economic growths depict a considerable influence on the financial access rate in East Africa. The corroboration presented by this study may help the respective countries to adopt policies that focus on improving financial inclusion levels through sustained economic growth.

Acute pediatric peritoneal dialysis: impact of an opt-out model and adaptable methods in a hospital in Nigeria

BACKGROUND Despite efforts to scale peritoneal dialysis (PD) uptake, access is still limited in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. Thus, this study evaluated access to PD, cost-effectiveness, complications, and in-hospital mortality rate following the adoption of a local opt-out model approach for all children with acute kidney injury (AKI) that required PD. METHODS This work was a retrospective review of 33 children with AKI that required dialysis between December 2014 and November 2016. PD was carried out using locally adaptable consumables in place of commercially produced consumables. All patients that required renal replacement therapy (RRT) were offered an option to opt-out irrespective of their financial status. Patients’ relevant data were retrieved from the case notes and analyzed. RESULTS The median age was 7 years (range 3–12). 23 patients (70%) were males. Of the 33 patients that required RRT, 29 had PD. The children had an access rate of 88% (95% CI = 76.77–99.03). The access rate was not related to gender (p = 1.000), age group (p = 0.240), or socioeconomic status (p = 0.755). Complications were pericatheter leakage of fluid (n = 7, 24%), catheter malfunction (n = 5, 17%), abdominal wall edema (n = 3, 10%), scrotal edema (n = 2, 7%), and peritonitis (n = 1, 3%). In-hospital mortality was 3/29 (10%; 95% CI = 2.2–27.3). Cost analysis revealed that the cost of consumables was reduced by 88.5%. CONCLUSIONS An opt-out model with the use of locally adaptable consumables improved PD access (88%) with a low in-hospital mortality rate.

The Technopolitics of Infrastructure Breakdowns: A Historical Overview of Dumsor

In sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is considered a beacon of success because of its high electricity access rate: 84.3 per cent as at 2018. Despite this success, the sector is entangled in a crisis. Crisis as used here refers to the crisis of electricity supply where supply deficits results in prolonged periods of blackouts and load rationing. Between 2012 and 2016, blackouts christened dumsor (Twi word for off/on) became a regular experience in Ghana with more blackouts than electricity supplied: 24 hours lights out, 12 hours light supplied. Using a historical narrative, this article provides a summarized account of how dumsor unravelled- the momentous cascading socio-economic interruption dumsor caused, the dramatic user responses it evoked and the ways in which it became the subject of intense political debate. Primary data was gathered from ethnographic fieldwork and secondary data from online and archival sources. This narration reveals the generative potential of uncertain infrastructure and its ability to foreground the “under the radar” interdependences between infrastructure and political power. It details how an “imperfect” electric infrastructure produced new user subjectivities, challenged the conduct of electricity governance and revealed electricity provisioning to be a starkly contested technopolitical process. Keywords: Technopolitics, Blackouts, Dumsor, Infrastructure