Impacts of Parcel-Based Second Level Landholding Certificates on Tenure Security, Investment and Land Productivity: In Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia

The question of whether the rural land registration and certification has an impact on tenure security, investment and land productivity or not, remains an important policy question. It is also a deeply sensitive political issue in present day of Ethiopia. Using household level data collected from 279 households of Raya Azebo district of Tigrai, north Ethiopia this paper investigates the impacts of parcel based second level land holding certificates on tenure security, investment and land productivity. Results of both probit model and IV-probit model consistently indicate that certificate positively and significantly associated with both specification of tenure security. in case of the investment impacts of certificate, The double hurdle model (probit specification for adoption decision and alternative truncated regressions on the actual zeros and predicted zeros from probit regression) and alternative Tobit specification are run. But the likelihood ratio test of model appropriates rejects the Tobit model in favour of the double hurdle model. This encourages the research to separately estimate adoption decision and intensity of adoption. Results from the double hurdle model shows certificate have positively and significantly correlated with decision to invest stone terrace and soil bound but negatively correlated with intensity of investment. While, there is no significant relationship between tree planting and second level land holding certificate but the parametric result confirms that certified households have significant gains from certification in terms of productivity. In sum, a result indicates that certificate has positive and significant benefits on both perceived tenure security investment decision and land productivity

Seventeen Years of Delivery of Open and Distance Education by The Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in East Africa and Beyond

This paper narrates the evolution of The Open University of Tanzania (OUT) since approval by Parliament in 1992, its establishment in 1993 and operationalisation in 1994. The paper shows that OUT has grown tremendously from being simply a national institution into a strong and vibrant university with an international status, serving students from the east and central African regions by 2011. The paper further discusses evolution milestones that OUT has witnessed during the seventeen years of its operation. As part of the major milestones, OUT has established twenty four Regional Centres that are supplemented by the four Coordinating Centres of Zanzibar, Pemba and as well as the two Kenyan Coordination Centres located within Nairobi and Nakuru premises of the Egerton University in Kenya. Three more regional Centres will be inaugurated in July in the envisaged new regions of Njombe, Katavi and Simiyu. In terms of academic programmes, OUT currently offers 20 undergraduate degrees, 3 certificates, 4 diplomas, 2 postgraduate diplomas, 20 masters and 5 PhDs. In order to strengthen the quality assurance of the academic, discourse in teaching, research and consultancy services as well as security and confidentiality of examination matters at The Open University of Tanzania, the Directorate of Examinations Syndicate was established in 2008 to oversee all activities regarding administration of examinations and processing of students results and awards. The quality assurance unit that was established in 2009 is also due to be elevated to a full fledged directorate. Moreover, in order to ensure the culture of strategic planning is consistently cultivated, nurtured and sustained, OUT has over the last six years conducted 12 six monthly review workshops. In an effort to ensure that the strategic planning culture is embraced in the hearts and minds of staff, OUT has since the academic year 2008/09 piloted and adopted the Open Performance Review and Appraisal System (OPRAS) in order to improve objectivity of the annual review process. This has necessitated the abandonment of the old annual confidential review forms used by most east African universities. The paper ends by highlighting the main prospects and challengesthat OUT has faced over the last seventeen years of delivery of ODL education as well as themanner in which it has sought to exploit any emerging opportunities apart from facing the challenges head

Domestic Violence During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) outbreaks experienced by all countries in the world followed by regional and national lockdown. Restriction movement in Indonesia since April 2020 – July 2021 has influenced people’s lives. This situation tends to increase in cases of domestic violence. Methods: Design was quantitatively descriptive research. Population was all married women who living with their partner during the pandemic COVID-19. A number sample of 106 women was recruited by snowball sampling. The study place at Cilegon city Banten Province, Indonesia in June 2021. Instrument for measuring domestic violence was South Asian Violence Screen consist of 11 items; and Scale of Economic Abuse questionnaires Indonesia version consist of 26 items. Data collection was done by online and analysis data performed by frequency distribution Results: The results found that 41 (38.67%) respondents experienced domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most forms violence was psychic violence experienced by 32 respondents (30.19%) while 8 respondents (7.55%) experienced more than one violence. Family income (OR= 1.735 (95%CI= 0.697 – 4.322) and spouse’ age (OR= 1.882 (95%CI= 0.529 – 6.697) tend to get domestics violence. Conclusions: Domestic violence during pandemic COVID-19 should be a concern of health workers. Women who are experience domestic violence sometime not dressed up to report. There must be ways and strategies to dare to speak up and report

Counselling at the Workplace in Tanzania What can Distance Education do?

