AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) IN GLOBAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE: A CASE ON THE EBOLA AND COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN SIERRA LEONE

This study investigates the role of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in global health governance with a case study on the Ebola and Covid-19 outbreak in Sierra Leone. Two specific sampling techniques were used to get respondents from whom information was elicited: simple random and purposive. A total of seventy (70) respondents, including medical doctors, nurses, civil societies, WHO representatives, health experts, and ordinary Sierra Leoneans, are aware of health issues. Ebola and COVID-19 are challenges in Africa and have caused health issues and adverse effects on the global health problem. The result reveals the need that has been identified and, however, made it clear that the responsibility to ensure the right to health for all lies not only with states as their obligations to their own people as required by their national constitutions and the principles of sovereignty among other policies but also with the international community as a critical partner considering the implications of health issues such as infectious diseases may have in a global village. Among many other impacts of the decade conflict was the devastating effect on the health sector. On the one hand, the war did not only stop at destroying health facilities that had already been prepared but also had to force health workers in their search for a safe heaven to flee these villages in their aggressive search for big towns and could not return any longer knowing the implications of their decision to go back in terms of service delivery and other socio-economic opportunities they face in these big cities. However, committed medical doctors had to flee the country to other places in America and Europe. Some did so because of the deplorable condition of the health sector, and others because of security. Even after the war, the majority of these doctors who left could not come back, even those who had left on grounds of scholarship. The MoHS is expected to provide leadership and coordinate the efforts of all healthcare providers and financiers at all levels, irrespective of their level of involvement. Yet, the MoHS is left with no option but to commit the few qualified and competent medical doctors to the issues of citizens’ health. It was evident that succeeding governments could not prioritise health issues in the reconstruction process. In the middle of this deplorable health situation came the outbreak in 2014 that, within a short period, negatively impacted the health systems in all three countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea). Many Sierra Leoneans expected an immediate intervention by the international community on the basis that the immediate involvement with a more responsive and holistic approach by the international community through global health governance initiatives would have stopped the spread at an initial stage. Nevertheless, this was not the case, rather it was only after the death toll rose to a certain amount and other nationals contracted the disease it became a matter of global concern, thereby promoting the late response that was made. The aim of examining the structures put in place by WHO in its global health governance initiative is not only to end the spread of the virus but also to prevent future outbreaks, assessing the impact created by such a structure during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone; highlighting the challenges faced by WHO in its initiative in ending the outbreak and preventing its spread to other countries considering the obligation owes by the international community in protecting other states from such life-threatening epidemics and finally suggesting ways that will further improve WHO in its Global health governance and its intervention into the health crisis of states in cases of outbreaks like the Ebola Virus Disease but the late response by Global Health Partners also causes the emergence and high effect of Covid-19 in Sierra Leone. JEL: I18, F53, H51, O15, J18, N47, P16  Article visualizations

Impact of Treasury Single Account (TSA) on Public Sector Performance in Sierra Leone for the 2015-2022

The study explores the impact of Treasury Single Account (TSA) on the performance of public sector in Sierra Leone. This study primarily examined the extent to which TSA has improved Government Collected Revenue (GCR) and Government Expenditure (GE) of the public sector. Secondary data that were sourced from the Ministry of Finance Sierra Leone were used for this research. The observations were recorded on yearly basis from 2015 to 2022. The data were divided into two periods: Pre TSA period (2015 to 2018) and Post TSA period (2019 to 2022). A pre-post analysis (difference in means test) was carried out using statistical package for social sciences version 25. The findings show that TSA implementation has a positive and significant effect on the revenue mobilization in Sierra Leone. However, further findings revealed that Government Expenditure (GE) significantly increased after the implementation of TSA. The study concludes that implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) has improved revenue generation in Sierra Leone. The study recommends that periodic appraisal of each revenue generating sector should be implemented so that some un-performing sectors are expose against the performing sectors

Agronomic response of drought-tolerant and Striga-resistant maize cultivars to nitrogen fertilization in the Nigerian Guinea savannahs

