Showing papers in "African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development in 2019"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the factors that influence firewood use among electrified Bapedi households in Senwabarwana villages in South-West Tanzania, Africa.
Abstract: This paper presents the factors that influence firewood use among electrified Bapedi households in Senwabarwana Villages. The study follows explanatory and exploratory methods of data analysis, thr...
21 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that there are still high levels of subsistence farming in sub-Saharan Africa, and support the attainment of economic growth through commercialization of agricultural production.
Abstract: Empirical evidence supports the attainment of economic growth through commercialization of agricultural production. However, there are still high levels of subsistence farming in sub-Saharan Africa...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored smallholder vegetable farmers' marketing channel selection decisions using data collected from a sample of 140 farmers from Manzini and Hhohho regions of Swaziland.
Abstract: This paper explores smallholder vegetable farmers’ marketing channel selection decisions using data collected from a sample of 140 farmers from Manzini and Hhohho regions of Swaziland. Multivariate...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the temporal trend in electricity consumption since the introduction of prepaid meters in low-income households of Soweto and compared the findings with high income households.
Abstract: This study explores the temporal trend in electricity consumption since the introduction of prepaid metres in low-income households of Soweto and compares the findings with high-income households. Monthly electricity consumption data (over 96 months: 2007–2014) for 4427 households in Soweto, for both low- and high-income households, was collected from Eskom. Using a simple linear model to analyse consumption trends in low-income households, we ascertained that electricity consumption has decreased by 48% since the inception of prepaid metres. Nonetheless, it is noted that 60% of household incomes are spent on electricity bills, which is way above the threshold set for energy poverty. Comparatively, high-income households consume less electricity than low-income households do. Overall, the prepaid metre programme is producing expected results for Eskom but remains a challenge for low-income households, which are still entrenched in energy poverty. We call for an energy policy that is tailored for each inco...
14 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive intensification of agriculture is required for feeding nine billion people by 2050, which is the challenge of the 21st century, and a comprehensive approach is proposed.
Abstract: Agriculture faces an enormous global challenge of feeding nine billion people by 2050. This means a comprehensive intensification of agriculture is required. Ecological intensification is gaining m...
14 citations
TL;DR: The provision of education in South Africa during the apartheid regime was poor, particularly for the African population and especially those living in the homelands as mentioned in this paper. This has hindered those lackin...
Abstract: The provision of education in South Africa during the apartheid regime was poor, particularly for the African population and especially those living in the homelands. This has hindered those lackin...
14 citations
TL;DR: The majority of the street lighting systems in Nigeria are predominantly composed of inefficient lighting fixtures powered either by the grid or diesel generators as mentioned in this paper, due to the epileptic nature of th...
Abstract: The majority of the street lighting systems in Nigeria are predominantly composed of inefficient lighting fixtures powered either by the grid or diesel generators. Due to the epileptic nature of th...
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the processes and factors that facilitate technological adaptation by informal innovators operating in small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe are discussed, and the authors give an overview of these processes.
Abstract: Little attention has been given to the processes and factors that facilitate technological adaptation by informal innovators operating in small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe. This article soug...
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present urgent challenges of enormous dimensions for urban and infrastructural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. But they do not address the challenges of urban and infrastructure development.
Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa's economic rise has caused a high demand for housing and infrastructure. This rapid growth has resulted in urgent challenges of enormous dimensions for urban and infrastructural ...
13 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the current state of the electricity industry in Nigeria and argue the case for integration of renewable energy technologies and present a case study based on electricity cost information collected from a survey of Nigerian industry.
