Korruption in Nigeria. Ursachen, Folgen und Gegenmaßnahmen

Am Beispiel Nigerias werden Ursachen, Folgen und Gegenmaßnahmen von Korruption in staatlichen Bürokratien und politischen Institutionen afrikanischer Gesellschaften dargestellt. Nach einer Diskussion unterschiedlicher Erklärungsansätze für Korruption in der Sozialwissenschaft werden vier Triebkräfte der bürokratischen Korruption identifiziert (Zentralisierung, Bürokratisierung, Nicht-Demokratisierung, Pauperisierung), auf die sich eifolgreiche Gegenmaßnahmen zu beziehen haben

The Personal is Political:Pentecostal Approaches to Governance and Security

In this essay, I explore Pentecostal approaches to governance and security, taking an anthropological approach. I focus on Pentecostalism as a distinctive way of looking at and being in the world, one that understands the family as central in its approach governance and security. I highlight the paradox between Pentecostalism’s strong orientation towards individual and family moral conduct and practices of female leadership in Pentecostal contexts. I conclude with some broader reflections on the implications for diplomacy and other practitioners of foreign policy

Cardiovascular Diseases among Agro-Allied Company Workers in Nigeria: A Case Control Study

Mortality arising from cardiovascular diseases among the workforce in developing countries has been reported to be about twice as high as the mortality in developed countries and tends to occur much earlier than in the developed countries. A nested case-control study design was employed. The mean age of the respondents was 34 ± 9.7 years. The respondents were mostly males (90.6%), 65.1% were married and 83.1% were of the Yoruba ethnicity. Majority of the respondents (67.3%) were Christians and 83.7% had secondary education and above. Age, marital status, salary grade and religion were statistically associated with CVD status (p < 0.05). Being an office worker, earning the lowest income, being less than 50 years of age were significant predictors of CVD risk factors (p<0.05). Educational and behavioural intervention need to be implemented to encourage adoption of healthy lifestyle so as to reduce the cardiovascular risk factors among workers

Lessons from the pandemic: new best practices in selecting molecular diagnostics for point-of-care testing of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction: Point-of-care molecular diagnostics offer solutions to the limited diagnostic availability and accessibility in resource-limited settings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, molecular diagnostics became essential tools for accurate detection and monitoring of SARS-CoV-2. The unprecedented demand for molecular diagnostics presented challenges and catalyzed innovations which may provide lessons for the future selection of point-of-care molecular diagnostics. Areas Covered: We searched PubMed from January 2020 to August 2023 to identify lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic which may impact the selection of point-of-care molecular diagnostics for future use in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated this in the context of REASSURED criteria (Real-time connectivity; Ease of specimen collection; Affordable; Sensitive; Specific; User-friendly; Rapid and robust; Equipment free; and Deliverable to users at the point of need) for point-of-care diagnostics for resource-limited settings. Expert Opinion: The diagnostic challenges and successes during the COVID-19 pandemic affirmed the importance of the REASSURED criteria but demonstrated that these are not sufficient to ensure new diagnostics will be appropriate for public health emergencies. Capacity for rapid scale-up of diagnostic testing and transferability of assays, data, and technology are also important, resulting in updated REST-ASSURED criteria. Few diagnostics will meet all criteria, and trade-offs between criteria will need to be context-specific

How does neopatrimonialism affect the African state? The case of tax collection in Zambia

Following the neopatrimonialism paradigm, it can be hypothesised that in African states informal politics of the rulers infringe on the collection of taxes and in turn reduce state revenue. This article tests this proposition for the case of Zambia. Neopatrimonial continuity in the country is evidenced by three factors : the concentration of political power, the award of personal favours, and the misuse of state resources. Despite this continuity, the revenue performance increased considerably with the creation of the semi-autonomous Zambia Revenue Authority. Donor pressure has been the most important intervening variable accounting for this improvement. Yet, strengthening the collection of central state revenue has been consistent with a neopatrimonial rationale, and may even have fed neopatrimonialism overall, by providing increased resources for particularistic expenditure

Introduction. New Public Management: An African Management Reform Paradigm?

Africa Development/Afrique et développement Vol.XXVII, Nos 3&4 2002: 1-1