CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS DRIVERS OF MOTORCYCLE SPARE-PARTS PRIVATE LABEL BRANDS IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA.

The motivation of this study is the observed increase of motorcycle spares parts private labels (PLs) in the southeast Nigeria, therefore warranting empirical probing to identify success factors and major challenges to motorcycle spare parts PL in Nigeria. The study is guided by three objectives and three hypotheses formulated to address the objective. Four point likert scale questionnaire was designed and primary data were drawn from 23 PL managers or owners at Nnewi, Southeast Nigeria. Principal component analysis and tstatistics were adopted for data reduction and for hypothesis testing respectively. The major finding of this study is that to gain control is the major reason for development of private label; self-gratification is the key success factor of PLs; and piracy or absences of regulation is the main challenge of PLs survival. Accordingly, this led to the conceptualization of the Private Label Survival Triangle. Key recommendation is the urgent need for government to regulate the motorcycle spare parts PL sector

Household Composition and Anti-Poverty Programmes on Welfare in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis

The global fight on poverty has been consistently defeated at the sub-Sahara African front, as this social menace strengths its grips in the region. In Nigeria, the issue of poverty is widely discussed and new policy strands articulated from a broader perspective are cropping up in order to put the soaring rise in poverty incidence in check. This renewed interest on the topic stems from the fact that policy formulators have taken into cognizance that poverty is a multi-dimension concept that requires a well-articulated and multi-dimension strategy. A strategy that transcends beyond nominal proclamation or budgetary allocation to combating poverty to a strategy that tackles poverty in its context and root causes. Adopting an ANCOVA-regression model on primary survey data obtained from two socio-cultural and economic distinct rural communities in Eastern and Northern Nigeria, this paper examines the impact of household composition and anti-poverty programmes on household welfare. The results got from the decomposed regression model show that the impact of household composition on welfare is contingent on the underlying geographical, socio-cultural and economic characteristics of the area. Also, ownership of productively viable assets helps in explaining how household size affects household welfare. Moreover, the impact of anti-poverty programmes was found to yield significant result at Ikeje study area because these programmes are targeted towards the major livelihood engagement (agriculture) of the people. While anti-poverty programmes could not achieve same significant results at Anaocha study area due to its inability to take into cognizance the different livelihood engagements of the people. The policy implication it engenders is that anti-poverty policy should recognize area specifics, thus allowing for proper integration of the poor in the policy formulation and implementation. Policy should be aimed at both agricultural and non-agricultural activities. Key words: Household Composition, Poverty Alleviation Programmes, Ikeje, Anaocha, ANCOV

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

Determinants of ICT Adoption for Improved SME's Performance in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract Transaction over the internet has helped in linking-u