Challenges Impeding Regional Integration in Southern Africa

Regional integration through the establishment of regional groupings has been taunted as a gateway to regional development and growth, the coming together of countries to share and contribute to knowledge, policy development, peace and security, trade and educational development is undoubtedly seen as the key to the development of Southern Africa. However, regional integration in Southern Africa has been hampered by numerous challenges which have derailed the quest of regional countries to deepen integration and cooperation. By strictly analyzing relevant literature related to regional integration in Southern Africa, it became evident that the region is engulfed with serious challenges that are hindering the quest for deeper integration, and often this is further compounded by internal economic challenges that members’ states are faced with. The study uncovered the fact that regional integration has been difficult to entrench as member states are confronted with numerous internal challenges which are diverting their need to focus on regional matters. Consequently, regional integration is under threat in Southern Africa as many countries are not effectively prioritizing the development of policies aimed at aiding its entrenchment, mainly because of the significance of the challenges that they are facing and this will further affect members’ states regarding socioeconomic development. The study underscored the importance for regional governments to cooperate on issues of common threats and urgently develop and institute policies/mechanisms that would ensure the entrenchment of regional integration and more importantly its sustainability.&nbsp

A kingdom with many internal facets: power, politics and instability in a post-colonial state. Ramifications for public stability

Lesotho offers an exciting case study for the analysis of the interface between power, politics and instability. Since gaining its independence from Britain in 1966, Lesotho has over the last five decades been plagued by persistent political instability that has paved way for the breakdown of the rule of law, gross human rights violations, underdevelopment and insecurity where at times the security sector like the Lesotho Defence Force has taken over several key institutions in the country. Political instability in the tiny kingdom has been a daunting agenda for all concerned actors, including political parties, civil society, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other continental stakeholders. While the security sector of any state is of importance, it becomes problematic if it becomes involved in a state’s political affairs. The repercussions of such trajectories of governance have been quite profound for democratic stability and security. Using a qualitative methodology, supplemented by secondary data, this article seeks to unearth Lesotho’s political instability, the role of its security forces and continental actors in its continuous internal governance crisis post the colonial era. The article rightfully shows that The power, possessed by both the military and police, has made them have a robust role in state affairs rather than institutions, mandated to safeguard Lesotho’s citizens. The legitimacy of the security sector underpins restructuring, transparent and accessible security sectors enhance healthy civil-military relations. Restructuring a state’s security and political dynamic reforms is not an easy task, it requires a state managerial and dedication prowess and assistance from different role players and therefore an ample amount of time and effort is invested in the coordination of this process

Continental Migration Trends: Its Implications from an African Perspective

Migration is witnessed throughout the world, this is even true for a third world continent such as Africa, where individuals tend to move from one place to another propelled by diverse push and pull factors. This paper brings forward the degree of migration movements in Africa. Additionally, it seeks to understand the impact(s) of migration within the continent. It argues that migration in Africa is not a new phenomenon as it has been witnessed since colonialism often as a result of forced migration. However, post the colonial era, Africa has observed an upsurge of migration movements both documented and undocumented. This is manifested by the fact that Africa has remained an underdeveloped continent coupled with vast economic hindrances including unemployment, political instability, low growth rates, terrorism and corruption. In this vein, individuals move from place to place for better economic opportunities for themselves particularly to Western, Eastern and Southern African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Angola, Rwanda and Namibia. The paper concludes by outlining that if Africa is to limit and manage the evergrowing migration movements, then African heads of states should possibly improve their border patrol security, enhance rural agriculture and improve rural service delivery programmes. Moreover, to implement robust, well monitored and managed policies that intend to support and complement the policies of the African Union (AU), regional bodies and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) with regards to African migration.&nbsp

The Rise of Chinese Investments in Africa: For Whose Benefit?