his paper examines practice in counselling at workplaces. It draws examples from Tanzania. Authors define counselling as a collaborative approach towards problem solving. It is a step-by-step process of self-actualization guided by a counsellor. The authors are of the view that in most workplaces in Tanzania, for instance, there is a vacuum in counselling activities. Workers have very few professional counsellors to go to for guidance and counselling. This vacuum is usually promptly filled up with managerial actions, trade unionism and personal efforts towards individualisation which is merely advice and not counselling. They further argue that, both trade unionists and managers have objectives sometimes different from those of workers. In other instances, they frustrate the workers instead of helping them to fruitful and well-informed decisions. The paper concludes that the vacuum that exists in counselling at the workplace may be damaging to some work relations, institutional services, and can be a source of job dissatisfaction and low productivity. Thus it must be replaced with professional counselling services. The paper further argues that even where professional counsellors are employed (for example educational institutions like universities), only students are counselled and the workers are not covered as if they have no problems. Counsellors have strictly prescribed duties of dealing with students only. This paper recommends that distance education can be used in various forms to train counsellors for workplaces. Both short and long term programmes meant to gloom counsellors capable of professionally guiding and counselling workers can be developed.Keywords: Counselling at the workplace, distance education, trade unionism, individuation, managerial action

Antimicrobial activities of four plant species from the Southern Overberg region of South Africa

Four plant species used for medicinal purposes in the Bredasdorp/Elim (Southern Overberg) region of the Western Cape Province in South Africa, were screened for their antimicrobial activity. Theantimicrobial activity of aqueous, methanol, ethanol and ethyl-acetate leaf extracts of Bulbine lagopus (Asphodelaceae), Chironia baccifera (Gentianaceae), Conyza scabrida (Asteraceae) and Dodonaeaviscosa var. angustifolia (Sapindaceae), were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Mycobacterium smegmatis. In the disc-diffusion assay, 20 out of the 80 extracts showed activity. Better activity was observed in the liquid dilution assay with all extracts showing a degree of activity. The best activity was observed in the ethanol extract of B. lagopus and themethanol extract of C. scabrida both having an MIC value of 0.3125 mg/ml. In the bioautography, M. smegmatis was chosen as the test organism along with the ethanol, ethyl-acetate and methanolextracts of C. scabrida and D. viscosa var. angustifolia. All six extracts showed at least two zones of inhibition on the TLC plates overlaid with M. smegmatis

Assessment on Vulnerable Youths Integration to Dar es Salaam Solid Waste Management for Improvement: Kinondoni Municipality Case

The present study assessed the possibility of integrating vulnerable youths to complement government and community based efforts in improving the existing municipal solid waste management crisis facing Dar es Salaam City using a case study of Kinondoni Municipality. The study was motivated by the fact that, many literature and mass media have extensively commented on uncollected decomposing heaps of solid waste rendering Dar es Salaam City to be ranked the 12th dirtiest city in Africa. This reported crisis of unmanged solid waste in Dar es slaam city, prompted the present study to conduct a problem-solving oriented research by looking at “solid waste collection” as one of the employment opportunities that could liberate the unprecedented growing numbers of unemployed youths frequently found on “vijiwe” (A Kiswahili word meaning “jobless corners”) sitting idle or contemplating to commit crimes for survival. To this direction, it was necessary to start by conducting a baseline survey in order to bench mark the magnitude of solid waste collection and challenges in the study area. Then the study assessed the potentiality of involving neighbourhood-based waste management groups and other partners with a view of seeking the possibility of integrating youths into community-based initiatives (CBI), community based organizations (CBOs) and self-employing individuals. Furthermore, where such community groups exist - but failed to attract youths to join in, the study used in-depth study to unearth the underlying causes so that they could be uprooted to facilitate an enabling environment of turning rampant solid waste collection a commercial and potential employer of vulnerable groups of youths in community areas. Research methodology involved the use of quantitative method to collect information from 6 youth camps randomly selected in informal settlements which required labour for effective collection of MSW. Thus, questionnaires and in-depth study were interchangeably employed to probe different stakeholder institutions involved in decentralized MSWM system on general performance in solid waste collection. They included CBOs, individuals and small scale private agents. Qualitative method based on in-depth study was equally employed in order to extract views of respondents from focused group discussions (FGDs). It was intended to obtain respondents particularly youth’s awareness, readiness and challenges in undertaking solid waste collection employment. Finally, the study drew conclusions and recommendations on the way forward to reducing Dar es Salaam city solid waste management crisis while sustaining employment to disadvantaged groups of youths.Key words: Solid waste, Community based Organizations (CBOs), Employment, waste collection