In additon to drought and Striga hermonthica parasitism, nitrogen deficiency is a major constraint to maize pro¬duction in the Guinea savannahs of Nigeria. The use of mineral fertilizers is limited because of unavailability and high costs. The use of maize cultivars that perform well under sub-optimal N conditons is therefore desirable. Breeders at IITA have selected maize cultivars that combine tolerance to drought and Striga hermonthica parasit¬ism. This study evaluated six of these cultivars under a range of N application rates and compared these with a widely grown variety, TZB-SR. The study was conducted in Zaria and Samaru Kataf in Kaduna State of Nigeria. Results showed N application significantly reduced days to flowering and increased yield and yield components. Cultivars selected for combined tolerance to drought and Striga recorded lower number of days to flowering under N stress and higher dry matter, higher grain yield, higher number of grains m-2 and higher 500-seed weight at all N rates. This confirms earlier reports that maize cultivars selected for tolerance to drought will perform well under N-limited conditions. Grain yield was significantly associated with dry matter, number of grains m-2 and 500-seed weight at all N levels suggesting that these agronomic traits are significant determinants of maize yield at all N rates. Two cultivars (DT STR SYN-W/IWD C3 SYN and IWD C3 SYN/DT-SYN-1-W) were particularly outstanding at all added N levels probably due to long term improvement for drought tolerance. These two cultivars can be recommended for large-scale demonstration and release to the farmers in the West African savannas

ESTIMATING EXCHANGE RATE PASS-THROUGH TO DOMESTIC PRICES; SIERRA LEONE EXPERIENCE

The study conducts an investigation that seeks to evaluate the nature of exchange rate pass-through on consumer prices in Sierra Leone. As a small, open economy, the country is susceptible to exogenous shocks. The exchange rate acts as a medium through which external shocks get transmitted to the real economy. Therefore, the general objective of the study is to assess the effect of the fluctuation of the exchange rate on domestic prices in Sierra Leone. More specifically, it sought to determine which type of exchange rate pass-through exists for Sierra Leone, using annual time series data between 1992 and 2022. The empirical analysis was based on a VECM model. The coefficient of the exchange rate (.5365) which is also significant at the 5% level of significance (p-value = 0.002), indicates that the exchange rate pass-through is incomplete in Sierra Leone. This means that a 1-unit depreciation of the Leone (increase in nominal exchange rate), leads to an increase in Sierra Leone consumer price by .5365 units or approximately 53.65%. This is an indication of indirect pass-through, where importers increase the price of imported goods to maintain their markup in the event of a nominal exchange rate depreciation. The recommendation to the finding is that since it was revealed that Sierra Leone has relatively high exchange rate shocks means that monetary authorities in Sierra Leone should pay more attention to the effects of EXR fluctuation on consumer prices. Measures such as the promotion of local production to substitute imported goods are key to addressing the effects of exchange rate variations. JEL: F31, E31, C32, O24  Article visualizations

Evaluation of multi-stress tolerant maize varieties for sustainable intensification in Northern Guinea Savanna of north eastern Nigeria

Maize productivity is limited by multiple stresses in the savannas of West and Central Africa. Field trials were conducted in northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria in 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the performance of multi-stress tolerant maize varieties. Thirteen varieties including Local Check replicated three times were tested in randomized complete block design. Plant and ear heights were significantly higher for LNTP x LNP-WC3 and 2004 TZE-W DT-STRC4 than POOL 18-SR, 2009 TZE-W POP-STR, EVDT 99-W STR; and EVDT 2000-Y STRQPM, respectively. Striga count was significantly lower for EVDT 99-W STR and LNTP x LNP-WC3 than all the other entries. Days to 50% tassel and 50% silk were each significantly earlier for EVDT 99STR W-STR QPM, DT-W STR SYN, EVDT-99W STR and 2009 TZEW DT STR than the Local Check. Anthesis Silk Interval (ASI) was significantly lower for TZE COMP3 DT-WC2, 2009 TZEW DT STR, and EVDT 99-W STR than Local Check. Number of ears plant-1 was sig¬nificantly higher for 2008 DTMA-Y STR than Local Check. Grain yield ha-1 was significantly superior for DT-Y STR SYN, 2008 DTMA-Y STR, 2004 TZE-W DTSTR C4, 2009 TZEW DT STR and EVDT 99-W STRQPM, respectively. Plant height was positively correlated with ASI and ear height, while ear height was positively associated with ears plant-1, days to 50% silk and 50% tassel. Grain yield ha-1 was positively correlated with ears plant-1, days to 50 % silk, days to 50% tassel and ear height, while ears plant-1 was negatively correlated with ear weight. Farmer selec¬tion criteria for acceptance of variety were in the order: Striga tolerance > nutrient value > drought tolerance > flour value > good taste > high yield > early maturity. The five varieties: DTY STR SYN, 2008 DTMA-Y STR, 2004 TZE-W DT STRC4, 2009 TZEW DT STR and EVDT 99-W STRQPM satisfied farmers criteria and were promising and thus nominated for on-farm demonstration and subsequent adoption in the region