Ever since China’s rise as a global superpower, there have been numerous debates about its role in Africa both from an Afrocentric and Eurocentric perspective. This is while some view its presence in Africa as that of a donor because of its growing investments, others are not entirely convinced and see China’s rising footprints in Africa as another colonialist state in need of looting Africa its resources. By utilizing a qualitative methodology, this paper ponders Chinese investments in Africa with the view of assessing the drivers underpinning China-Africa relations and how this has been beneficial to both parties concerned. In this vein, the study shows that China-Africa engagements are not something new, their relations dates back for decades though became more prominent from the 1950s after the Bandung Conference. Since then, China has risen to be a prominent player with regards to investments in Africa. It has further established various institutes aimed at strengthening its grip as a noticeable state in Africa’s development and political landscapes. The paper concludes by outlining that China has in some way benefited Africa through its investments over the past few decades and these relations have been beneficial to both parties. However, it argues that for more prosperous relations moving forward, African leaders should utilize institutes such as the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) to articulate clear policies for their engagement(s) with China and to protect their small and fragile economies from cheap Chinese imports.&nbsp

Corruption and Its Implications for Development and Good Governance: A Perspective from Post-Colonial Africa

Abstract: One of the many impediments to a specific region, country and/or continents political, social and economic growth prospects is corruption, the aim of this paper is to unearth the drivers and consequences of corruption in post-colonial Africa. Corruption is a global phenomenon; however when observing global corruption statistics and/or trends, it seems to be more prominent in underdeveloped continents such as Africa. Corruption in Africa is purely driven by low levels of economic growth, bad governance structures weak constitutions political instability, high levels of poverty coupled with high and ever-increasing levels of unemployment. We argue that post the colonial era, there has been a rise of corruption activities within the continent where individuals including some African heads of states have looted the continent of its resources meant for the general populace. In this sense, corruption takes resources meant for the poor, limits foreign direct investments (FDI) and has severe effects on a continent that is already the least developed in the world

Final-year medical students’ ratings of service-learning activities during an integrated primary care block

Background. Service learning (SL) has as its pedagogy the ability to link medical education to the community through the identification of healthcare needs for citizens residing in rural and urban underserved communities. Integrated Primary Care (IPC) is a clinical block through which final-year medical students manage common presenting problems in context and engage the community in a reciprocal manner.Objective. To assess the educational value and enjoyment of the 27 SL activities (SLAs) undertaken by final-year medical students as part of the IPC block.Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among final-year medical students (N=245), focusing on logbook activities during 1 academic year.Results. Students reported positively on the educational value of the majority of the 17 clinical SLAs, but only 3 activities were ranked the same for enjoyment and educational value. For non-clinical activities, only 2 of 10 were matched for educational and enjoyment value. There was no significant difference in the rating of educational value and enjoyment between rural and urban underserved sites.Conclusions. The study provided insight into clinical and non-clinical SLAs that accumulate value for students when they are based in primary healthcare settings. The lack of enjoyment on reflective activities is a concern that should be explored through a qualitative review of SLAs

Strengthening iron folate supplementation of pregnant women in Ntchisi District, Malawi

While an estimated 45% of pregnant women in Malawi are anaemic, only 33% take iron tablets for a minimum of 90 days during pregnancy. The study explored the capacity of health facilities and communities to strengthen antenatal iron folate supplementation in Ntchisi, to support the achievement of Malawi’s nutrition target on halving anaemia in women of reproductive age by 2025. This qualitative study employed systematic random and purposeful sampling. Eight Focus Group Discussions with mothers of children 0-23 months, eight with Care Group volunteers and eight in-depth interviews with Village Health Workers (Health Surveillance Assistants) were conducted in each village falling within the catchment area of each of 8 health facilities. Health facilities had been sampled each from the 7 Traditional Authorities with the district hospital and direct observations had been conducted at each for antenatal care service delivery. 10 key informants from the health facilities and the District Health Office were interviewed. Thus a total of 16 FGDs, 8 HSA interviews, and 10 key informant interviews provided the data analysed in this paper. Data were analysed manually using thematic framework analysis. Poor access to and follow up of antenatal care at the health facility has limited access to iron folate supplements, as the health facility is the main source of Iron folates. Recurrent depletion of stock of iron folate were reported by mothers at most health facilities. Consumer demand for the tablets was low due to side effects, poor acceptability, associated myths, forgetfulness and frustration from having to take a daily medication. There was limited training and education materials at the health facility and community with inadequate support given to women. The absence of clear policies and guidelines on iron folate supplementation resulted in inconsistencies in messaging. Uptake and adherence were not routinely monitored. There is a need to improve the main building blocks of the iron folate programme, including the: delivery system, tablet supply, patient education, consumer demand, monitoring and evaluation and polic