Abstract: The ever-increasing demand for electrical power in Nigeria, coupled with a limited supply, have restricted the nation's socioeconomic development. The country’s policymakers, aware of this, have formulated and enacted energy development policies in recent years targeted at diversifying the current electricity mix and increasing electrification to rural settlements.Despite these efforts, electricity infrastructure projects have been sidelined, power outages are common and grid unreliability is costing industry significant amounts to secure the electricity supply necessary for business sustainability and profitability.This paper presents the current state of the electricity industry in Nigeria and argues the case for integration of renewable energy technologies. A case study is presented based on electricity cost information collected from a survey of Nigerian industry. Three future electricity supply scenarios are presented: a do-nothing or business-as-usual scenario; a scenario of increased reliance on gr...
13 citations
TL;DR: The result of the study has indicated that it is possible to achieve DFR in the cloud environment using a botnet with modified functionalities.
Abstract: The proliferation of cloud resources among organizations has had numerous benefits with regard to how business processes are conducted. However, despite the benefits, the cloud has not been very re...
TL;DR: The crucial need for land ownership security to structurally transform the agricultural sector motivated Burkina Faso authorities to run a land reform programme in 2009, allowing producers to acquire land as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The crucial need for land ownership security to structurally transform the agricultural sector motivated Burkina Faso authorities to run a land reform programme in 2009, allowing producers to acqui...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined factors constraining the use of mobile phones in accessing agricultural information by rural households in southern Ethiopia and employed a survey to collect data from 320 rand.
Abstract: This study examined factors constraining the use of mobile phones in accessing agricultural information by rural households in southern Ethiopia. A survey was employed to collect data from 320 rand...
TL;DR: The informal economy is emerging as a new normal as discussed by the authors, and it is distinctively pervasive both in the Global South and the North, and scholars in development economics have captured its knowledge comp...
Abstract: The informal economy is emerging as a new normal. It is distinctively pervasive both in the Global South and the North. Of late, scholarship in development economics has captured its knowledge comp...
TL;DR: The use of starch and its derivatives in concrete as an admixture to modify relevant properties of concrete has been on the increase in recent times as discussed by the authors and it is known to modify the rheology, affect the...
Abstract: The use of starch and its derivatives in concrete as an admixture to modify relevant properties of concrete has been on the increase in recent times. It is known to modify the rheology, affect the ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze the past and present changes of Dodoma region and also predict the future changes using the Landsat satellite images of 1998, 2008, and 2018.
Abstract: The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the past and present changes of Dodoma region and also predict the future changes using the Landsat satellite images of 1998, 2008 and 2018. In thi...
TL;DR: The dearth of technological progress in small-scale agricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been majorly attributed to inappropriate innovations as mentioned in this paper, where the authors employed the user-producer appr...
Abstract: The dearth of technological progress in small-scale agricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been majorly attributed to inappropriate innovations. This study employs the user-producer appr...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors develop a framework for innovation, which is a necessary condition that requires the app developers to be "initiative, entrepreneurial, and leadership" (i.e., willing to take risks).
Abstract: When linked, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership provide a platform for Organizational survival. This paper develops a framework for innovation – a necessary condition that requires the app...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities of using cloud computing in organizations of all sizes, and present a solution to the challenges of cloud computing, which offers organizations in all sizes new and unique opportunities and challenges.
Abstract: Cloud computing is one of the latest technological innovations and offers organizations of all sizes new and unique opportunities and challenges. Many firms worldwide have, however, become used to ...
TL;DR: It was found that subscribers were ill-informed about the CPM even though it has the potential to improve access to health history of subscribers which is critical in providing quality healthcare.
Abstract: The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana has three key stakeholders: National Health Insurance Authority, preferred primary providers (PPP) and subscribers. Since the introduction of th...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provided an overview of organizational innovation practices within the context of a developing country, Nigeria, using innovation survey data from 2008 and 2011, and provided an analysis of the complementarity or otherwise of organizational innovations used by manufacturing and service firms in the country.
