Investigate on the Determinants of Economic Growth in Ethiopia

The study examines the macroeconomics determinants of economic growth in Ethiopia measured by real gross domestic product (RGDP). We used time series data for a period of 27 years that is 1991 to 2017. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test was used for the unit root test and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag under Bound test was also conducted to establish short and long run relationships between economic growth and its macroeconomics determinants. The result shows that there is co-integration, which establishes the existence of long run relationship among the variables. The results show that gross fixed capital formation, total labor force, total government expenditure and foreign direct investment are the main determinants of Ethiopia economic output in the long run where us total labor force and foreign direct investment are the main determinants of economic growth in Ethiopia in the short run. The study recommended that there is need for government to consciously develop the business environment by provision of necessary infrastructure, which will lower the cost of doing business in Ethiopia. There is also the need for the government to retain tight monetary and fiscal policies in order to fight inflation in the Ethiopian economy, since inflation have negative influence on investment and Ethiopia economic growth and finally, There is needs to put stringent policy in place to minimized strike in Ethiopia labor sector in order to enhance their performance to the nation economy. Keywords: Macroeconomics; Unit Root; Cointegration; Ethiopia; Real Gross Domestic Product. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-1-0

Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthes of donkeys and mules in and around Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

This study was conducted from October, 2010 to April, 2011 in and around Bahir Dar to identify the major gastrointestinal helminthes of donkeys and mules, to estimate prevalence of these parasites and their burden on equines. A total of 384 faecal samples (212 donkeys and 172 mules) were collected randomly for qualitative and quantitative faecal analyses. The overall prevalence of different parasites was found to be 88.21% in donkeys and 77.91% in mules. In the study area, 94.1% of donkeys and 84.33% of mules harbored two or more types of parasites (mixed infection). The parasites encountered in both donkeys and mules in the study period were strongyles species (65.09% and 66.28%), Trichostrongylus axei (42.45% and 31.97%), Triodontophorus spp. (36.32% and 33.72%), Trichonema spp.(34.91% and 37.79%), Parascaris equorum (13.68% and 10.46%), Dictyocaulus arnfieldi (22.17% and 8.14%), Anoplocephala (23.12% and 16.86%) and Fasciola spp.(17.92% and 13.95%), respectively. The prevalence of all identified parasites were statistically significant (p<0.05) between female and male donkeys. The prevalence of strongyles, T. axei, Triodontophorus, Trichonema, and P. equorum was statistically significant (p<0.05) among age groups of donkeys, but Anoplocephala and Fasciola was not. In mules, the prevalence of strongyles, Triodontophorus and Trichonema was statistically significant (p<0.05), but the prevalence of T. axei, P. equorum, D. arnfieldi, Anoplocephala, and Fasciola was not. The body condition score was negatively correlated (r=-0.664 for donkeys and r=-0.637 for mules, respectively) with total eggs per gram of faeces (EPG). The findings of the present study indicated a high prevalence of helminthic parasites compromising the health and welfare of equines. Sustainable prevention and control methods should be developed to prevent the burden of gastrointestinal helminthes of equines in and around Bahir Dar.Key words: Bahir Dar, donkeys, Ethiopia, gastrointestinal helminthes, mules, prevalenc

Analysis on the Determinants of Private Investment in Ethiopia A Time Series Analysis (1992-2016)

This study investigates the determinants of private investment in Ethiopia for the period 1992-2016. The ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) approach to co integration is employed to test the existence of a long runrelationship, as well as to study the short run dynamics of private investment in Ethiopia. To that end, demand forprivate investment is estimated as a function of public investment, lending interest rate, saving interest rate, foreign aid, external debt, trade openness, business tax, and inflation rate. The original problem focuses on the assessment of factors that have either stimulated or dampened private sector investment in Ethiopia during the study period. The results of this study confirm some results found elsewhere in the empirical literature. Further, the study employed the variance decomposition and impulse response functions to investigate the dynamic simulations of the variables included in the estimated model Econometric evidence indicates that private investment is positively related to real saving interest rate and trade openness but negatively related to public investment, foreign aid, external debt, and business tax. Further the variance decomposition results show that innovations in business tax highly contributed to the forecast error of Ethiopia’s trade balance as compared to other explanatory variables. The study finally recommends that countries should seriously work in creating enabling environment for private investment. Keywords: Private Investment, ARDL, Ethiopi

