Financial Deepening and Economic Growth in Nigeria: Evidence from 1982 – 2019

This paper examines the impact of financial deepening on economic growth in Nigeria from 1982 – 2019. The objective of the study is to look at the impact of credit to private sector, money supply and gross domestic savings on the economic growth in Nigeria. Secondary data were collected based on the model used in the research work and unit root test was conducted on the data to test their stationary, after which we perform co-integration test to analyze the long run relationship among the variables. The result obtained from our empirical analysis shows that all financial deepening variables possesses a significant impact on the economic growth in Nigeria, that is, money supply, credit to private sector and gross domestic savings financial deepening proxies has significant and positive effect on economic growth. The study therefore recommends that government and the monetary authorities should make policies which would help to boost the saving culture of the people. This could be done by increasing the deposit rate which would lure the people to deposit their money in banks thereby increasing the supply of loanable funds. This would lead to a fall in interest rate and eventually rise in investment

ICT in National Pandemic: The Hope for Academic Development (Case Study of Secondary Schools and Universities in Owerri Municipal Nigeria)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become more of a classroom to all nation in carrying out academic activities. This research work used descriptive research method of analysis. This study was concerned with looking at the significance and hope of nations through the use of ICT in academic development in secondary and university education in Owerri municipal Imo state, Nigeria. Out of the Two hundred and five (205) respondent used for this research from different schools, including teachers the majority of respondents 132 (64.4%) were females and the remaining 73 (35.6%) were males. Their ages were 73 (36 %) for 16-20 years, 61 (30 %) for 10-15 years, 51 (26%) for 20-25 years and 17 (8 %) for 26 years above. All the 205 respondents indicated that ICT is the only hope for distance learning during national pandemic for academic development. The researcher went further to ask the respondents the frequently used ICT software that aids online learning and the highest respond shown that whatsapp (50 %) was the highest used app due to its ability to reduce data consumption followed by Google classroom (24%). They found out that the use of ICT encourage research activities since all information needed for any form of online research is found on the internet. Majority of the respondents strongly agreed that ICT permits online assignment (57.5 %). Communicating high expectations, emphasizing time on task, creating quizzes and exams, immediate feedback mechanisms are major principles underlying teaching. This research can conclude that ICTs are said to help expand approach to education, support the relevance of education to the progressively digital workplace, and raise educational quality. Keywords: academic, ICT, national, pandemic DOI: 10.7176/IKM/10-7-02 Publication date:October 31st 202

Análisis sincrónico de la gobernanza universitaria: una mirada teórica a los años sesenta y setenta

Resumen Estudiar las perspectivas en el campo del gobierno de las universidades tiene cada día mayor preeminencia, especialmente si se toma en cuenta la incuestionable necesidad de avanzar hacía organizaciones más eficientes, conectadas con las expectativas que sobre ellas tiene la sociedad. Considerando este escenario, el trabajo se ha planteado como propósito central realizar un análisis de carácter sincrónico del concepto de gobernanza y la constitución de los gobiernos universitarios. Desde el punto de vista metodológico se utilizaron fuentes secundarias: una revisión de papers publicados esencialmente en revistas de habla inglesa. El estudio comprende las décadas del sesenta y el setenta. Se centra en las raíces del concepto de gobernanza universitaria, en la delineación de los actores que participan en sus gobiernos y en las relaciones de poder que fluyen entre ellos.Entre las principales conclusiones, se pueden destacar como el estamento académico desde el principio de las universidades ha ocupado el rol casi plenipotenciario en su respectivo gobierno, producto de esto, en el correr del desarrollo y mientras la complejidad organizacional se incrementaba, es que fue necesario incorporar nuevos actores a los sistemas de gestión; todo lo anterior, teniendo en cuenta que dos elementos han sido fundamentales para la sobrevivencia de este tipo de instituciones, la legitimidad otorgada por la sociedad y los principios de estrategias del ámbito de la gestión

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Determinants Of Loan Repayment Ability Of Farmers In Kogi State

This study evaluates socio-economic factors that could predict repayment ability, quantify the effects of those factors and device a method to curb or manage default in agriculture and/or other credit lending. Data for the analysis were obtained by interviewing a sample of loan beneficiary farmers cooperative society members and non cooperative society members in three local government areas in Kogi State. The major factors that affect repayment ability were identified and the extent of the effect was assessed using the marginal and elasticity of probability. Participation in cooperative societies, non-farm income; farming experience had major effect on repayment ability while family size, farm size and return on investment, had a minimal effect on repayment ability. Poor record keeping, low literacy, and fear of high interest rates were some of the problems and constraints encountered by the farmers and the credit institutions. it is recommended that farmers should be encouraged to keep good records, financial institutions should also ease the process of loan acquisition to enable farmers with low educational background better access to funds. It is also recommended that credit worthiness of to be beneficiaries should be calculated in advance to reduce the frequency of loan default