Disabling the drivers of unequal growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Fast growth and increasing levels of inequality have come to characterise many of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic success stories. Understanding the drivers of unequal growth will require looking beyond the narrative of a ‘resource curse’ and exploring macro-economic factors that may also be inhibiting effectiveness of antipoverty programming. In this blog, Dr Daouda Sembene explores the impact of the BWIs-sponsored Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) on the promotion of pro-poor growth

Economic emergence is the new target for African countries, but how can it be achieved?

As African countries work towards the goal of achieving economic emergence, Daouda Sembene points out that the key challenge is developing a concrete action plan to shape reform

Short-Term Changes in Land Access in the Senegal Groundnut Basin

Households in Senegal’s Groundnut Basin allocate land among members, but how last year’s productivity guides this year’s allocation is unclear. Using collective household model, we argue that heads update each member’s bargaining power after seeing recent harvests and then adjust the amount and quality of land received, though social rules restrain full change. Previous studies documented productivity gaps but treated bargaining power as exogenous, missing how productivity itself shapes bargaining power. We test our claim with panel data on 7,604 individuals in 1,123 households surveyed in 2020–2021. A Heckman-corrected IV design instruments 2019 yields with rainfall and heat to predict 2020 land access, area, plot count, and a NDVI-based measure of land quality. We add household heads’ own size estimates to capture how land size perceptions may lead choices. Findings show that higher measured yields raise the chance of receiving land as well as the number of plots received, and plot quality. Further, the effects nearly double when the head’s perceived yields are used instead of measured yields. Efficiency improves over time, but gaps in gender, age, and information access remain. Policies that boost yields while protecting disadvantaged members can raise both fairness and agricultural output

Insecticidal effect of kaolin powder flavoured with essential oils of Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and Annona senegalensis Pers. (Annonaceae) on Caryedon serratus Olivier (Coleoptera-Bruchidae), a groundnut stock pest

The groundnut weevil, Caryedon serratus, causes significant losses of groundnut stocks in Senegal by developing larvae in the seeds. Essential oils extracted from leaves of two plants that grow naturally in Senegal, i.e. the sugar apple (Annona senegalensis Pers.) and lantana (Lantana camara), were tested on adults of Caryedon serratus. Purified and pulverized kaolin was flavoured with essential oils of A. Senegalensis Pers. and L. camara (Lam) obtained through vapour distillation. Adults C. serratus aged 24 hrs at most were treated with 0.1 g of powder flavoured with increasing doses (12.5 to 50 ìl/g. of powder) of essential oil. Withincreasing doses (12.5 to 50 ìl/g of powder) of essential oil. The powder Aromatized with essential oil of A. senegalensis at concentration 25 ìl/g. induced 50% mortality after 36 hrs of contact at concentration 25 ìl/gand 100% after 48 hrs at 50 ìl/g. The powder mixed with the essential oil of L. camara induced after 12 hours of contact 22% mortality at the dose of 12.5 ìl/g, the mortality increased with dose duration of exposure andreached 97.22% after 36 hrs with 50ìl/g

Influence des zones agroécologiques sur les paramètres biologiques de Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera-Bruchidea), ravageurs des graines du niébé (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) au Niger

Au cours de cette étude, les paramètres biologiques de Callosobruchus maculatus provenant de différentes zones agro-écologiques du Niger sont déterminés. Pour cela, des souches de C. maculatus ont été collectées dans 4 localités représentant chacune une zone agro-écologique. L’analyse des résultats obtenus montre que quelle que soit la souche, la longévité des adultes de cette espèce ne dépasse guère 7 jours. Par contre, la fécondité est significativement plus importante pour les souches provenant de la zone sahélienne que pour celles provenant des autres zones  agroécologiques. Par ailleurs, L’évolution des pontes montre que quelle que soit la souche, plus de 96% des oeufs sont pondus pendant les  quatre premiers jours de l’infestation. En outre, les souches se  caractérisent par un taux de fertilité des oeufs relativement important et une durée d’éclosion des oeufs peu variable. La durée de développement est relativement plus élevée chez les souches de la zone du fleuve (33 jours) que chez celles de la zone saharienne et sahélienne (30 jours). Le taux de survie larvaire et le taux d’émergence sont plus importants pour les souches de la zone sahélo-soudanienne (Gaya) et sahélienne (Tarna) que pour celles originaires des zones saharo-sahélienne et saharienne.Mots clés: Niébé (Vigna unguiculata), Callosobruchus maculatus,  Paramètres biologiques, zones agroécologiques, Niger

Strengthening human genetics research in Africa: report of the 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics in Dakar in May 2016.

The 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with the Senegalese Cancer Research and Study Group and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, was held in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was Strengthening Human Genetics Research in Africa. The 210 delegates came from 21 African countries and from France, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada and the USA. The goal was to highlight genetic and genomic science across the African continent with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Africans and those across the globe, and to promote the careers of young African scientists in the field. A session on the sustainability of genomic research in Africa brought to light innovative and practical approaches to supporting research in resource-limited settings and the importance of promoting genetics in academic, research funding, governmental and private sectors. This meeting led to the formation of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics

Inventaire des mouches hématophages dans les élevages bovins, ovins et porcins à Oyem (Nord Gabon)

Les mouches hématophages en particulier les glossines, les stomoxes et les tabanides sont des vecteurs potentiels d’agents pathogènes. Comme dans la majeure partie du Gabon, les mouches hématophages des fermes de la ville d’Oyem demeurent encore mal connues. Pour ces raisons des prospections entomologiques, basées sur l’utilisation des pièges vavoua et nzi, ont été réalisées dans 4 fermes d’élevages de bovins, porcins et ovins de la ville d’Oyem. Au total 664 mouches hématophages ont été capturées. Ces dernières sont représentées par quatre espèces de stomoxes avec des abondances différentes : Stomoxys niger niger (40%), Stomoxys xanthomelas (36%), Stomoxys calcitrans (14%) et Stomoxys omega (10%). La variabilité des captures pourraient s’expliquer par l’utilisation de deux types de piège et par la période pendant laquelle s’est déroulée la session. Ces résultats bien que préliminaires invitent à élaborer une stratégie de lutte et de contrôle des vecteurs pour un développement durable de l’élevage dans cette région.Mots-clés : vavoua, nzi, stomoxes, mouche hématophage, Oyem, Gabon

Genetic alterations of CYP17A1 in the occurrence of colorectal cancer in Senegal

A cancer is said to be hormone-dependent when hormones influence the carcinogenesis process. Studies suggest a possible protective effect of hormone treatment in colorectal cancer. Given the hormone treatment, a thorough study of CYP17A1 is necessary. This study aims to assess the penetrance of CYP17A1 in the development of colorectal cancer. This study involved 24 colorectal cancer patients and 24 controls. For each sample, DNA extraction was performed, followed by CYP17A1 gene amplification and Sanger sequencing. The nature and position of mutations were identified using Mutation Surveyor version 5.1.2. DnaSP version 5.10, MEGA version 7.014, and the Arlequin program version 3.1 were used to highlight the parameters of variability, differentiation, and demogenetic evolution of the study population. The results revealed heterozygous mutations in the CYP17A1 gene and a substitution at the c.-34T>C promoter region. The absence of nonsynonymous mutations was revealed by very low genetic variability in the cancer population compared with controls. There was also little genetic differentiation and distance between the two populations. The frequent c.-34T>C mutation suggests that this polymorphism may modulate the transcriptional activity of CYP17A1 and consequently the hormones under this gene's control, and therefore colorectal tumor growth