Analysis on the Determinants of Trade Balance in Ethiopia a Time Series Analysis (1981-2017)

Trade balance is one core component of gross domestic products of countries especially in the present times in which every nation have liberalization of their economies. It may be in surplus or deficit depending on the trading and economic power of the nation. For instance Ethiopia has running a negative trade balance for the previous three decades, implies that export of the country could not cover the import expenditure. There are different factors which result into having as such circumstance. This study tried to identify the main determinants of the trade balance in Ethiopia by considering ratio of export and import as an approximation to trade balance. The study investigates the determinants of trade balance in Ethiopia from 1981-2017. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag under Bounds test approach to cointegration was used for the estimation. Further, the study employed the variance decomposition and impulse response functions to investigate the dynamic simulations of the variables included in the estimated model. The results show evidence of an equilibrium long-run relationship (cointegration). Keywords: Trade balance, ARDL, Ethiopi

Prevalence and risk factors of bovine and ovine fasciolosis, and evaluation of direct sedimentation sensitivity method at Bahir-Dar Municipal Abattoir, Northern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November, 2010 to March, 2011 to estimate the prevalence of bovine and ovine fasciolosis, to assess risk factors and to estimate direct financial loss due to liver condemnation on cattle and sheep slaughtered at Bahir Dar municipal abattoir. Additionally, the sensitivity of direct sedimentation technique for the diagnosis of fasciolosis in cattle and sheep was also evaluated. Thus, of the total 768 collected fecal samples (384 cattle and 384 sheep), 121 cattle (31.5%) and 42 sheep (10.9%) were found positive. Likewise, detail postmortem examination of the livers revealed significant (X2 = 72.17; p = 0.000) difference in the number of flukes recovered from cattle (45.3%) and sheep (16.9%). Analysis of the risk factors indicated the presence of significant occurrence of ovine fasciolosis among different age groups (p = 0.038, X2 = 4.30) and between sexes (p = 0.710, X2 = 0.14). Analysis of intensity of pathological lesion in bovine livers revealed 43 (24.7%) lightly, 71 (40.8%) moderately, and 60 (34.5%) severely affected livers. Fasciola hepatica was more prevalent (69.5 and 76.9%) than Fasciola gigantica (14.4 and 13.9%), mixed infection by both flukes (6.9 and 6.2%) and unidentified immature fluke (16.0 and 9.2%) in cattle and sheep, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of fecal examination were found to be 69.54% and 100% in cattle and 64.61% and 100% in sheep, respectively. The average financial loss per annum as a result of liver condemnation was estimated to be 198,457.80 and 3,745.76 Ethiopian Birr (11421.61 and 215.56 USD) in cattle and sheep, respectively, indicating that the disease is economically important. This study showed high prevalence of fasciolosis occurrence associated with high financial losses implying the need for control intervention.Keywords: Fasciolosis, prevalence, sheep, cattle, abattoir, economic importance, Ethiopi

The Status of Iodine Nutrition and Iodine Deficiency Disorders among School Children in Metekel Zone, Northwest Ethiopia

