Unfair Payment Issues in Construction: Re-thinking Alternative Payment Method for Tier-1 Contractors to Subcontractors

Recent statistics reveal substantial increase in late payments cases from 18% to 27%; with over £30 billion unpaid invoices to UK contractors. Furthermore, 82% of overdue invoices are monies owed to subcontractor by tier-1 main contractors. Indeed, tier-1 contractors are deemed to be the main elephant in the room despite various contractual, government and private initiatives designed to curb late payment menace. Yet, there is little research concerning use of Alternative Payment Method (APM) to leverage tier-1 contractors paying subcontractors’ invoices promptly. The aim of this study is to assess the use APM to enhance pragmatic and sustainable payment practices between tier-1 contractors and subbies. The research question is: what are the industry specific factors that influences unfair payment practices and how can alternative payment method help to leverage fair payments to subbies? The study adopted sequential exploratory design type of mixed method supported by questionnaire and structured interviews. The study population are drawn from experienced industry stakeholders including clients, contractors, designers, professionals in addition to use of computer simulation to validate proposed APM model. Initial findings reveal an optimism bias tendency of most subcontractors agreeing to lengthened and unfair payments terms induced by Tier 1 contractors. The study identified over five industry and business specific influential factors that encourages tier-1 contractors to clinch to unpropitious late payment practices. In specific terms, there are overwhelming evidences that APM has significant potential to minimize late payment in the UK construction industry if there is political, business and legislative will to implement the model

African vegetable diversity in the limelight: project activities by ProNIVA.

Poster presented at Botanical Congress. Hamburg (Germany), 3-7 Sep 200

Performance of Chickens under Semi-scavenging Conditions: A Case Study of Ilima and Lubanda Villages, Rungwe District, Tanzania

A study was conducted in Ilima and Lubanda villages, Ilima ward in Rungwe district to assess farmers' socio-economic status and determine the productivity of local chickens and their crosses under village management conditions. A cross sectional survey design using structured questionnaires was used to collect demographic, chicken production, production constraints and income data from 340 households. The 340 households were selected from the two villages out of 600 households which participated in the Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF) funded project between 2006 and 2008. Each of the 340 households was given one Rhode Island Red (RIR) rooster or hen for crossbreeding with local chickens. Data were analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software. Findings from the study showed that on the average, a household consisted of 5 people with mean age of 46.7 years and were mainly headed by males (77.8%), and that household’s main sources of income were crop farming (42.4%), livestock production (42.0%), business (21.1%), wages (7.8%) and carpentry (6.7%). Each household had a minimum of one cross breed and one local chicken and a maximum of 15 crosses and 15 local chickens at the beginning of the Project in 2006. As a result of project intervention, the number grew to a maximum of 20 crosses and 30 local  chickens per household. Monthly income obtained from chickens in the participating households was between 100/= and 90,000/= Tanzanian Shillings (TAS) with a mean of 11,777.55/= TAS. Chicken production constraints identified included diseases and parasites, unavailability of feeds during the dry season, theft, lack of chicken management skills, predators and lack of capital. An average of 16 chickens per household was lost per year due to diseases, predators, accidents, and theft. Diseases were the leading causes of chicken losses. About 71% of respondents vaccinated their chickens while 29.4% did not. Of the vaccines used, 98.2% were against Newcastle disease while 1.8% were against other diseases. Overall, the households which participated in the project benefited from it in terms of improved poultry management skills and income. It was recommended that farmers be further trained in improved chicken management practices including chicken immunization especially against Newcastle disease, prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases especially fleas as well as chicken house construction so as to avoid the risks of predators.Keywords: Chicken production and constraints, household, income, village management condition

The entrepreneurship potential of rural areas: soap production as a side business for Tanzanian rice farmers

Purpose: This study examines soap production’s entrepreneurship potential and profitability as a supplementary business for rural rice farmers in Tanzania to promote their economic independence.Design/ Methodology/ Approach: We randomly sampled and interviewed about ten smallscale soap manufacturers in urban Tanzania gathered from 2019-2021 to develop a soap production business strategy for rural farmers at a similar scale. Considering the Voronoi theory, we calculated the distance from the rural areas to urban centres to determine the transportation costs, which particularly burden rural farmers. Soap production costs and profitability were determined based on transportation costs and raw material prices.Findings: Rural farmers would incur high transportation costs, given the high average distance to the nearest urban centre (sometimes > 100 km). Nevertheless, producing their rice bran oil, valuable raw material for soap production, would give them a competitive advantage over urban producers.Research Limitation: The study’s proposed strategy can be applied to similar contexts to reduce the urban-rural entrepreneurship divide.Practical Implication: Soaps made using rice bran oil help farmers reuse agricultural waste. Their active ingredients also increase their marketability as high-end cosmetic products, providing farmers with additional income.Social Implication: Commercializing agricultural residues such as rice bran increases farmers’ revenues and reduces CO2 emissions by preventing the residues’ incineration; this creates a virtuous cycle in society.Originality/ Value: This study presents a more realistic business strategy for rural Tanzanian farmers, as, unlike previous studies, it considers not only direct costs but also transportation costs

CDC light traps underestimate the protective efficacy of an indoor spatial repellent against bites from wild Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in Tanzania

