Determinants of Access to Education and ICT in Nigeria

The world where development is driven by advancement in education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is fast emerging. This study therefore examined the determinants of access to education and ICT in Nigeria. The study used information from 4,508 households from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) General Household Survey (GHS) Data. Probit regression model and descriptive statistical tools were used to analyze relevant data. Analysis of the data showed that average household size was fairly large consisting of 7 members with majority (85.1percent) of the households headed by men. Average age of the household heads was 52 years while average years of education was 4 years. Also, 82.0percent and 61.2percent of the households in urban and rural Nigeria respectively had access to education. Therefore, inequality in access to education exists based on location. The factors influencing access to education in Nigeria were found to include age, gender, marital status and household size. The results also revealed age, years of education, marital status, gender and household size as determinants of access to ICT. Analysis of different ICT devices used in Nigeria showed that Radio (88.1percent), Mobile Phones (86.4percent) and Television (55.1percent) were the most widely used. Meanwhile, a significant difference exist in the factors influencing access to education and ICT in rural and urban Nigeria. The study therefore recommended increased investment in education and infrastructure. Government and private organizations should encourage gender equality in access to ICT through gender sensitive interventions

Food Insecurity and the Rising Urbanisation in Africa: Can ICT Revolution Bridge the GAP?

The task of reducing food insecurity in Africa is very challenging. This is because of the changing conditions such as adverse climate change impacts. This study examined food insecurity, urbanisation and ICT in Africa.  The paper employed a combination of both secondary and historical information obtained from different sources (UNHCR, FAO, Mo Ibrahim Foundation etc). Analytical method used include descriptive statistics such as charts. Food security indices in Africa is alarming and disturbing. One in four people in Africa do not have access to food in adequate quantities and one in five African children are underweight. African agriculture is rendered unattractive by low productivity hence the exodus of labour from rural to urban areas. Africa is the most rapidly urbanising continent in the world with enabling factors comprising of infrastructure deficits in rural areas, dearth of employment opportunities and glamour of city life. However, Africa’s urban centres are not immune to the challenges inducing rural-urban migration in the first place. In fact, youth unemployment in Africa is 6 times higher in urban areas than in rural areas. About 72percent of urban dwellers live in slums with the most of them having no access to basic amenities. These culminated in what is regarded in literature as ‘urbanisation of poverty’. Migrants are generally scapegoated as the causes of crimes, violence and even unemployment in urban areas. Therefore, they are subjected to sub-human living conditions. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is particularly critical to the achievement of food security in Africa. This is because of the huge gap between markets and farmers which it is capable of filling. The paper therefore recommends increased but monitored investments in infrastructure in Africa in order to make rural areas more attractive and discourage rural-urban migration. There is also the need to provide favourable micro and macro-environment for businesses to grow especially in rural Africa.&nbsp

Income Diversification, Inequality and Poverty among Rural Households in Oyo State, Nigeria

 The study examined income diversification, inequality and poverty among rural households in Oyo state, Nigeria. Cross-section data were generated from the survey conducted on a sample of 200 households with the aid of structured questionnaire using multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics, diversification index, Gini coefficient, FGT poverty index, and the Probit regression model were used to analyze data. Mean income diversification index of 1.22 shows that majority of the respondents had multiple streams of income but crop farming had the largest share (90%) in total income. Mean income of respondents was ₦77,613.2±83575.01, and Gini coefficient of 0.48, 0.46, and 0.39 were obtained for total income, nonagricultural income, and agricultural income respectively. The poverty line was ₦6,490.50 and mean per capita expenditure was ₦9,735.74. The head count ratio showed that 53.5% of the households were poor while 46.5% were regarded as non-poor, and poverty gap was 0.214. From probit results, age, secondary occupation, and farm size had significant inverse relationship with poverty status. Having primary and secondary income sources is poverty reducing, therefore, rural households should be encouraged to remain in farming, especially crop farming, and motivated through skill acquisition to diversify into other income generating activities.  &nbsp

Land Acquisition and Use in Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Food and Livelihood Security

Land acquisition and use remain a critical issue of great policy relevance in developing countries such as Nigeria. This study therefore examined land acquisition and use in Nigeria within the context of food and livelihood security. The chapter used secondary data obtained from the World Bank website, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and other sources. It was found that there are gender, location and income-group considerations in the allocation of land in Nigeria. While the urban land market is relatively more formal, the rural land market is informal and the transactions were not documented in most cases. The study found that bureaucratic bottlenecks, high cost of registering land and long registration procedures, and inconsistent policy regimes impede the development of land market in Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the government should reduce and make the processes to be completed in registering lands in Nigeria easier. The Land Use Act 1978 should be amended to capture the prevailing realities around customary laws and informal markets. The government should reduce the cost of land registration in Nigeria. Multilateral organisations and government should co-create and co-finance innovative interventions to improve activities in the land market

Conceptual Framework for the Adoption of Computer-aided architectural Design (CAAD) in the Teaching and Learning of Architecture

