Compendium of documents on National Human Rights Institutions in eastern and southern Africa

Africa’s increasing recognition and protection of human rights have been accompanied by a surge in the number of NHRIs established with broad mandates to promote and protect human rights. The mandates and powers of the NHRIs vary from country to country, as does their ability to deliver on these mandates. Indeed, the rapid increase in the number of NHRIs in Africa has come with a variety of substantive and operational challenges. In the face of such challenges, those who work in NHRIs need to understand the broader regional and global context in which the institutions operate and the changing nature of human rights issues. This compendium provides an overview of NHRIs in eastern and southern Africa. It is guided to a large extent by the internationally agreed-upon Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions, referred to as the Paris Principles. These Principles are broadly accepted as the benchmark against which the legitimacy and credibility of NHRIs can be assessed. Endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, the Paris Principles provide NHRIs with guidelines as to their competence and responsibilities, their composition and guarantees of independence and pluralism, and their methods of operation; additional principles relate to the status of commissions with quasi-jurisdictional competence. The generous financial support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Rule of Law for Sub-Saharan Africa, Nairobi, Kenya office, is gratefully acknowledged

Constitutional Entrenchment of Decentralization in Africa: An Overview of Trends and Tendencies

The prominent place given to decentralization in the design of post-1990 African constitutions has been likened to a silent revolution. This is not surprising, for sharing power has been anathema to post-independence African leaders, who have striven to personalize power and concentrate it within a privileged clique in the capital city. This article assesses the nature and significance of the increasing trend in Africa towards constitutional entrenchment of decentralized forms of government. It examines the concept of decentralization and its manifestations in contemporary African constitutional design. It provides an overview of the extent of the constitutional entrenchment of decentralization in African practice, and then considers the rationale for, and possible implications of, this process. From an analysis and comparison of emerging trends, it argues that only a formally and constitutionally entrenched decentralization framework can ensure that the process is effectively implemented and is not dependent on the goodwill of the central government.http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=JALhj2018Public La

Patent and research exemption: Challenges for research capacity and utilization in universities, research institutions and industry in Botswana

This study examined the opinions of a stratified sample of 366 researchers drawn from universities, research institutions and industries in Botswana on the challenges of patent and research exemptions on research capacity and utilization. The study found out the level of patent awareness and intellectual property awareness in the country generally is low (67%), while 69% of the researchers did not understand what the patent system is. Although 36% of the researchers were aware that they could conduct their researches or experiments on patented inventions without infringing on the rights of patentee to their inventions by invoking research exemptions, only 9 percent knew the procedure for invoking research exemption. Also, 77% were of the view that universities and research institutions should be granted research exemptions. The study further revealed that 8 percent of the researchers had applied for patent while 0.5% of the registered patentees in Botswana were locals. The most pressing challenge highlighted by researchers for inability to apply for patent was unawareness of conventions/laws governing patent practices. The study, therefore, recommends immediate knowledge-based interventions by Government of Botswana to create awareness among researchers and the entire population on Intellectual Property Rights within which the patent system falls. In addition, it is strongly recommended that legislation introducing an experimental use exemption should be introduced to encourage research and innovations.

Assessing the Challenges of Patent and Research Exemptions on Research Capacity and Utilization in Universities, Research Institutions and Industry in Botswana

A Final Technical Report Submitted to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)The study analyzed the opinion of a stratified sample of 366 people from universities, research institutions and industry in Botswana on how patent regime and research exemptions impact on their research capacities and utilization of research outputs. The results of the study showed that although awareness of the use of patent rights to protect their invention was low (67%), the utilization of patent was extremely very low (8%). In addition, over 75% of the respondents were convinced of the need of granting universities and research institutions statutory research exemptions. In their view, granting such exemptions will enhance the researchers’ abilities to verify the truthfulness and accuracy of patent claims, and be able to compare old and new technologies. The study therefore recommends that (i) the IP Unit in the relevant ministry needs to adopt a more proactive role by sensitising people, especially those whose activities may result in inventions, about their IP rights, how these rights can be protected, the advantages of protecting their rights to inventions through patents and the patent procedure. Information literature contained in leaflets and other types of flyers should be widely used; (ii) The Tertiary Education Board, which is the supervisory body for education in the country needs to formulate an IP policy which should guide all the tertiary institutions in the country; (iii) The existing legal framework on patent rights and research exemptions in Botswana need to be made more effective; (iv) The Government, tertiary institutions and industry must be compelled to allocate funds for research and innovation; (v) Financial incentives, possibly through a 50/50 sharing of royalties from patents should be introduced; and (vi) Academic institutions should device well-publicised schemes to recognise and reward innovative initiatives by staff

Effect of flubendazole on developing stages of Loa loa in vitro and in vivo: a new approach for screening filaricidal agents

Background Loiasis, an often-neglected tropical disease, is a threat to the success of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis elimination programmes in rainforest areas of the central and western Africa. Its control and even its elimination might be possible through the use of a safe macrofilaricide, a prophylactic drug, or perhaps a vaccine. This present study evaluated the effect of flubendazole (FLBZ) on the development of Loa loa L3 in vitro and in vivo. Methods Infective stages of L. loa were isolated and co-cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium in the presence of monkey kidney epithelial cells (LLC-MK2) feeder cells. FLBZ and its principal metabolites, reduced flubendazole (RFLBZ) and hydrolyzed flubendazole (HFLBZ), were screened in vitro at concentrations 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 μg/ml. The viability of the parasites was assessed microscopically daily for 15 days. For in vivo study, a total of 48 CcR3 KO mice were infected subcutaneously with 200 L. loa L3 and treated with 10 mg/kg FLBZ once daily for 5 consecutive days. Twenty-four animals were used as control and received L3 and vehicle. They were dissected at 5, 10, 15 and 20 days post-treatment for worm recovery. Results The motility of L3 larvae in vitro was reduced from the second day of incubation with drugs at in vivo plasma concentration levels, with a strong correlation found between reduced motility and increased drug concentration (Spearman’s rho = -0.9, P < 0.0001). Except for HFLBZ (0.05 μg/ml and 0.01 μg/ml), all concentrations of FLBZ, HFLBZ and RFLBZ interrupted the moulting of L. loa infective larvae to L4. In vivo, regardless of the experimental group, there was a decrease in parasite recovery with time. However, at each time point this reduction was more pronounced in the group of animals treated with FLBZ compared to equivalent control. Parasites were recovered from the flubendazole-treated groups only on day 5 post-inoculation at an average rate of 2.1%, a value significantly lower (Mann-Whitney U-test, U = 28, P = 0.0156) than the average of 31.1% recovered from the control group. Conclusions This study reveals the ability of flubendazole to inhibit the development of L. loa L3 both in vitro and in vivo, and in addition validates the importance of in vitro and animal models of L. loa as tools for the development of drugs against loiasis