Corporate Social Responsibility and the Crisis of Development in Africa

This paper argues that the idea of corporate social responsibility, that is gaining currency in the developed world today as the means of curtailing the excesses of capitalism, is not receiving the same attention in the developing areas of the world, particularly Africa. The paper maintains that the neglect of the idea of corporate social responsibility, because of the desire to resolve the crisis of development being witnessed in Africa, is a serious mistake because the neglect of this ideal is responsible for the crisis in the first instance. The paper concludes that genuine development (sustainable development), rather than mere economic growth can only be realized in Africa if both individuals and groups respect the rights, interests, and preferences of all members of the community in the pursuit of their economic activities. This new imperative is not difficult because responsibility to the community is a significant aspect of the traditional African value system that can easily be revived in order to come out of the prevailing crisis of development and realize the dream of an African renaissanc

Analysis of training needs of fish farmers in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria”

In this study the level of knowledge, skill and training needs of fish farmers in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State were investigated. Eighty out of 150 fish farmers currently operating in the Fish Farm Estate, Ikorodu were randomly selected. Data were collected from the farmers with structured interview schedule and were summarised with frequency counts, percentages, mean and correlation coefficient. Result showed that the following practices were carried out by farmers: pond/vats/fibre glass/tank cleaning, water quality maintenance and management, pond fertilisation, brood stock production, spawning, fingerlings sourcing/production, disease prevention, control and management, feed formulation and production/sourcing, record keeping, fish feeding, fish processing, fish storage, fish sorting, pest and predator control, fry care, transfer and feeding, siphoning, and fish transportation. The mean age of the fish farmers were 45±13.0 years with 63.8% being males. Majority (78.8%) were married with mean family size of 4±2 .Majority (82.5%) of the farmers had more than twelve years of formal education. The mean farming experience was 8±3 years with average mean income of 1.4 million naira.58.8% and 47.5% had high level of knowledge and skill respectively. Training was needed in seven out of the seventeen practices. The major constraints to fish production are high cost of feed and lack of capital. Also, a positive and significant relationship exist between level of knowledge of the farmers and farmers’ gender, marital status, membership of cooperative society and fish farming association and primary occupation while age of the farmers had a negative but significant relationship with it. It is recommended that training by extension agents should focus the area of training needs and that credit and cost of fish feeds be subsidized

Knowledge and Technical Competence Level of Extension Agent on Climate-Smart Techniques for Rice Production in North-Central, Nigeria

The study examined extension agents' knowledge and technical competency level regarding Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices (CSAP) used by rice farmers in Nigeria. The study specifically examined the technical competence level, knowledge of the extension agents, and factors that influence their competency level on CSAPs. The 88 respondents for the study were chosen using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected from respondents using a structured questionnaire, and descriptive and inferential statistics (probit regression model) were used for analysis The results show that the majority of the extension agents had high-level knowledge on crop (53.4%) and soil smart mechanism (56.8%), but low-level knowledge on water (52.3%) and weather smart mechanism (54.5%). This also hampered their job performance, as more than half (51.1%) of extension agents had low competence level in CSAPs. Factors that significantly influence the competency of extension agents were years of experience (p>0.089), educational level (p>0.002), and knowledge (p>0.000). The study therefore recommends that specific training related to the areas discovered from the research should be incorporated into the extension agents’ curriculum activities. Extension agents should also be given opportunities to improve their knowledge and competency by attending seminars and workshops in research institutions. Keywords: Competence, Knowledge, Climate smart agricultural practices, Extension agent

Exploring computational approaches to design mRNA Vaccine against vaccinia and Mpox viruses

