The Demand for Money, Structural Breaks and Monetary Policy in the Gambia

As part of the IMF sponsored stabilization  programme, the Gambia has been pursuing base monetary targeting. To ascertain whether this policy framework satisfies the necessary condition for effectiveness, this paper presents an empirical investigation into the determinants and stability of money demand (M2)   in the short-run and long-run in the Gambian economy during the period 1986:1 - 2012:4. Using theoretical defensible specification of the money demand function in line with the Keynesian precautionary, transacation and  speculative motives for holding money and its various extensions by Friedman, Baumol and Tobin, the paper  applied  Gregory -Hansen cointegration techniques allowing for structural breaks. The papers finds the existence of a long run and short-run cointegration relationship  in the money demand function and its determinants namely income, interest rate, inflation and exchange rate in the Gambia. The cointegration relationship with breaks suggests a structural break which occurred in 1995:1 reflecting the military coup and fall in foreign aid in the Gambia during the period.  The structural break is also clearly identifiable with the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc,  the border closure and transit controls in Senegal, as well as the suspension of convertibility  of the  CFA franc outside the franc zone in the period 1994-1996. Through establishing  the existence of a  dynamic short-run  error correction model we found that cointegration model with intercept shift best characterize the equilibrium relationship of the money demand function when there exists a structural break.   Furthermore,  by  the cumulative sums of squares of recursive residuals test, the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests, we found that the money demand function is unstable both in the short-run and in the long-run during the period under investigation.  Consequently the continued use of monetary targeting by the Central Bank of the Gambia (CBG) is misguided and suboptimal. This is even more so because there is no statistically significant relationship between money supply and inflation.  The Central Bank of the Gambia  (CBG) should  adopt  instead a flexible combination of elements of inflation targeting and monetary supply target framework to  maintain price stability  and promote noninflationary economic growth

Antimicrobial Activity of Medicinal Compounds Produced by Fungal Degradation of Soybean Oil Using Lignocellulose Biomass as Surface

Methyl esters were produced by fungal degradation of soybean oil using banana leaves as surface. Analysis of the products also revealed medicinal compounds (Benzyl Benzoate obtained from the banana leaves used as surface for the fungal degradation of the soybean oil and 1, 2-Benzene dicarboxylic acid dioctyl ester obtained from the soybean oil impurities). Microorganism activity test was carried out on the medicinal compounds to confirm their antibacterial and antifungal activity. The result showed that both had antibacterial and antifungal activity as shown by the zones of inhibition and as a result can find useful applications in food processing and preservation as well as agriculture as pest/disease control agents

Optimal piston crevice study in a rapid compression machine

Multi-dimensional effects such as vortex generation and heat losses from the gas to the wall of the reactor chamber have been an issue to obtaining a reliable RCM data. This vortex initiates a flow in the relatively cold boundary layer, which may penetrate the core gas. This resulting non-uniformity of the core region could cause serious discrepancies and give unreliable experimental data. To achieve a homogenous temperature field, an optimised piston crevice was designed using CFD modelling (Ansys fluent). A 2-Dimensional computational moving mesh is assuming an axisymmetric symmetry. The model adopted for this calculation is the laminar flow model and the fluid used was nitrogen. To get the appropriate crevice volume suitable for the present design, an optimisation of the five different crevice volume was modelled which resulted to about 2-10% of the entire chamber volume. The use of creviced piston has shown to reduce the final compressed gas temperature and pressure in the reactor chamber. All the crevice volumes between 2-10% of the chamber volume adequately contained the roll up vortexes, but the crevice volume of 282 mm 3 was chosen to be the best in addition to minimising the end gas pressure and temperature drop. The final pressure trace from experiment shows a reasonable agreement with the CFD model at compression and post compression stage

DESAIN STRATEGI BISNIS UD. ARSITA: PENERAPAN INVIVO DALAM COMPETITIVE FIVE FORCE (C5F)

Tantangan yang dihadapi UD. Arsita mencakup lingkup pasar yang terbatas di Kecamatan Teluk Ambon, adanya produk-produk sejenis di pasar dan kecenderungan dari konsumen membeli produk pesaing baru di pasar. Inisiatif perusahaan membuka 2 pabrik roti baru untuk perluasan pasar, belum dapat memaksimalkan keuntungan yang ditargetkan. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menyajikan rancangan strategi bisnis baru yang kompetitif menggunakan pendekatan C5F. Data hasil wawancara terhadap pimpinan dan seluruh karyawan diolah menggunakan metode Nvivo untuk mengidentifikasi strategi menurut komponen C5F. Hasil penelitian berupa 20 strategi bisnis kompetitif mencakup 9 strategi ancaman pendatang baru, 3 strategi ancaman produk atau jasa pengganti, 2 strategi kekuatan penawaran pemasok, 4 strategi kekuatan penawaran pembeli, dan 2 strategi persaingan industri

Spouse-sharing and Experiences with Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among the Okun of Nigeria

