Regionalism and technology development in Africa

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Biotechnology and development: threats and promises for the 21st century

This paper sets out to clarify the complex issues of risk perception and management in connection with biotechnology and Third World development. It summarises the main threats and promises associated with the technology before explaining why traditional approaches to risk are flawed from both a scientific and an ethical standpoint. It ends by making suggestions about how the precautionary principle may be made an operational tool for governments interested in ensuring that biotechnology leads to sustainable development

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION ON CONDOM USE AMONG FEMALE SEX WORKERS IN RWANDA

The study examined the influence of social marketing communication (SMC) on condom use among Female Sex Workers (FSWs) in Rwanda using the case study of Society for Family Health (SFH) Rwanda. The two study objectives included; to examine the effect of message framing on condom use among female sex workers in Rwanda and to assess the influence of communication channels on the use of condoms by female sex workers in Rwanda. The study used a descriptive case study design methodology with purposive and random sampling techniques. A 5 point likert scale questionnaire was utilized for data collection. The data was analyzed by way of SPSS 20 using descriptive analysis and inferential techniques particularly Pearson correlation analysis to determine how variables influenced each other. Findings reveal that message framing strongly and positively influence condom use among FSWs in Rwanda. Thus, the use of positive message framing that focuses on the benefits of condom use among FSWs significantly increases condom use. Communication channels were also found to positively and significantly influence condom use among FSWs in Rwanda particularly the use of peer to peer campaigns and mass media (Radio and TV) . The study recommends among other things that SFH Rwanda further investigates the use of peer to peer approach and social networks as channels for messages on condom use for FSWs.Keywords:  Social Marketing; Communication; Condom;  Message framing; Communication channel

Securing Africa’s health sovereignty : why investing in science and innovation matters

This paper aims at provoking broad-based dialogues and debates on ways and means of securing Africa’s health sovereignty. It argues that health sovereignty is about the realization of specific national constitutional and policy objectives on citizens’ access to and enjoyment of good health, resilient to COVID-19 and related disease pandemics. The paper also emphasizes the urgency of African countries fulfilling their commitments under global and regional declarations on health research. Investing in research, knowledge and innovation is critical to fight and win the war against COVID-19 and other diseases that undermine economic productivity and competitiveness of African countries. There is also a need for venture capitalists to demonstrate bankable ideas emanating from the science academies and funded by National Science Foundations. The base teachings at school level need to significantly invest in the “African philosophy” to create a shift in mind-set from the “grab and own without use mentality that is currently predominant on the continent. The paper recommends that executive, political and science leadership are needed to strengthen national health research and innovation systems through improved evidence-based policy implementation. With these thrusts working effectively together, rather than in silos, will afford the African continent to emerge victoriously in the combat against COVID-19 and other disease burdens

Areas for policy action: recommended interventions to address misalignments between STI and the SDGs

We propose a transformation of research funding and support systems, to mobilize a diversity of pathways to address the SDGs. We identify four main areas for action, with specific policy recommendations for research funders and policymakers: 1. Increase funding for SDGrelated research and innovation, particularly in low-income countries 2. Devote more funding to research that addresses underlying social inequalities, social innovations and informal research, in combination with technical solutions 3. Improve alignment between countries’ SDG priorities and their STI portfolios 4. Adopt a more holistic approach to research evaluation, with indicators and data that relate to a range of desired inputs, outcomes and impact

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