Digital technologies are changing the way we live, think, learn, and conduct businesses across the world. In fact, information and communication technologies have completely changed the way architects practice their profession, and thus it is imperative that architectural educators embrace this change intelligently in other to enhance the quality of products they unleash unto the labour market. In view of the important role architects play in the construction industry, new and innovative teaching approaches are needed in the delivery of curriculum that reflects both contemporary and future trends in information management in the construction industry. This paper aims at developing a conceptual framework for understanding the adoption of Computer –aided architectural design (CAAD) in the teaching and learning of architecture in the Schools of Architecture. It relies on extensive review of literature, the precepts of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the key issues, challenges, and prospects of the adoption CAAD technologies in the delivery of architecture curriculum content in the Schools of Architecture in the developing countries. The proposed framework is expected to firstly, extend understanding on innovative and sustainable pedagogies for producing information technology compliant professionals in architecture profession in particular, and construction industry in general; and secondly provide the basis for empirical research on this subject

Influences on Artistic Expression in Traditional Domestic Architecture of South West Nigeria

Over the years, art in its various forms has played a vital role in the lives of African people. It served as a major form of communicative expression of religious beliefs and sociocultural norms of the people. Its form, presentation and significance however, varied from one cultural setting to another. This paper examines art in the context of domestic architecture of indigenous people of South West Nigeria and factors that have influenced its transformation. The paper notes the disappearance of the rich meaning-laden traditional motifs and symbols from contemporary housing and their replacement with more contemporary art forms influenced by several forces including colonialism, expatriation of slaves and more recent forces of globalisation and industrial mass production. It concludes that the current trend presents an architecture that is devoid of cultural architectural uniqueness and identity. One of the implications identified is for architectural curricula to incorporate indigenous themes that will help architects produce domestic architecture that have contextual relevance. Data for the paper was collected through literature review and the qualitative research method using interviews and observations of houses in the study area. Those interviewed included professional architects and residents in the study area. Data was content analysed to highlight emerging common themes

Socioeconomic impacts of Households’ Vulnerability during COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa: Application of Tobit and Probit Models

Coronavirus is a public health issue with socioeconomic and livelihood dimensions. The World Health Organization declared the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, and a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The South African government has implemented different strategies, ranging from total lockdown in certain locations and provision of palliatives in some provinces across the country. This study, therefore, investigated the correlates of vulnerability and responsiveness to the adverse impacts of COVID-19 in South Africa. The study utilized primary data collected among 477 respondents. Descriptive statistical tools, Tobit and Probit regression models, were used to analyze the data. The study found different levels of vulnerability (low, medium, and high) and responsiveness among households, including stocking up of food items, remote working, reliance on palliatives, and social grant provision, among others. Some of the correlates of responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic include being employed, the type of community, and the income of respondents. The study, therefore, recommends increased investments in welfare programmes (safety nets, palliative measures and economic stimulus packages) as well as capacity building of households through education to reduce vulnerability. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-04-02 Full Text: PD

Real Estate Market Regulation and Property Values in Lagos State,Nigeria

Increasing demand for commercial and residential properties has caused increase in rental values while the Government has intervened through enactment of the Rent Control and Recovery of Residential Premises (RCRRP) Edict (1997). This paper examined the effects of the law on residential property values in the study area. In doing so, a process of inference to evaluate the law was adopted, in addition to multiple-samples comparison and analysis of variance of the controlled and open market rents. Furthermore, hypothetical design of three-bedroom flats was used to illustrate the valuation of residential properties under the RCRRP Edict. The study found that with alpha level set at 0.05, rent control has no statistically significant effect on rental values, P-value=0.0009. It recommended that Government should not regulate the real estate market but provide enabling environment for investors to provide low cost housing units that would in the long run reduce rental values

Drivers and Challenges of Sustainable Development in Africa

Sustainable development is at the core of global policy discourse. This is because it emphasises environmental, economic and social considerations in the quest of countries to improve wellbeing. This paper therefore examined the drivers and challenges of sustainable development in Africa. The tale of Africa in terms of sustainable development is mixed-good and bad. The continent is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Africa has a favourable weather and large landmass for agriculture. The resource endowments especially in terms of human and natural resources are high. However, poverty, inequality, malnutrition, youth unemployment are the highest in Africa. Therefore, it follows that Africa is a land of superlatives. Africa’s sustainable development is constrained by corruption, infrastructure deficits, insecurity and reliance on primary products. The study recommends increased and monitored investments in infrastructure. Existing efforts on reducing insurgency and corruption should be intensified. Ther

Difference in grading parameters in architectural schools and its impact on the competency rating of future professionals

ArchitecturaleducationinNigeriaisdividedintoatwo-tiertrainingsystemoffourandtwoyearsfor undergraduateandpostgraduatestudy,respectively.Afterthecompletionofpostgraduatestudy,a studentisdeemedcompetenttotaketheprofessionalpracticeexamination.Successinthis examinationqualifies astudenttoberegisteredasanarchitect.Thecompetencyratingoffuture professionalsinarchitecturalschoolsinNigeriaisdeterminedthroughajurysystemofscoringbased on predeterminedgradingparameters.However,thegradingparametersadoptedbyassessing authorities(academicprofessorsandpractitioners representingtheprofessionalbody)differ.The difference inthegradingparametersemployedbythe twoapprovedassessingauthoritiesinNigeria was investigatedinthisstudy.CovenantUniversityinNigeriawasusedasacasestudy.Thegrading parameters andscoresforthe2013academicsession werecomparedtodeterminesimilaritiesand differences,whichmighthaveaffectedthecompetencyratingofstudents.Descriptivestatisticswas employed toanalyzethedataobtained.Resultsshowedasignificant differenceinscoringbythetwo authorities.Thisdifferencehadasignificantconsequenceonthecompetencyratingofstudent