This paper examines the practice of spouse sharing and its influence on having multiple sex partners and self-reported STD experiences among the Okun people of Nigeria. It also examines the coping strategies of the people with respect to STDs. Primary data were collected through the administration of questionnaires to 1029 respondents (518 men and 511 women) and through focus group discussions. Respondents who participate in spouse sharing are more likely to have more sex partners simultaneously than those who do not, and multiple sexual partnering is a significant risk factor in the reporting of STD experience. Knowledge of the link between risky sexual practices involving multiple sexual partnerships and the prevalence of STDs is poor. Although most respondents are knowledgeable about the symptoms of STDs like gonorrhea and syphilis, and to a lesser extent HIV/AIDS, they are less informed about how best to prevent these diseases. The use of condoms is low among the men while a strong confidence is expressed in traditional medicine and self-protective practices with unproven efficacy. The study recommends the provision of more information, education and communication to expand knowledge of STDs, and the probable impact of spouse sharing in fueling the spread of STDs, including HIV/AIDS

Pozzolanic Properties of White Cowpea Husk Ash

This research attempts to empirically investigate the pozzolanic properties of White Cowpea Husk Ash (WCHA), an agricultural biomass waste, at different percentages of its use as partial replacement of cement in concrete. WCHA was obtained after the calcination of white cowpea husk for 3 hours at 5500C. X-ray Florescence (XRF) analysis performed revealed that the sample of WCHA is a Class C pozzolana, which contains 65.4% of the combination of SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3. The WCHA shows increase in consistency with increase in the WCHA content. This was attributed to the high Loss of Ignition (LOI) of WCHA compared to that of the cement. In addition, the results indicated that the initial and final setting time of WCHA – Cement blended concrete increase with increase in the WCHA content. The delay in setting times of WCPA-Cement paste could be attributable to the slower pozzolanic reaction. The density of the concrete decreased as the WCHA content increases. Generally the compressive strength of the WCHA concrete increased with increase in curing age and decreases as the WCHA content increased from a strength of 28.6 to 20.0 N/mm2 giving a percentage reduction of 30.1 %. The strength reduction is also attributed to the modification of the bonding properties of the binders’ hydrates.  However, the 28 days compressive strength of concrete with up to 10 % WCHA content (26.4 N/mm2) satisfied the design characteristic strength of 25 N/mm2. Beyond this limit, the compressive strength of the concrete fell below the design strength. Hence, 10 % WCHA could be regarded as the optimum dose for grade 25 concrete

A longitudinal survey of African animal trypanosomiasis in domestic cattle on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria:prevalence, distribution and risk factors

BACKGROUND: Trypanosomiasis is a widespread disease of livestock in Nigeria and a major constraint to the rural economy. The Jos Plateau, Nigeria was free from tsetse flies and the trypanosomes they transmit due to its high altitude and the absence of animal trypanosomiasis attracted large numbers of cattle-keeping pastoralists to inhabit the plateau. The Jos Plateau now plays a significant role in the national cattle industry, accommodating approximately 7% of the national herd and supporting 300,000 pastoralists and over one million cattle. However, during the past two decades tsetse flies have invaded the Jos Plateau and animal trypanosomiasis has become a significant problem for livestock keepers. METHODS: In 2008 a longitudinal two-stage cluster survey on the Jos Plateau. Cattle were sampled in the dry, early wet and late wet seasons. Parasite identification was undertaken using species-specific polymerase chain reactions to determine the prevalence and distribution bovine trypanosomiasis. Logistic regression was performed to determine risk factors for disease. RESULTS: The prevalence of bovine trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma congolense savannah, Trypanosoma vivax) across the Jos Plateau was found to be high at 46.8% (39.0 – 54.5%) and significant, seasonal variation was observed between the dry season and the end of the wet season. T. b. brucei was observed at a prevalence of 3.2% (1% – 5.5%); T. congolense at 27.7% (21.8% - 33.6%) and T. vivax at 26.7% (18.2% - 35.3%). High individual variation was observed in trypanosomiasis prevalence between individual villages on the Plateau, ranging from 8.8% to 95.6%. Altitude was found to be a significant risk factor for trypanosomiasis whilst migration also influenced risk for animal trypanosomiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Trypanosomiasis is now endemic on the Jos Plateau showing high prevalence in cattle and is influenced by seasonality, altitude and migration practices. Attempts to successfully control animal trypanosomiasis on the Plateau will need to take into account the large variability in trypanosomiasis infection rates between villages, the influence of land use, and husbandry and management practices of the pastoralists, all of which affect the epidemiology of the disease

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

© 2017, The Author(s). A critical element of current flood management is the importance of engaging key policy actors when policy decisions are to be made. However, there is still only limited understanding of how narratives of flood management actors may influence flood management policies, even though there is a suggestion that actors can strategically use their narratives to influence policy directions. In a developing country like Nigeria, there are still questions around lessons that can be learnt from understanding the narratives of policy actors, to unravel the complex nature of strategies and policy directions in managing urban floods. To help fill these gaps, this paper uses quantitative content analysis to explore the frame of five policy actor groups (government, local communities, business, multilateral organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)) as expressed in local and national newspapers between 2012 and 2016 to understand their narratives of causes and strategies to solve the problem of urban flooding in Nigeria. The narratives of government, local communities and businesses align with the premise that flooding can and should be prevented whilst that of multilateral and business actors champion adaptation strategies on the basis that flooding is inevitable and hence more energy should be directed at ‘living with water’—emergency response, damage reduction and the aftermath. The study also identified areas of potential consensus and conflict between direct actors such as government and local communities on the one hand and funders on the other. Better discussion among actors aiding understanding of contemporary thinking and local realities will aid policy-making and policy implementation in the Nigerian context. An important step will be in the collaborative design of an urgently needed ‘Nigerian policy on flooding’ which currently does not exist