Understanding cowpea yield: A comprehensive analysis of physiological traits' contribution through path analysis

This study investigates the physiological processes affecting the grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), a key protein, vitamin, and mineral source in human diets. Gaining an understanding of these mechanisms can be crucial for developing high-yielding cowpea varieties in breeding programs. A field experiment was conducted with 30 treatments, including three sowing dates (Early August, Late August, Early September) and ten cowpea genotypes (UAM09-1051-1, UAM09-1046-6-1, UAM14-126-L33, IT99K-573-1-1, IT89KD-288, UAM14-126-L6, UAM14-122-17-7, UAM14-123-18-3, UAM14-127-20-1-1, and UAM14-130-20-4). These treatments were arranged in a split-plot design within a Randomized Complete Block Design, replicated three times. Key physiological traits like Leaf Area Index (LAI), Intercepted Photosynthetically Active Radiation (IPAR), Stomatal Conductance, Photosynthetic Rate, Transpiration Rate, and Chlorophyll Content were measured. Data collected were analyzed using correlation and path coefficient methods; the results showed significant positive correlations between grain yield and traits like LAI, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic rate. In contrast, the transpiration rate negatively correlated with yield. Path analysis revealed that the net photosynthetic rate had the most direct impact on grain yield, highlighting its role in photosynthesis and grain filling. The study suggests that cowpea breeding efforts should focus on improving photosynthetic efficiency and optimizing traits like LAI and stomatal conductance to boost cowpea grain yields

Phosphorus And Nitrogen Fertilization Of Soybean In The Nigerian Savanna

Soybean (Glycine max) is a major cash crop in the savannas of Nigeria although productivity is typically constrained by poor soil fertility. The objective of this research was to determine the interactive effect of N and P on soybean productivity in the northern Guinea and Sudan savannas of northeast Nigeria. Experiments were conducted using locally adapted early and late maturing cultivars. Two rates of N and three rates of P fertilizer were also compared at both sites over two years. At both sites, pods plant−1 and seed yield were higher in 2006 than in 2007, possibly due to better rainfall distribution in 2006. Nitrogen fertilizer had no significant effect on seed yield or pods plant−1. Application of P fertilizer increased pods plant−1 by 40–66%. Averaged across site and year, seed yield with no P was 1057.2 kg ha−1 while yield with 20 and 40 kg ha−1 P were 1941.0 kg ha−1 and 2371.5 kg ha−1, respectively. No significant interaction effect between N and P fertilizer on seed yield and pods plant−1 was observed. The late maturing cultivar yielded less than the earlier maturity group cultivar in 2007 likely due to moisture stress. For optimum seed yield 40 kg of P fertilizer ha−1 is recommended for soybean production in both locations. Our results suggest that N fertilizer is not critical for soybean production in this area

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

An Update on the Surveillance of Livestock Diseases and Antimicrobial Use in Sierra Leone in 2021-An Operational Research Study.

In Sierra Leone, in 2020, a study by the Livestock and Veterinary Services Division (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) on the surveillance system of animal diseases and antimicrobial use found poor reporting. Of the expected weekly districts reports, <1% were received and only three of the 15 districts had submitted reports occasionally between 2016 and 2019. Following this, staff-capacity-building on reporting was undertaken. In 2021, we reassessed the improvement in reporting and used the reports to describe livestock diseases and antimicrobials utilized in their treatment. Between March and October 2021, 88% of expected weekly reports from all 15 districts were received. There were minor deficiencies in completeness and consistency in the terminology used for reporting animal disease and antimicrobials. Available reports showed that 25% of the livestock had an infectious disease, and a quarter of the sick animals had received an antimicrobial drug. Most animals received antimicrobials belonging to World Organization for Animal Health's "veterinary critically important" category (77%) and World Health Organization's "critically" (17%) and "highly important" (60%) categories for human health. These indicate a significant improvement in the animal health surveillance system and highlight the need for enhanced antimicrobial stewardship to prevent misuse of antimicrobials that are significant in animal and human health