Analysis of Women Empowerment in Rural Nigeria: A Multidimensional Approach

This study assessed the empowerment status of women in Rural Nigeria Following Alkire and Foster 2007 multidimensional poverty measure we constructed the multidimensional women empowerment index across selected dimensions and indicators using the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey data DHS The logit regression was used to profile its determinants The multidimensional women disempowerment index was 0 427 The study finds that when the empowerment cutoff k 2 approximately 43 of the rural women were disempowered The education and resource dimensions had the highest relative contributions of 33 59 and 31 61 to the overall multidimensional disempowerment index The study revealed that while age of the women age of the household head and employment in skilled and unskilled sector significantly increase the probability of rural women s empowerment gender of household head employment in agriculture and allied sector household size and location of rural women in the Northern region of Nigeria reduce the probability of women economic empowerment in rural Nigeria It is recommended that efforts must be directed at these individual indicators to improve on the empowerment inclusion and agency of rural women especially in planning intervention strategies This should be backed up with enforcement of policies that will ensure rural women enjoy the same potentials rights and privileges as men in society in order to ensure and achieve sustainable rural developmen

Poverty Alleviation Programmes for Women in Lagos State, Nigeria: An Examination of the Implementation Strategies

The study examined the programmes of poverty alleviation and women empowerment in Lagos State; and evaluated the poverty alleviation implementation strategies in Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Primary data were collected through the administration of questionnaire and conduct of in-depth interviews. The study population of 55,011 comprised staff and beneficiaries of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (MWAPA). These included 162 staff and 54,849 beneficiaries according to the directories of the Ministry. Two-stage sampling technique was utilized. A sample size of eighty-one (81) respondents  (representing 50%  of the staff of the Ministry) while four hundred (400) beneficiaries of the Ministry that had benefited from the Ministry were sampled using Taro Yamane formula. In addition, in-depth structured interviews were conducted with 10 members of staff who were directly involved in skill acquisition programmes on programme performance and challenges facing the Ministry at reducing poverty in Lagos State. These included the Honourable Commissioner of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; the Permanent Secretary; four Heads of Department (Women Department, Women Development Centre, the Planning, Research and Statistics Department, and Poverty department), and the assistant heads of the four departments mentioned while 10 beneficiaries were interviewed on programme performance and benefits derived from the Ministry. Data collected were analysed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and relative impact index. The result showed that the strategies adopted by WAPA was that they monitor and follow-up beneficiaries regularly for effective performance (96.2%); the resources made available by Government in terms of human, financial and material are adequate for the smooth running of the programme (56.5%); Government adequately finances the procurement of tools and materials for the beneficiaries (78.2%); beneficiaries are given adequate vocational skills, training, and other WAPA programmes necessary before graduating(52.2%); entrepreneurship development programmes are regularly organised for the beneficiaries(39.1%); and is regular monitoring/follow-up by the WAPA officials(34.8%). The study concluded that the programmes of the Ministry of women affairs and poverty alleviation on poverty reduction and empowerment of women in Lagos State had been fairly successful. Key Words: Gender, Gender equality, Gender equity, Poverty, Poverty alleviation. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-14 Publication date:September 30th 201

An Assessment of the Factors Responsible for Flooding in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

This study examined factors responsible for flooding in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained through questionnaire administered on residents in flood prone areas of the metropolis. These were residential areas within less than 15m, between 16-30m and within 31-45m to major rivers in Ibadan metropolis. In each of these strata, there were 327,219 and 189, residential buildings. Twenty percent (20%) of the buildings was systematically selected for survey in each stratum out of which 11.7% of  buildings in less than 15m to the river had incidence of flooding, 8.8% and 1.4% of buildings within  15-30m and 31-45m respectively had been flooded at one time or the other. Residents attributed causes of flood in the metropolis to one or more factors. It was established that indiscriminate dumping of waste was the major cause of flooding in Ibadan metropolis (33.2%). Other causal factors were poor channelization (29.4%), flood plain encroachment (19%), and Pave surface (13.2%). Only excessive rainfall (5.3%) while clearing of drainage (36.4%) was the major actions of the residents toward reducing flooding in the area. The study concluded that various factors were responsible for flooding in Ibadan and strategies to reduce this menace must address each of the factors. Keywords: Flood, Disasters, Waste, Drainage, Environment.

IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION ON OUTPUT AND EMPLOYMENT: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

Many studies have documented that human capital formation is important to boost output both empirically and theoretically. However, studies on the implications of human capital on employment are still scanty, especially for developing countries. Against this background, the study investigates the shock and long-run implications of government financing on education and health on output and employment in Nigeria using a vector error correction model (VECM). The results show that the forecasting error shocks from government expenditure on health and education affect output more than employment along the 10-horizon period. Evidence from the long-run output model showed that government expenditure on education and human capital index is statistically significant, while government expenditure on health is not statistically significant. Government expenditure on education and the human capital index has a positive relationship with output. For the long-run employment model, government expenditure on health and education is statistically significant; while investment in human capital is not significant with employment. Government expenditure on education has a negative relationship with employment, while a positive relationship exists between government expenditure on health and employment. The result implies that human capital indicators in terms of quantity and quality do not contribute positively and significantly to employment growth in Nigeria. The study recommends the need to encourage self-reliance through entrepreneurship training to bolster employment opportunities in the long run

Analysis of the variability of airborne particulate matter with prevailing meteorological conditions across a semi-urban environment using a network of low-cost air quality sensors.

The concentrations of fine and coarse fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) and meteorological variables (wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity) were measured at six selected locations in Ile Ife, a prominent university town in Nigeria using a network of low-cost air quality (AQ) sensor units. The objective of the deployment was to collate baseline air quality data and assess the impact of prevailing meteorological conditions on PM concentrations in selected residential communities downwind of an iron smelting facility. The raw data obtained from OPC-N2 of the AQ sensor units was corrected using the RH correction factor developed based k-Kohler theory. This PM (corrected) fast time resolution data (20 s) from the AQ sensor units were used to create daily averages. The overall mean mass concentrations for PM2.5 and PM10 were 213.3, 44.1, 23.8, 27.7, 20.2 and 41.5 μg/m3 and; 439.9, 107.1, 55.0, 72.4, 45.5 and 112.0 μg/m3 for Fasina (Iron-Steel Smelting Factory, ISSF), Modomo, Eleweran, Fire Service, O.A.U. staff quarters and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching and Research Farm (OAUTRF), respectively. PM concentration and wind speed showed a negative exponential distribution curve with the lowest exponential fit coefficient of determination (R2) values of 0.08 for PM2.5 and 0.03 for PM10 during nighttime periods at Eleweran and Fire service sites, respectively. The relationship between PM concentration and temperature gave a decay curve indicating that higher PM concentrations were observed at lower temperatures. The exponential distribution curve for the relationship between PM concentration and relative humidity (RH) showed that PM concentrations do not vary for RH 80 % for both day and nighttime. The performances of the MLR model were slightly poor and as such not too reliable for predicting the concentration but useful for improving predictive model accuracy when other variables contributing to the variability of PM is considered. The study concluded that the anthropogenic and industrial activities at the smelting factory contribute significantly to the elevated PM mass concentration measured at the study locations

Evaluation of Efflux-Mediated Resistance and Biofilm Formation in Virulent Pseudomonas aeruginosa Associated with Healthcare Infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a significant pathogen identified with healthcare-associated infections. The present study evaluates the role of biofilm and efflux pump activities in influencing high-level resistance in virulent P. aeruginosa strains in clinical infection. Phenotypic resistance in biotyped Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 147) from diagnosed disease conditions was classified based on multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices and analysed with logistic regression for risk factors. Efflux pump activity, biofilm formation, and virulence factors were analysed for optimal association in Pseudomonas infection using receiver operation characteristics (ROC). Agespecificity (OR [CI] = 0.986 [0.946–1.027]), gender (OR [CI] = 1.44 [0.211–9.827]) and infection sources (OR [CI] = 0.860 [0.438–1.688]) were risk variables for multidrug resistance (MDR)-P. aeruginosa infection (p < 0.05). Biofilm formers caused 48.2% and 18.5% otorrhea and wound infections (95% CI = 0.820–1.032; p = 0.001) respectively and more than 30% multidrug resistance (MDR) strains demonstrated high-level efflux pump activity (95% CI = 0.762–1.016; p = 0.001), protease (95% CI = 0.112–0.480; p = 0.003), lipase (95% CI = 0.143–0.523; p = 0.001), and hemolysin (95% CI = 1.109–1.780; p = 0.001). Resistance relatedness of more than 80% and 60% to cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors (ceftazidime, ceffproxil, augumentin, ampicillin) and, DNA translational and transcriptional inhibitors (gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin) were observed (p < 0.05). Strong efflux correlation (r = 0.85, p = 0.034) with MDR strains, with high predictive performances in efflux pump activity (ROC-AUC 0.78), biofilm formation (ROC-AUC 0.520), and virulence hierarchical-clustering. Combine activities of the expressed efflux pump and biofilm formation in MDR-P. aeruginosa pose risk to clinical management and infection control

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

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