Medical students using the technique of 55-word stories to reflect on a 6-week rotation during the integrated primary care block

Background. Reflection and reflective practice are identified as a core competency for graduates in health professions education. Students are expected to be in a position to process experiences in a variety of ways through reflective learning. In doing so, they can explore the understanding of their actions and experiences, and the impact of these on themselves and others. Objectives. To draw on 5-weekly reflections by final-year medical students during the integrated primary care block placement. These reflections explore the learning that occurred during the rotation and the change in experiences during this period, and illustrate the use of reflection as a tool to support the development of professional practice. Methods. This descriptive qualitative study analysed students’ 55-word reflective stories during a 6-week preceptorship in either a rural or urban primary healthcare centre. The writing technique of short 55-word reflective stories was used to record student experiences. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software. This involved identifying the most commonly used words for each week through a word cloud, highlighting each week’s most notable focus for learning to generate themes and sub-themes. Results. Analysis of 127 logbook entries generated 464 stories on a range of experiences that had a significant impact on learning. Students’ reflections in the first 2 weeks were linked to personal experiences and views about the block. In subsequent weeks, reflections focused on the individual responses of students to the learning experiences regarding the curriculum, patient care, ethics, professionalism and the health system. Conclusions. The reflections highlighted the key learning experiences of the medical students and illustrated how meaning is constructed from these experiences. The 55-word stories as a reflection tool have potential to support reflection for students, and provide valuable insight into medical students’ learning journey during their clinical training

Re-examining the notion of local economic development (LED) post democratization: anticipated outputs, impediments and future expectation(s)

This article critically assesses the notion of Local Economic Development (LED) and utilizes South Africa as a case of reference, through which the conceptualization and underpinnings, associated with LED, are understood. South Africa has come through what one may call three waves of development change, which comprise the apartheid period (1949–1990), the transition period (1990–1994) and the post-apartheid era (1994–present). During both the apartheid and transition period, South Africa was at war with itself and neighbouring countries and economic growth, resources, employment and service delivery were scarce, particularly to the black majority because of the apartheid regimes destabilization policies. Post democratization, and with the inauguration of the democratic elected African National Congress (ANC) government, there were envisioned blueprint frameworks that ought to reverse the erstwhile apartheid regimes policies of racism, inequality and segregation. These were earmarked to alter South Africa’s development and economic growth landscape through the lens of LED. Hence, the promotion of LED was identified as a noteworthy strategy that can ultimately lead to community development, economic growth and poverty relief

Induction of labour with titrated oral Misoprostol suspension: a comparative study with vaginal Misoprostol

A CAJM journal article comparing the effectiveness of titrated orally and vaginally administered misoprostol for induction of labour administered at the University of Zimbabwe Teaching Hospital..Objective: To compare the effectiveness of titrated orally and vaginally administered misoprostol for induction of labour. Study Design: Unmasked randomized controlled trial. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Zimbabwe, Harare. Subjects: Pregnant women with singleton foetus in cephalic presentation booked for induction of labour, were randomized to receive titrated orally or vaginally administered misoprostol. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcomes were the duration of labour and induction to delivery interval. The secondary outcomes were neonatal and maternal complications. Methods: 134 women were recruited into the study; 69 and 65 were randomized into orally and vaginally administered misoprostol respectively. Results: The baseline characteristics in the two groups were similar. Women induced with titrated oral misoprostol suspension had a shorter interval from administration of the drug to initiation of uterine contractions (OR = 0.94 .95% Cl 0.42 to 2.12 ) and a longer duration of labour (OR = 0.36; 95% Cl 0.16 to 0.79). Labour was augmented with oxytocin in the oral group. The mean drug dose was 28mcg in the oral group. There was no difference in the mode of delivery between the two groups. Hypertonic uterine contractions were not detected. Ruptured uterus did not occur in the study population. There were more neonatal admissions in the vaginal than the oral group (OR = 1.03 .95% Cl 0.29 to 1.39). Conclusion: Titrated oral misoprostol suspension is as effective and safe as vaginal misoprostol for induction of labour even in poor resource countries where intrapartum monitoring is inadequate