Abstract: This paper gives an overview of organizational innovation practices within the context of a developing country, Nigeria. Using innovation survey data from 2008 and 2011, the paper provides an analysis of the complementarity or otherwise of organizational innovation practices used by manufacturing and service firms in the country. The consistent co-occurrence of different organizational innovation practices suggests that they are complements rather than substitutes. Results of our multivariate probit analysis show a clear pattern in the manufacturing sector, with complementarity between all the organizational innovation practices. There are however marked differences between the manufacturing and service sectors, suggesting that innovation policies should be sector-specific.
TL;DR: Levels of some heavy metals were investigated in 114 snack samples consumed in Ibadan city, Nigeria, finding that the levels of the selected heavy metals in the foods were comparable with data reported in studies carried out in other countries.
Abstract: Levels of some heavy metals were investigated in 114 snack samples consumed in Ibadan city, Nigeria. The concentrations of the selected metals were observed to range widely in the sampled food snac...
TL;DR: A shift from social media being a medium of communication to being a voice of the people is underway as mentioned in this paper, and a fair share of the use of social media in raising the awareness on climate change issues.
Abstract: A shift from social media being a medium of communication to being a voice of the people is underway. Nations have experienced a fair share of the use of social media in raising the awareness on ce...
TL;DR: A newly developed quantitative method, Data-Coordinate Interpolation Technique (DCIT) was used by matching the secondary and primary data to correct the variation that exists between airborne and ground vehicles as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A newly developed quantitative method, Data-Coordinate Interpolation Technique (DCIT) was used by matching the secondary and primary data to correct the variation that exists between airborne and g...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look at the inflationary effect of currency devaluation and its contractionary effect on real output growth in Zimbabwe, using data from 1990 to 2006 and utilizing the data from Statistics Institute of Zimbabwe.
Abstract: This research looks at the inflationary effect of currency devaluation and its contractionary effect on real output growth in Zimbabwe. The study uses quarterly data from 1990 to 2006 and utilizes ...
TL;DR: The potential environmental benefits of corn cob ash (CCA) as pozzolan in stabilizing soils for road construction was investigated in this article, where corn cob obtained from Maya in South West Nigeria was processed t...
Abstract: The potential environmental benefits of corn cob ash (CCA) as pozzolan in stabilizing soils for road construction was investigated. Corn cob obtained from Maya in South West Nigeria was processed t...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the informal mode of financing employed for construction financing in Somalia and find that this informal mode is more advantageous to landlords and that financier-tenants do not consider time in their decision-making.
Abstract: Intermediation is the main objective of any financial industry. While financing services are provided by formal financial institutions in the advanced world, financing services are provided differently in emerging economies. Hence, various alternative modes of financing are used in these countries. The motivation behind this study is to investigate the informal mode of financing employed for construction financing in Somalia. While utilizing time-value of money, this study found that financier-tenants do not consider time in their decision-making. Finally, this study argues that this informal mode of financing is more advantageous to landlords.
TL;DR: A number of market-oriented smallholder dairy farms have appeared mainly in the urban and peri-urban areas of Ethiopia as mentioned in this paper, where they provide both opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed.
Abstract: A number of market-oriented smallholder dairy farms have appeared mainly in the urban and peri-urban areas of Ethiopia. Dairy intensification provides both opportunities and challenges that need to...
TL;DR: In this article, it is important that online retailers ensure that their shopping websites function properly, and to ensure that online shopping is easy to navigate and easy to use. But, it is also important to ensure the security of online shopping websites.
Abstract: Online shopping, which has grown significantly over the years, has become a popular form of shopping. To succeed, it is important that online retailers ensure that their shopping websites function ...
TL;DR: In this article, primary data obtained from rice farmers in Guinea Savannah Zone (GSZ), Forest Savannah Transition Zone (FSTZ) and Coastal Savanna Zone (CSZ) was used for principal component analysis (PCA).
Abstract: This study used primary data obtained from rice farmers in Guinea Savannah Zone (GSZ), Forest Savannah Transition Zone (FSTZ) and Coastal Savannah Zone (CSZ). Principal component analysis (PCA) was...