Artificial Intelligence for Predictive Maintenance of Armoured Fighting Vehicles Engine

Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) also called as Tanks play a critical role in modern warfare, providing mobility, protection and firepower on the battlefield. However, maintaining these complex machines and ensuring their operational readiness is a significant challenge for military organizations. Traditional maintenance practices are often reactive, resulting in unexpected failures, increased downtime, and operational inefficiencies. This paper focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for predictive maintenance of Armoured Fighting Vehicles. By harnessing the power of AI algorithms and advanced data analytics, predictive maintenance aims to anticipate and address potential equipment failures before they occur. This proactive approach enables military organizations to optimize resource allocation, improve operational planning and extend the lifespan of AFVs. The integration of AI in predictive maintenance involves collecting and analysing data from various sensors installed on the AFV engine. These sensors monitor key parameters, such as engine performance, temperature, vibration and fluid levels to detect anomalies and deviations from normal operating conditions. AI algorithms process this data, utilizing machine learning techniques to identify patterns, correlations, and potential failure indicators. The benefits of AI-based predictive maintenance for AFVs are multifaceted. Firstly, it enhances equipment readiness by reducing unexpected failures and maximizing operational availability. Secondly, it enables optimized resource allocation, ensuring that maintenance activities are scheduled efficiently, minimizing downtime, and improving overall operational efficiency. Thirdly, the predictive capabilities of AI help military planners in better decision-making allowing for improved mission planning and execution. However, the successful implementation of AI for predictive maintenance of AFV engine requires overcoming several challenges. These include data collection and integration from diverse sensors, ensuring data accuracy and quality, establishing robust communication infrastructure, and addressing cyber security concerns to protect sensitive vehicle data. This paper underscores the growing importance of AI in revolutionizing maintenance practices for Armoured Fighting Vehicles. By shifting from reactive maintenance to predictive strategies, military organizations can enhance their operational capabilities, reduce costs, and ensure the optimal performance and longevity of their AFV fleet.Lattice Science Publication (LSP) © Copyright: All rights reserved

A transformational organisational framework for improving Iraqi quasi-governmental construction companies’ performance

Rising globalisation, the liberalisation of international trade and rapid technological development over the last two decades have subjected the business environment to rapid, dynamic change. In the face of such change, seminal researchers and business leaders have reached a conclusion that Business Process (BP) is the core of an organisation. Thus, in order to survive, grow, and stay ahead of the competition in today’s turbulent environment, organisations need to mainly focus on improving their business processes. Similarly, the Iraqi business environment, after the 2003 conflict, have been subject to profound change influenced by the radical changes to Iraq’s political and economic systems. These changes have directly impacted on Iraqi Quasi-Governmental Construction Companies (IQGCCs) where, after decades of domination over most publicly funded construction contracts, these companies face now fierce competition from in excess of 3,500 local and international private firms. As a result, IQGCCs have subsequently struggled to both win contracts and generate profit and the majority have incurred substantial financial losses, becoming unsustainable burdens on the national budget. Although the Iraqi government has attempted to reform the performance of these companies, most of these efforts have ended in their recapitalisation, rather than the identification and resolution of their problems. Accordingly, through employing Business Process Management (BPM) as a comprehensive and widely used approach to increase BP’s principles in an organisation, this research aims to synthesise a transformational organisational framework to address the challenges emanating from current practice within IQGCCs with the view to determining a step change improvement that could ultimately enhance their bottom line performances. To achieve this aim, an exploratory study, which comprised three companies selected from IQGCCs as case studies, was conducted with the aim of mapping and examining the current operational processes employed by these companies and pinpointing the main challenges existing in these processes. Thereafter, a series of semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten experts selected from various management levels of three IQGCCs in order to test the applicability of the theoretical framework developed from the literature to address the challenges inherent in the IQGCCs’ processes. Based on the experts’ responses, the theoretical framework was refined and then further validated through four more semi-structured interviews to produce the final recommended transformational organisational framework for IQGCCs. The study empirically uncovered a number of challenges and impediments inherent in the IQGCCs’ current practices that need to be overcome if their performances are to be enhanced. Many reasons were also identified and grouped together as underpinning causes of the current challenges and barriers to efficiency. The study also showed that the IQGCCs could solve most of the identified challenges through shifting their focus from a traditional functional orientation to a business process orientation. To facilitate this, the study produced a transformational organisational framework that acts as a roadmap to streamline and continuously improve Iraqi QGCCs’ core business processes and, ultimately, institute the business process’ principles within these companies