Kenya’s Turkana oil and gas field shows the challenges of implementing local content policies

In emerging oil- and gas-producing economies, policies aimed at increasing the operation of domestic companies are common. But are these ‘local content policies’ effective in producing the desired social and economic benefits? Research into their use for Kenya’s Turkana oil and gas field shows a more complicated picture, exposing the challenges for their effective implementation

Environmental Planning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Environmental Impact Assessment at the Crossroads

This paper argues that sub-Saharan African countries are at a crossroads in terms of fully adapting and benefiting from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. It identifies a variety of issues that have hindered full utilization of the EIA process. These include limited public participation; lack of national expertise and experience in EIA; unreliable and inadequate data; limited impact coverage; defective environmental legislation; and weak enforcement. The paper concludes by highlighting various measures required to address these constraints and to reinforce the EIA process more generally. Key measures include expanding “ownership” of EIA; ensuring compliance with international agreements; improving funding of EIA studies for government funded-projects; encouraging public sensitization to demystify the EIA process; reducing corruption; and enhancing good governance. Greater efforts and more resources are required to further integrate EIA at all levels of the development planning process, so that full benefits can be realized

Challenges and Opportunities for Increasing Media Coverage of Climate Change in Kenya

Globally, media coverage of climate change has been disappointing in both advanced and developing countries, Kenya included. This article addresses the need to educate and train African journalists so that they can report adequately on climate change and in doing so, help not only to raise awareness of climate change but also to increase understanding of the multiple aspects of the phenomenon. Although Kenya has an elaborate governance structure in support of climate change, coordination across key ministries, departments and institutions at national and county levels has been wanting. Coverage of climate change by Kenya’s main print media houses and television stations over the last decade (2010-2019) is investigated and found to be minimal. A survey of the opinions of the local media sets the parameters for a discussion of the current challenges faced in increasing media coverage of climate change. Lack of journalistic capacity, conflicting media priorities and inadequate funding to train and support journalists are major concerns. The paper concludes with a discussion on how media coverage could be improved to close the gaps in science journalism and, in particular, coverage of climate change in Kenya

Containing the High Incidence of COVID-19 in the Urban Slums of Nairobi: The Case of Kibera

Globally, urban slums (in most cases, informal settlements) have been hit badly by novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The reasons for this include the cramped living conditions that make social distancing impossible, and high levels of poverty and unemployment that make masks and clean water for hand washing unaffordable to many slum residents. This paper makes the case for upgrading Kibera, which is long overdue. The United Nations General Assembly endorsed the upgrading of urban slums as a priority Sustainable Development Goal in 2015. To win the war against coronavirus in Kibera, the Government should adopt a bottom-up approach, using the existing community leadership and youth groups, as opposed to a top-down approach. Given the increasing number of positive cases of coronavirus in Kibera, the Government must apply a selective lockdown, as it did in Eastleigh, Mandera and old town Mombasa. Winning the war in Kibera ultimately depends not only on Government efforts, but also on the commitments of local communities and individual residents

COVID-19 Communication and Lockdown Strategies of Selected Countries—Brazil, India, South Africa and Vietnam

This paper focuses on case studies of four countries—Brazil, India, South Africa and Vietnam—to determine whether communication strategies and lockdown policies have been effective in reducing the numbers of positive cases of COVID-19. Given the data limitations, it is not clear whether the communication strategies each country used have helped to enforce the lockdown. Regardless, there is no question that lockdown, whether national or selective, has helped to reduce increases of positive cases in three countries-India, South Africa and Vietnam; Brazil has not had a lockdown, and numbers have escalated. Lockdown, in turn, has helped the former countries to plan ahead to cope with COVID-19. Moreover, from these case studies reviewed, it is demonstrated that the success of lockdowns depends on the understanding and support of all stakeholders

The Challenges Confronting Countries in the Tropics Affected by Covid-19

Compared with other regions of the world, countries in the Tropics appear to have less Covid-19 cases and lower death rates. Warmer temperatures and higher humidity have been proposed as an explanation. An alternative interpretation is that the figures result from a lack of aggressive testing. Regardless of the cause, this paper suggests that the way in which governments respond to the pandemic has a significant impact on containing the pandemic. Additionally, pressing challenges for countries in the Tropics are a lack of water and sanitation, insufficient personal protective equipment, and inadequate training of clinical staff. Suggestions for moving forward are proposed

