Agromorphological Characterization of a Collection of Senna obtusifolia (L.) in Burkina Faso

Aims: Senna obtusifolia (L.) is an important wild herbaceous species for subsaharan Africa population. It is used in human food and traditional medicine to treat several deseases. In Burkina Faso, despite its potentialities, this species is of a little interest in scientific research. The aim of this study is to provide a good knowledge of the genetic diversity of this species. Study Design: The experimental design used was a randomized Fischer block type with three replications. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was carried out at Gampéla during 2018 rainy season. Methodology: Seventy (70) accessions of Senna obtusifolia were used for the evaluation of agromorphological variability. A total of twenty-seven (27) quantitative traits were studied. Results: The study revealed the existence of a great variability within the studied collection. Among the twenty-one (21) traits used for the analysis of variance (ANOVA), seventeen (17) variables significantly discriminate the accessions. A high heterogeneity was observed for the number of leaflets of the three first leaves and the number of floral pieces. In addition, significant correlations were observed between several variables. Indeed, the number of primary branches was positively correlated with the number of fruits per plant (r = 0.483), the number of grains per plant (r = 0.352) and the leaves biomass (r = 0.279). However, the number of days at flowering (NJF) is negatively correlated with the number of primary branches (r = -0.281). The variability obtained was structured in three groups. The third group is composed of accessions with the best agronomic performance that could be used in future breeding program. Conclusion: A high agromorphological diversity of Senna obtusifolia was observed and could be used in a breeding program.

Multinutrient Biofortification of Maize (Zea mays L) in Africa: Current Status, Opportunities and Limitations

Macro and micronutrient deficiencies pose serious health challenges globally, with the largest impact in developing regions such as subSaharan Africa (SSA), Latin America and South Asia. Maize is a good source of calories but contains low concentrations of essential nutrients. Major limiting nutrients in maize-based diets are essential amino acids such as lysine and tryptophan, and micronutrients such as vitamin A, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe). Responding to these challenges, separate maize biofortification programs have been designed worldwide, resulting in several cultivars with high levels of provitamin A, lysine, tryptophan, Zn and Fe being commercialized. This strategy of developing single-nutrient biofortified cultivars does not address the nutrient deficiency challenges in SSA in an integrated manner. Hence, development of maize with multinutritional attributes can be a sustainable and cost-effective strategy for addressing the problem of nutrient deficiencies in SSA. This review provides a synopsis of the health challenges associated with Zn, provitamin A and tryptophan deficiencies and link these to vulnerable societies; a synthesis of past and present intervention measures for addressing nutrient deficiencies in SSA; and a discussion on the possibility of developing maize with multinutritional quality attributes, but also with adaptation to stress conditions in SSA.

Cities without slums and the right to the city: slums in Subsaharan Africa

This paper discusses the issues unravelled by The UN's Cities without Slums Campaign which has been inappropriately communicated across Africa as a project to eradicate slums. Focusing on the Sub Saharan capital of Angola, Luanda. The theme equally explores the 3S's concept in Architecture − Social, Sustainable and Standard solutions − aiming to develop a Social Housing Program, called MUSSUS, in the context of UN-HABITAT and Proficient-EU concepts of slum-upgrading, including bioclimatic design and communal work. The concept of ZEB house is also introduced, including renewable energy systems, and passive design techniques. Mass-construction of houses is achieved, by modular standardisation, but providing adaptability to each family' needs. The main goal is to provide the community with the tools to change their environment, significantly improving quality of life.

THE AFTERMATH OF THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE SAHEL AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The Arab Spring, which brought an end to the authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, was greeted with so much expectation, especially as it gave hope for the expansion of democracy. Unfortunately, however, the Arab Spring has only helped to bring about a period of political uncertainty in the affected countries and created the opportunity for political instability in the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa. The fragility of states in Africa with the attendant governance deficits have also created the platform for non-state armed actors to penetrate the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa, which ultimately impacts negatively on the region. This study, therefore, seeks to investigate the implication of the Arab Spring for peace and development in the Sahel and SubSaharan Africa.

THOUGHTS ON XENOPHOBIA, DISRUPTIVE NATION AND "MAN ON GROUND"

Stories of Africans displaced by war taking high risks to get to an often inhospitable Western Europe are frequently in the news. But subSaharan Africa is the region which hosts the largest population of refugees in the world. Refugees who flee to sub Saharan African countries are also frequently subjected to xenophobic exclusion and violence by people who sometimes claim to be defending rights and privileges associated with national belonging. My aims are to point out new avenues for novel insights into the interrelations between xenophobia, disruption and nation by giving attractive detail and depth to the discussion using Director Akin Omotoso's Man on Ground (2011); putting forward arguments against xenophobic stereotypes and violence; pointing out some pitfalls of nation-building; and by finding and imagining human ground amidst disruptive nationhood. What is offered is a new synthesis of philosophical insights that defies distinctions between African and Western philosophy. Going beyond nativism and xenophobia, this synthesis speaks of the need and possibility to craft common human ground that enables people to become the most they can be.

STATE-BUILDING AND NON-STATE CONFLICTS IN AFRICA

Contemporary state building intervention in weak states is based on the assumption that once a capable state is instituted, it will be able to ensure peace. Extant literature on state capacity and civil war onset tends to confirm this assumption. However, the relation between state capacity and the onset of non-state conflict is not adequately examined in this literature. This article, which is based on findings from research undertaken by the author at the African Leadership Centre, aims to extend the existing knowledge on state capacity and civil conflict by examining the relation between state capacity and non-state conflict in subSaharan Africa using mixed methodological approaches. A statistical analysis of the correlation between three aspects of state capacity and non-state conflict is supplemented with a detailed qualitative analysis of selected states that experience non-state conflicts and those that did not. State capacity is dissected into state effectiveness, legitimacy and monopoly of the means of coercion. The result reveals that the legitimacy and effectiveness of the state are negatively correlated with nonstate conflicts in a statistically significant way. However, the qualitative analysis indicates that the role of state capacity in reducing non-state conflicts should not be over-stated. The occurrence or absence of nonstate conflicts is influenced by the interplay of multi-faceted factors related to the level of resource scarcity, the strength of customary dispute resolution mechanisms, patterns of intercommunity interaction, nature of state policies and political actors' stake in a conflict.

New species of Clavigeritae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Malawi and South Africa

Three new species of Clavigeritae from subsaharan Africa, Zuluclavodes mulanjensis sp. nov., Zuluclavodes minor sp. nov. from southern Malawi and Articerodes jaloszynskii sp. nov. from South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal are described. Diagnosis is provided for both genera, and a key to species is given for the genus Zuluclavodes Hlaváč, 2007. Ischyroceros mirus Reichensperger, 1915 is firstly recorded from Malawi, the illustration of its aedeagus is given. All described species are illustrated and their photos are presented.