Background: Iodine deficiency disorders are serious public health problems in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence and severity of iodine deficiency disorders among school children in Metekel Zone.Methods: A cross-sectional school based descriptive study was conducted between February 2011 and July 2012. One school containing 750 children aged between 6 and 18 years was randomly selected. Two hundred students from this school were selected by systematic random sampling. Physical examination was made according to WHO goiter classification system; 50 salt samples from households to which the sampled children belonged were tested for iodine using rapid field test kits and titration; a casual urine sample (5 ml) was taken from 30 children to measure urinary iodine spectrophotometrically, and 5 ml venous blood sample were collected from 37 children to measure thyroid relevant blood constituents using ELISA.Results: The total goiter prevalence was 39.5%; 60% of the salt samples contained no iodine. The median urinary iodine concentration ranged from 20.54 – 62.2 (39.9 μg/L). School children who were assessed for thyroid hormones showed 18.92% elevated and 27.03% suppressed TSH levels.Conclusion: The study demonstrated that iodine deficiency is still a severe public health problem in Metekel Zone. There is a need to further strengthen the existing controlling and monitoring system in order to achieve proper elimination of IDDs in the community.Keywords: Iodine deficiency disorder, iodized salt, urinary iodine concentration, thyroid function

Polypyrrole–polyaniline-water hyacinth leaf protein concentrate composite for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution: kinetics, isotherm and thermodynamic studies

ABSTRACT. This work focused on the extraction of “water hyacinth leaf protein concentrate” (WHLPC) and preparation of polypyrrole (PPy), polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole-polyaniline copolymer (PPy/PANI) coated WHLPC by in situ polymerization and investigate their application for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. After optimizing the experimental conditions like pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial concentration it was found that the kinetics and isotherm data were well fitted to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. PPy/PANI/WHLPC was found to be an efficient material compared to the other polymer-coated adsorbents with maximum adsorption capacity of 230 mg/g. The presence of counter ions ((NO3-, Cl-, HPO42-, SO42+ and HCO3- ions) slightly decreases the Cr(VI) removal efficiency PPy/PANI/WHLPC. The thermodynamic study reveals that the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto PPY/PANI/WHLPC is endothermic, thermodynamically feasible, and spontaneous. In addition, reusability of the material indicated high removal efficiency for two adsorption cycles.   KEY WORDS: Polypyrrole, Polyaniline, Protein concentrate, Water hyacinth, Chromium Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2022, 36(3), 571-584.                                                               DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v36i3.

Antibiogram of E. coli serotypes isolated from children aged under five with acute diarrhea in Bahir Dar town

Background: Diarrheal disease and its complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli as causative agents of diarrhea vary from region to region, and even within countries in the same geographical area.Objectives: To determine the serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli in children under-five years of age.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 children with diarrhea from December 2011 to February 2012. Identification of E. coli and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were done following standard procedures.Results: The overall isolation rate of E. coli was 48.3%. Poly 2 sero-groups, poly 3 sero-groups, poly 4 sero-groups and E. coli O157:H7 accounted for 80 (39.2%), 40 (19.6%), 25 (12.3%), and 59 (28.9%) of the isolates, respectively. Poly 2 sero- groups, constituting isolates belonging to enteropathogenic E. coli were the most commonly isolated serotypes. E. coli exhibited high levels of antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin (86.8%), tetracycline (76%) and cotrimoxazole (76%). Low levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin (6.9%) and norfloxacin (9.3%) were documented.Conclusion: High prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli compounded by alarming antimicrobial resistances is a serious public health problem. Regular determination of antibiogram and public education are recommended.Keywords: E. coli, antimicrobial susceptibility, diarrhea, Ethiopi

Androgenic steroid composition of the hexane/ methanol whole plant extract of Solanecio tuberosus (Selbilla) around Lake Tana Northwest Ethiopia

The plant kingdom is a treasure house of potential drugs. Steroids are very important molecules that mediate awide range of biological functions in the human body. Today, there is no study reporting the androgenic steroidcontent of Solanecio tuberosus extract. In this study, the androgenic steroid content of hexane/methanol extractof S. tuberosus was analyzed by Fourier transform (FT)-infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,FT-magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thin layer chromatography. Androgenic steroid derivatives such aspredinsolone, testosterone cypionate, and methyltestostrone were identified. The present study showed thatS. tuberosus can be considered as a potential remedy to improve the sexual and physical health of men as theygo aged and in testosterone deficient condition if further studies are conducted on safety and efficacy of theplant material