Microbial CR(VI) reduction in indigenous culture of bacteria: characterization and modelling

South Africa currently faces multiple Cr(VI) contamination problems which are unsuccessfully remediated using available technologies. Cr(VI) is highly toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature and it is exclusively released through anthropogenic activities. A new treatment approach is proposed using locally isolated Cr(VI) reducing species of bacteria. This method is envisioned to be economical and ecologically friendly. Indigenous chromium(VI) reducing bacteria (CRBs) were isolated from a dried sludge consortium collected in the Brits Wastewater Treatment Plant, North-West Province (South Africa). Characterisation using 16S rRNA fingerprinting followed by taxonomic studies revealed a wide diversity of CRBs isolated under anaerobic conditions than under aerobic conditions. The consortium was determined to be predominantly gram-positive. The Cr(VI) reducing component of the culture was determined to be predominantly facultative, consisting predominantly of Bacillus sp., i.e. B. cereus, B. thuringiensis and B. mycoides. Batch experiments under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions showed a high Cr(VI) reducing performance under relatively high initial Cr(VI) concentrations. The reduction rate using this culture was 3 to 8 times higher than reduction rates reported in bacteria previously isolated and studied in North America and Europe. The culture performed best as a consortium with the different species operating cooperatively. The bacteria were acclimated to Cr(VI) toxicity through the long period of contact during the activated sludge treatment process at the source. A Monod like model was used to evaluate the rate of Cr(VI) reduction over a wide range of initial Cr(VI) concentrations. The model revealed that Cr(VI) reduction in the consortium culture followed quasi-first order kinetics with a Cr(VI) inhibitor term as a second exponential: C = C0 . exp [-p . exp (-q . C0 ) . t]. The parameter p and q for the semi-empirical first order model were statistically accurate with R2 values greater than 94% for all data ranges evaluated. Previous studies were not able to pick the variability of Monod coefficients, kmc and Kc, since at narrow ranges of initial Cr(VI) concentrations, the impact of the chromium toxicity variability was insignificant. This study demonstrates the potential of a biological approach using locally isolated Cr(VI) reducing bacteria to decontaminate Cr(VI) polluted sites in South Africa.Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Chemical Engineeringunrestricte

Early Attachment and the Development of Social Communication: A Neuropsychological Approach

Social communication forms the foundation of human relationships. Social communication, i.e., the appropriate understanding and use of verbal and non-verbal communication within a social context, profoundly impacts mental health across the lifespan and is also highly vulnerable to neurodevelopmental threats and social adversities. There exists a strong interconnection between the development of language and other higher cognitive skills, mediated, in part, through the early attachment relationship. Consideration of how attachment links to brain development can help us understand individuals with social communication difficulties across the lifespan. The early attachment relationship supports the development of the foundational constructs of social communication. In this paper, a neuropsychological perspective was applied to social communication, which integrated evidence from early attachment theory, examining the underpinnings of social communication components identified by the SoCom model, namely socio-cognitive, socio-emotional, and socio-linguistic constructs. A neuropsychological perspective underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. This should also inform approaches to prevention, policy, intervention, and advocacy for individuals with or at risk for social communication impairments, as well as their families

Assessing nurse educators\u27 competencies for adopting blended learning in the skills labs in Uganda\u27s public nursing schools

Blended learning has become an integral part of nursing education, offering a blend of online and face-to-face instruction that enhances learning experiences, particularly within skills labs. However, the effectiveness of blended learning largely depends on the competencies of nurse educators in utilizing digital tools and methodologies. This study assessed the competencies of nurse educators in Uganda\u27s public nursing schools concerning blended learning adoption. Data was collected from 40 randomly selected nursing educators in 4 public nursing schools in Uganda. The findings indicate significant inadequacies: only 25% are proficient with Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Moodle, 20% can effectively use platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams for synchronous sessions, 30% are adept at using social media platforms such as WhatsApp and YouTube for informal learning and networking, and merely 12.5%are proficient in using television videos as supplementary educational resources. These results highlight a critical need for targeted professional development and training programs to enhance the digital competencies of nurse educators. Addressing these gaps is essential for the effective implementation of blended learning, ultimately aiming to improve the quality of nursing education in Uganda and foster the development of skilled nursing professional