BACKGROUND: Methods for evaluating efficacy of core malaria interventions in experimental and operational settings are well established but gaps exist for spatial repellents (SR). The objective of this study was to compare three different techniques: (1) collection of blood-fed mosquitoes (feeding), (2) human landing catch (HLC), and (3) CDC light trap (CDC-LT) collections for measuring the indoor protective efficacy (PE) of the volatile pyrethroid SR product Mosquito Shield() METHODS: The PE of Mosquito Shield() against a wild population of pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes was determined via feeding, HLC, or CDC-LT using four simultaneous 3 by 3 Latin squares (LS) run using 12 experimental huts in Tanzania. On any given night each technique was assigned to two huts with control and two huts with treatment. The LS were run twice over 18 nights to give a sample size of 72 replicates for each technique. Data were analysed by negative binomial regression. RESULTS: The PE of Mosquito Shield() measured as feeding inhibition was 84% (95% confidence interval (CI) 58-94% [Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 0.16 (0.06-0.42), p < 0.001]; landing inhibition 77% [64-86%, (IRR 0.23 (0.14-0.36) p < 0.001]; and reduction in numbers collected by CDC-LT 30% (0-56%) [IRR 0.70 (0.44-1.0) p = 0.160]. Analysis of the agreement of the PE measured by each technique relative to HLC indicated no statistical difference in PE measured by feeding inhibition and landing inhibition [IRR 0.73 (0.25-2.12) p = 0.568], but a significant difference in PE measured by CDC-LT and landing inhibition [IRR 3.13 (1.57-6.26) p = 0.001]. CONCLUSION: HLC gave a similar estimate of PE of Mosquito Shield() against An. arabiensis mosquitoes when compared to measuring blood-feeding directly, while CDC-LT underestimated PE relative to the other techniques. The results of this study indicate that CDC-LT could not effectively estimate PE of the indoor spatial repellent in this setting. It is critical to first evaluate the use of CDC-LT (and other tools) in local settings prior to their use in entomological studies when evaluating the impact of indoor SR to ensure that they reflect the true PE of the intervention

Rural to Urban Migration and Changes in Cardiovascular risk Factors in Tanzania: A Prospective Cohort Study.

High levels of rural to urban migration are a feature of most African countries. Our aim was to investigate changes, and their determinants, in cardiovascular risk factors on rural to urban migration in Tanzania. Men and women (15 to 59 years) intending to migrate from Morogoro rural region to Dar es Salaam for at least 6 months were identified. Measurements were made at least one week but no more than one month prior to migration, and 1 to 3 monthly after migration. Outcome measures included body mass index, blood pressure, fasting lipids, and self reported physical activity and diet. One hundred and three men, 106 women, mean age 29 years, were recruited and 132 (63.2%) followed to 12 months. All the figures presented here refer to the difference between baseline and 12 months in these 132 individuals. Vigorous physical activity declined (79.4% to 26.5% in men, 37.8% to 15.6% in women, p < 0.001), and weight increased (2.30 kg men, 2.35 kg women, p < 0.001). Intake of red meat increased, but so did the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. HDL cholesterol increased in men and women (0.24, 0.25 mmoll-1 respectively, p < 0.001); and in men, not women, total cholesterol increased (0.42 mmoll-1, p = 0.01), and triglycerides fell (0.31 mmoll-1, p = 0.034). Blood pressure appeared to fall in both men and women. For example, in men systolic blood pressure fell by 5.4 mmHg, p = 0.007, and in women by 8.6 mmHg, p = 0.001. The lower level of physical activity and increasing weight will increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, changes in diet were mixed, and may have contributed to mixed changes in lipid profiles and a lack of rise in blood pressure. A better understanding of the changes occurring on rural to urban migration is needed to guide preventive measures

A cross-sectional study of vascular risk factors in a rural South African population : data from the Southern African Stroke Prevention Initiative (SASPI)

Background: Rural sub-Saharan Africa is at an early stage of economic and health transition. It is predicted that the 21st century will see a serious added economic burden from non-communicable disease including vascular disease in low-income countries as they progress through the transition. The stage of vascular disease in a population is thought to result from the prevalence of vascular risk factors. Already hypertension and stroke are common in adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a multidisciplinary approach we aimed to assess the prevalence of several vascular risk factors in Agincourt, a rural demographic surveillance site in South Africa. Methods: We performed a cross sectional random sample survey of adults aged over 35 in Agincourt (population ≈ 70 000). Participants were visited at home by a trained nurse who administered a questionnaire, carried out clinical measurements and took a blood sample. From this we assessed participants' history of vascular risk, blood pressure using an OMRON 705 CP monitor, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), ankle brachial index (ABI), and total and HDL cholesterol. Results: 402 people (24% men) participated. There was a high prevalence of smoking in men, but the number of cigarettes smoked was small. There was a striking difference in mean BMI between men and women (22.8 kg/m2 versus 27.2 kg/m2), but levels of blood pressure were very similar. 43% of participants had a blood pressure greater than 140/90 or were on anti-hypertensive treatment and 37% of participants identified with measured high blood pressure were on pharmacological treatment. 12% of participants had an ABI of < 0.9, sugesting the presence of sub-clinical atheroma. 25.6% of participants had a total cholesterol level > 5 mmol/l. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of hypertension, obesity in women, and a suggestion of subclinical atheroma despite relatively favourable cholesterol levels in a rural South African population. South Africa is facing the challenge of an emerging epidemic of vascular disease. Research to establish the social determinates of these risk factors and interventions to reduce both individual and population risk are required

Performance of the 2007 WHO Algorithm to diagnose Smear-negative Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a HIV prevalent setting

The 2007 WHO algorithm for diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) culture was evaluated in a HIV prevalent area of Kenya