Background: Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines emerged as a powerful tool in the fight against infections. Unlike traditional vaccines, this unique type of vaccine elicits robust and persistent innate and humoral immune response with a unique host cell‐mediated pathogen gene expression and antigen presentation. Methods: This offers a novel approach to combat poxviridae infections. From the genome of vaccinia and Mpox viruses, three key genes (E8L, E7R, and H3L) responsible for virus attachment and virulence were selected and employed for designing the candidate mRNA vaccine against vaccinia and Mpox viral infection. Various bioinformatics tools were employed to generate (B cell, CTL, and HTL) epitopes, of which 28 antigenic and immunogenic epitopes were selected and are linked to form the mRNA vaccine construct. Additional components, including a 5′ cap, 5′ UTR, adjuvant, 3′ UTR, and poly(A) tail, were incorporated to enhance stability and effectiveness. Safety measures such as testing for human homology and in silico immune simulations were implemented to avoid autoimmunity and to mimics the immune response of human host to the designed mRNA vaccine, respectively. The mRNA vaccine's binding affinity was evaluated by docking it with TLR‐2, TLR‐3, TLR‐4, and TLR‐9 receptors which are subsequently followed by molecular dynamics simulations for the highest binding one to predict the stability of the binding complex. Results: With a 73% population coverage, the mRNA vaccine looks promising, boasting a molecular weight of 198 kDa and a molecular formula of C8901H13609N2431O2611S48 and it is said to be antigenic, nontoxic and nonallergic, making it safe and effective in preventing infections with Mpox and vaccinia viruses, in comparison with other insilico‐designed vaccine for vaccinia and Mpox viruses. Conclusions: However, further validation through in vivo and in vitro techniques is underway to fully assess its potential

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

Background: Many causes of vision impairment can be prevented or treated. With an ageing global population, the demands for eye health services are increasing. We estimated the prevalence and relative contribution of avoidable causes of blindness and vision impairment globally from 1990 to 2020. We aimed to compare the results with the World Health Assembly Global Action Plan (WHA GAP) target of a 25% global reduction from 2010 to 2019 in avoidable vision impairment, defined as cataract and undercorrected refractive error. Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based surveys of eye disease from January, 1980, to October, 2018. We fitted hierarchical models to estimate prevalence (with 95% uncertainty intervals [UIs]) of moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity from <6/18 to 3/60) and blindness (<3/60 or less than 10° visual field around central fixation) by cause, age, region, and year. Because of data sparsity at younger ages, our analysis focused on adults aged 50 years and older. Findings: Global crude prevalence of avoidable vision impairment and blindness in adults aged 50 years and older did not change between 2010 and 2019 (percentage change −0·2% [95% UI −1·5 to 1·0]; 2019 prevalence 9·58 cases per 1000 people [95% IU 8·51 to 10·8], 2010 prevalence 96·0 cases per 1000 people [86·0 to 107·0]). Age-standardised prevalence of avoidable blindness decreased by −15·4% [–16·8 to −14·3], while avoidable MSVI showed no change (0·5% [–0·8 to 1·6]). However, the number of cases increased for both avoidable blindness (10·8% [8·9 to 12·4]) and MSVI (31·5% [30·0 to 33·1]). The leading global causes of blindness in those aged 50 years and older in 2020 were cataract (15·2 million cases [9% IU 12·7–18·0]), followed by glaucoma (3·6 million cases [2·8–4·4]), undercorrected refractive error (2·3 million cases [1·8–2·8]), age-related macular degeneration (1·8 million cases [1·3–2·4]), and diabetic retinopathy (0·86 million cases [0·59–1·23]). Leading causes of MSVI were undercorrected refractive error (86·1 million cases [74·2–101·0]) and cataract (78·8 million cases [67·2–91·4]). Interpretation: Results suggest eye care services contributed to the observed reduction of age-standardised rates of avoidable blindness but not of MSVI, and that the target in an ageing global population was not reached. Funding: Brien Holden Vision Institute, Fondation Théa, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Sightsavers International, and University of Heidelberg

Philosophy In Africa: Pure or Applied?

This paper is devoted to the question of whether the practice of philosophy in Africa should be carried out as a purely theoretical enterprise or should be done with concern for the practical demand of the African society. The paper examined the argument of the Nigerian philosopher, Peter Bodunrin, that the philosophical vocation even in Africa should remain loyal to its essence as a pure theoretical vocation. The paper argues that this position is a product of a misreading of the history of the development of philosophy. The claim that philosophy in its original conception is a theoretical enterprise is false. There is nothing like a pure theory. Ideas are theoretical not because they are completely detached from practical life. The paper concludes that philosophy in Africa should be devoted to the task of responding to the challenges facing the society, particularly that of freedom and development. (Humanities Review Journal: 2003 3(1): 11-20

Privatization and Public Morality: Professional Ethics and the Privatization of Tertiary

Introduction It is axiomatic that a strong reciprocal relationship exists between a nation's economy and its educational system. The reciprocity of this relationship has been driven home by the on-going development crisis and the attendant problems in the educational sector of sub-Saharan Africa. These economy crises have affected the educational system in a significant way, and this is most evident in the area of financing. The prevailing debt crisis in the continent, and the attendant struc..

Because of our future : the imperative for an environmental ethic for Africa

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